Should I start smoking a pipe?

Enquiring Mind | 11/14/2001 | MississippiMan

[MississippiMan]

I haven't had a cigarette since January 23rd. Unfortunately, I still crave cigarettes constantly. Some of that is due to the fact that I've remained addicted to nicotene gum or patches or inhalers or whatever my nicotene du jour is. Another part of it is that a small majority of the time, smoking was actually a very pleasurable thing. Only a few cigarettes a day really felt good; the others were sheer, utter habit.

Contrary to all the assurances, I don't feel wondrously better. My breathing has not improved much at all. My sense of taste is the one big difference and that difference is indeed dramatic.

When all is said and done, however, the only factor that keeps me from starting back at this point is the smell. I had no idea I stank like that for 20+ years. Good grief! How rank! It's not so much the smell of the smoke itself, but the smell it leaves on you and anything it touches in an enclosed area.

With that in mind, I've smelled some WONDERFUL smelling pipe tobacco over the years and am wondering if maybe I oughta take up a pipe smoking session maybe once per night to take care of my craving. Any pipe smokers out there? What are those tobaccos that smell so wonderful?

Thanks...

MM

[OWK]

You should take up cheese.

It's done wonders for me. ;^]

[sola gracia]

Sure. Light up. Just remember though, smoking a pipe is like making coffee - the smell is better than the taste.

[Rodney King]

I like pipes, and most pipe tobacco smells good. The only pipe tobacco that I have had that smelled bad is Dunhill Royal Yacht.

In any event, I don't reccomend pipes for ex-smokers or people trying to quit. The problem is that, intentional or not, you will start puprposely inhaling the smoke, rather than tasting and second-hand smoking yourself like most pipe smokers do. Every smoker that I have seen smoke pipes winds up inhaling it directly. This smoke is far worse for you than cigarette smoke.

My adivice to you would be to chew Red Man. It takes a while getting used to, but you can stand around with a pouch of Red Men and a six pack of Coors and tell youreself "Yeah, I'm a tough guy" and at the same time satisfy your nicotine craving.

Of course, chewing tobacco is not that great for you either, but it is far better for you then cigarettes.

[Orblivion]

You need to kick the nicotine habbit. That's why you still crave ciggarettes. Just quit all your nicotine products cold turkey. And after 3 or 4 days you should no longer feel the effects of the nicotine cravings. Nicotine only takes a few days to leave your system. When I quit smoking I did it cold turkey. No gum or patches. And after 3 days it really wasn't all that difficult. You just have to make up your mind to do it. And then do it. :)

[jungleboy]

Go smell the clothes of a pipe-smoker before making up you mind. Stanky

[Ratatoskr]

What are those tobaccos that smell so wonderful?

Borkum Riff vanilla. My dad smoked it.

Pipe smoking has its own set of repulsive rituals having to do with cleaning and spit and so on. It also gave an uncle of mine a mouth cancer so nasty we weren't allowed to see him for the last year of his life.

[chemainus]

No nicotine at all .... I am a biochemist.... nicotine craving goes by a rule of twos and you must defeat them one at a time....each time you use any nicotine , and pipe smoke allows absorption of nicotine through the tissues of the tongue,mouth throat etc even if you do not inhale, the craving clock is reset because the nicotine recertors are replenished and SCREAM for nicotine.....since a small amount of nicotine is also stored in fat and released slowly, you get the extended cravings because the receptors are replenished....Rule of Twos for INTENSE CRAVING and you must defeat each one of them in order and if you have ANY nicotine , the craving clock is re-set.....first severe craving for nicotine is after two minutes....next is after two hours ....then two days....then two weeks...then every two months....then at two years you get the last cravings.... cold turkey is the only way... one puff starts it all over again ( second hand smoke or patches or gum or chewing tobacco or pipe or cigar are all the same)

[TightSqueeze]

When I quit smoking I did it cold turkey. No gum or patches. And after 3 days it really wasn't all that difficult. You just have to make up your mind to do it. And then do it. :)

Cold Turkey BUMP, yup in about 6 weeks you will feel like a new man.

The only way to really quit is to stop. - Yogi

[sasquatch]

This is the correct answer. I tried all the combos.
Start jogging; it's a great reminder.

[chemainus]

3 or 4 days to leave your system is not true....no disrespect intended....also " breathing not much better" you probably don't have any cilia that are not glued together and you undoubtedly now have small airway disease which will be with you for life....you can just stop it from getting worse so you won't have to roll an oxygen tank around

[B Knotts]

Thank you for posting this. Just seeing this title in the Latest Posts had me ROFL.

[fourdeuce82d]

I dipped copenhagen for 20 years, then smoked for the 1.5 years- quit about a month ago. I'm *still* coughing black crap out of my lungs.

The gum works for me, but I chew 3-4 pices at a time...

[Don]

Yes

[plinker's2sense]

Slowly ease up on your daily dose of nicotine from the patches, gum, etc. They're still better than smoking because you are not getting all the tar and chemicals from tobacco products. Don't give up.

[latrans]

Anybody dumb enough to smoke better get their will in order.

[meandog]

Absolutely...but if you're going to smoke one get a good one. I recommend a Dunhill (expensive) but if that's too much for your budget Petersen pipes are good too. Steer clear of budget brands if you're a new smoker--ALL PIPES BITE A BIT...however, the better the briar the softer the bite. For tobacco, I recommend a burley-lane mixture. Steer clear of cherry, vanilla, etc. until you get adjusted to the pipe. Those sweet-smelling tobaccos have an appealing aroma but can really do a number on your tongue until you become a full-fledged pipe smoker. Welcome to the smoker's lounge!

[MoralSense]

I gave up cigarettes in the middle of a coughing fit on the tennis court in about 1988. Went home, pulled my old collection of pipes out of the closet, together with (luckily) some excellent tobacco, and have smoked only pipes and cigars since. My breathing is excellent, and I've experienced no oral troubles, other than dirty teeth. My own opinion is that mouth cancers and the like come from smoking dirty pipes, and letting nicotine juice dribble into the mouth.

All that being said, if you don't really know how to smoke a pipe, if you don't get good pipes and good tobacco, you're likely not to find it very satisfactory. Tobaccos like Borkhum Riff may smell good to the non-smoker, but they taste terrible; they're treated with sugar. Unless you can deal with a really good tobacconist (and there are very few left), you'll end up unsatisfied, with a stinging tongue, and having spent a bunch of money.

The poster above who said you'd probably end up inhaling the smoke is correct, too. I don't inhale, and feel very comfortable not inhaling. But the pipe was the first thing I ever smoked. I got onto cigarettes out of laziness.

[balrog666]

It's not really different - you have a few good puffs and the rest is just habit or addiction. You'll lose your sense of smell and start stinking up your house, clothes, car, and friends all over again. Also, you'll have to find and break in a good pipe and good ones cost money! You'll also need to buy a some pipe tobacco, a bowl tamper (packing tool), pipe lighter, bowl reamer (eventually), cork bulbs for your ashtrays (so you don't break your pipe), and another dozen items I've long since forgotten.

However, if you must have something, try a good cigar. It's easy to find a good one, tehy come in many styles and flavors, you don't have to buy but one at a time, and can enjoy it anytime. I also find it easy to wean yourself off of them. Beats a damn patch any day.