Risk if any of my pipe habit

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cinosam

Lurker
Jan 8, 2014
15
0
Hello everyone. This is my first post. So, I have smoked a pipe on and off since I was a freshman in college (2004). By on and off I mean, perhaps a few times a month, if at all. There have been months when I smoked it once or twice a week, and months where I never smoked it at all. There have been many times I bought a bag or tin of tobacco, smoked from it two or three times, and then forgot about it and found it months or even years later, nearly full. So in brief, I'd say I smoke infrequently.
I think I'm somehow immune to nicotine addiction, as I went through sporadic periods of smoking cigarettes - mostly hand-rolled, very occasionally store-bought - during college, never with any consistency at all. There would be weeks where I'd have a cigarette every day, weeks where I'd have one or two cigarettes on the weekend while drinking, and weeks (and months) where I would not have ANY cigarettes whatsoever. Most of the cigarettes in my possession wound up being bummed by friends. In the past five years since college I've smoked maybe eight cigarettes, total. I know it says in the rules no talking about cigarettes, but I only bring this up to emphasize that am not dependent on nicotine.
In any case, I have recently gotten some small sample bags of pipe tobacco and have been sampling them, about once every other day, since Christmas. This is the most frequently I've ever smoked my pipe, and as I have hypochondriac tendencies I am becoming paranoid about health problems. I want to try to smoke the pipe as healthily as possible. So: I always drink cold water while smoking; I never inhale the smoke into my lungs; and I rinse my mouth out afterwards with tea tree oil (diluted with water), which I also use each morning and each night before bed as a daily practice regardless of whether I've been smoking the pipe.
I have searched mightily but can't find any medical studies of whether this kind of infrequent pipe smoking carries any risk. All the studies I have found seem to relate to cigarette smoking, with the occasional "PIPES/CIGARS ARE JUST AS BAD AS CIGARETTES SO NEVER SMOKE THEM EVER" scaremongering. All the medical websites seem to treat pipe smoking as a black-and-white issue with no middle ground i.e. no concept of doing it in moderation. And it'd be damn helpful to know where my pipe habit would fall in the spectrum of health.

 

gray4lines

Part of the Furniture Now
Nov 6, 2012
679
2
KY
Welcome!
Even one a day is considered "low" or "infrequent" for most studies. Not inhaling eliminates a lot of risk too. Yes, there is a slightly higher risk if you smoke (things like oral and esophageal cancers). But you have no reason to worry. Not many studies look at the occasional smoker because 1. The population is too small to make a good sample inference. 2. My opinion, I believe the study's author knows they would not find a significant health effect. As you suspected, it is an absolute lie that pipe smoking, cigar smoking, and cigarette smoking are all equally dangerous. Also, keep in mind that ANY epidemiological study only shows correlation at the population level. They do not say that any individual will have negative health effects because they smoke... way too many factors to control for.
That said, it sounds like you are doing a sensible thing. Take care of yourself, get check ups, all that good stuff. All you can do is consider the risk, and make a choice. I hope you stick around and enjoy your pipe and sampling!

 

northernneil

Lifer
Jun 1, 2013
1,390
1
No smoking is healthy. If you have health concerns, do not smoke. Not a pipe, cigar or cigarette.

 

ravkesef

Lifer
Aug 10, 2010
2,912
9,176
81
Cheshire, CT
Pipes are nowhere near as dangerous as cigarettes, and if the 1964 Surgeon General's report is to believed, may actually be beneficial. Let's put it this way: you'd have to smoke a lot of pipes in a broom closet to equal the risk of consuming one char-broiled hamburger, never mind a steak!

Also consider the risks of mountain biking, skiing, and you get the idea.

I've been smoking for 54 years and my pipes have rewarded me with superb pleasure. Paul Spaniola died a few months ago at the age of 100--clear proof of the dangers of smoking. Bottom line: you're over 21 and entitled to make your own decisions.

 

cinosam

Lurker
Jan 8, 2014
15
0
"Here we go again," yeah I imagine this question probably gets asked a lot here. Remember I am from a generation where "TOBACCO = DEATH" was drummed into our heads constantly so there is no small amount of social conditioning to break through.

 

gray4lines

Part of the Furniture Now
Nov 6, 2012
679
2
KY
"Here we go again," yeah I imagine this question probably gets asked a lot here. Remember I am from a generation where "TOBACCO = DEATH" was drummed into our heads constantly so there is no small amount of social conditioning to break through.
A lot recently it seems. There is a recent thread with a link to the 64 surgeon general's report. Have you read that? Also, on this website somewhere there is a link to a great summary of plenty of tobacco studies. Once you see one, they are all quite similar... Examine tobacco use, usually do not hold relevant factors constant (like was a previous cigarette smoker, inhaling...) and makes claims about significant tobacco use, like 5+ cigars a day.

 

zekest

Lifer
Apr 1, 2013
1,136
9
The title says it all, with the use of "Habit".
Don't smoke.

It is known to the state of California to cause death.

Nobody on this forum would advocate you starting a tobacco habit.
Please let your high school teacher know this forum does not advocate smoking.
Now go get your homework done before your mom gets mad!

 

cinosam

Lurker
Jan 8, 2014
15
0
lol yeah yeah I know, I was asking for that one with a thread like this (what was I expecting the guys on a pipe forum to say? "IT'S TERRIBLY RISKY! STOP IT AT ONCE!") I guess I just have issues with guilt and needing to be validated by others. True story, I was inspired to take up pipe smoking from the psychiatrist I was sent to when I was in high school. I loved the way his office smelled. (I highly doubt he is allowed to smoke in there today.)

 

agnosticpipe

Lifer
Nov 3, 2013
3,332
3,412
In the sticks in Mississippi
Do you eat bacon, or hot dogs, or any other meats with any preservatives? Do you drive a car on a regular basis? Both of those things are as dangerous to your health and well being as enjoying pipe smoking in moderation. Life in general is risky business. Everything we do is a roll of the dice. Some people smoke constantly and live to be 90 or older. Some live a stellar healthy, vegan life and die of a heart attack. There is no stock answer. Your have to decide what your priorities are and what makes you happy, then make thoughtful decisions for yourself, and take responsibility for them. Sorry if that is not much help.
As my mother said to me once: "Cheer up, things could be worse." So I cheered up, and sure enough things got worse.
Sorry again, I had some rum to drink while smoking my pipe.

 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,621
44,833
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
If you live in a city, and if you breath, you are inhaling about the carcinogenic equivalent of a pack of cigarettes a day. The occasional puff on a pipe isn't really going to tip the scales by much. I don't inhale pipe smoke and I don't smoke indoors.

Any smoking entails a bit of risk. So too, does breathing in an urban area.

 

warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
11,699
16,206
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
You are going to die whether you smoke or not. I suggest that smoking probably tips the odds a bit towards a horrific, cancer ridden death. How much of a tip? I have no idea. Worth the risk? Your call! It's very unfair to try and involve others in this decision.
I do know that everyone I've known who smoked and died, did so before the age of 120 years. This is also true for those that didn't smoke. Hope this helps (not really).

 

bluesmk

Can't Leave
Jul 13, 2013
446
3
Bethlehem,PA
"Here we go again." :rofl: and everything agnosticpipe and sablebrush52 stated so well.

Dan

Gabrieli Pipes PS: no one gets out alive,enjoy!

 

yaddy306

Lifer
Aug 7, 2013
1,371
502
Regina, Canada
Do you eat bacon, or hot dogs, or any other meats with any preservatives? Do you drive a car on a regular basis?
Don't forget the risks inherent in oral sex and Human Papilloma Virus :
"A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine showed that those infected with HPV were 32 times more likely to develop oral or throat cancers. This finding dwarfs the increased risk associated with two acknowledged factors for developing these cancers: smoking (three times more likely to develop cancer) and drinking (2.5 times). Research published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that HPV now accounts for more head and neck cancers than tobacco or alcohol."

(Source: http://www.mouthcancerfoundation.org/patients-guide/hpv-risks )

 

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
11,568
15,212
SE PA USA
I am from a generation where "TOBACCO = DEATH" was drummed into our heads constantly so there is no small amount of social conditioning to break through
That is not the obstacle in front of you.
The problem is that you never learned to think for, and believe in, yourself.
Do your own research, make up your own mind, live with and enjoy the choices that you make.

.

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.

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SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE FOLLOWS:

GL Pease Gaslight in a Peterson's 406 with a snifter of VSOP Cognac of your choice.

 

pylorns

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
2,114
352
Austin, Texas
www.thepipetool.com
I think I can best sum up most people's thoughts in one sentence. These forums are not used to talk someone into smoking a pipe.
My great-grandfather smoked a pipe. Ate bacon and eggs every day, and lived until he was nearly 101.

 
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