How Much One Should Smoke?

mattsem · Dec 4, 2014

Well I know the answer to this question is very subjective and not two people smokers smoke the same amount but I still would like to hear from you guys
As a new pipe smoker and someone who is desperately trying to switch from cigarettes to pipe I'd like to know how much do you guys smoke on average and how much is too much?

The reason I'm asking is since I started smoking pipes it happened a lot that I forgot to carry my pipe around with me as I still haven't got used to it. So I would say on average I've been smoking maybe 2-4 medium bowls per day.

But for some unknown reason (or maybe it's the fact that a great pal sent me some RLP and I really enjoy it), I've been smoking all day today. I don't know maybe I had 10-12 bowls, and I'm experiencing the worst headache ever

I was wondering if there is such a thing as smoking too much
Looking forward to hear from you guys

Cheers

cosmicfolklore · Dec 4, 2014

I was smoking 8-12 bowls as soon as I got my first pipe to transition a heavy cigarette habit to something a little "safer" IMO. I've been doing that for years now. Now, that I want the pipe instead if the sticks, I still want or need the pipe, especially with a ton of blends that I want to try. But, lately I've been forcing myself to go

longer without the pipe. Sure it's safer, and I can breath much better than ever. I run in the mornings now and work out in the evenings. But, I can feel the effects on my heart. So, I'm at three to five now. Working it back slowly.
It's funny. Buying pipes and selecting new blends with a cellar full of stuff I've yet to try, PAD and TAD seem to be about as bad as actually smoking for me, ha ha! I've even tried to cut back how much time I spend on here to help.

condorlover1 · Dec 4, 2014

In my humble opinion it all depends on what you smoke. If I smoked aromatics or some US OTC blend I would have a pipe stuck in my face 24/7. If repeated that with the sort of tobacco I enjoy I would most likely be dead so in answer I would say it is a matter of personal preference and bodily tolerance.

Chasing Embers · Dec 4, 2014

On days that I work, I will fill one of my very large bowls, and smoke it on and off during the day, 5 to 10 minutes at a time. On off days I generally smoke 4 to 5 bowls of my smaller pipes. Large-2inches deep, Small-1inch or less.

warren · Dec 4, 2014

Condor has it right.
I don't keep count, somewhere in the neighborhood of a dozen bowls per day. It is dependent on what I am doing during the day. I think the number of bowls is a matter of what you can tolerate tied to what you desire. As mentioned above, the nicotine content of the blend will have an effect on both.
It is really tough to try and quantify how much one should smoke. I suggest that you should consciously try and cut back until you do not experience debilitating side effects which are attributable to the pipe. You are challenging your body with the change in nicotine delivery system so you should allow time for adjustment. Perhaps you are overloading it a bit.

lordofthepiperings · Dec 4, 2014

I would also mention that no matter what type of blends you're smoking you can wear out your palate. I typically do this at the West Coast Pipe Show, because I normally have 2-3 bowls a day, but at the show I can easily get through 10-15 bowls in a day which overloads my tongue.
My advice would be to put the pipe down for the day when the blend doesn't taste the same anymore. For everyone that could be a different number of bowls.
The headache is probably a nicotine overload. Just snack on a chocolate bar and make sure to drink lots of water. Hydration is an important part of pipe smoking.

jjjarhead · Dec 4, 2014

I've heard a theory about smoking and I think it's worth sharing with you guys. The theory says that most of cigarette smokers smoke not because they need the nicotine so desperately but they need to have something to hold, to keep themselves occupied. I think it makes sense in certain levels and it can apply to pipe smoking as well. We, or at least I, smoke a pipe because it gives me something to hold in my hand, to clench in my mouth, to puff from time to time. OP says now he smokes 10-12 bowls per day, i assume 1hour per bowl, so that's 10-12 hours. If you can control your pace and smoke slower, you may just need 7-8 bowls or even less to pass that 12 hours. It's easier said than done but if you try, you'll get there. Good time puffing.

mso489 · Dec 4, 2014

If you ask your doctor, the "correct" answer she or he is obligated to give you is that you should

not smoke at all. More philosophical docs will probably not count a bowl or two a day as smoking,

especially if you are over 65. Ten bowls a day is probably going to get complaints from anyone who

doesn't smoke a pipe themselves. Moderation is a good thing. When your TAD shipment arrives,

and you are sampling everything, it's like cake on your birthday, none of it counts. Maybe use small

pipes, or only pack your pipe part way, or ... not.

crusher47 · Dec 4, 2014

1 or 2 per day

mcitinner1 · Dec 4, 2014

Mattsem I would smoke your pipes as much as it takes to quit cigs even if you have to carry one around in your mouth all day. (some here do) 8)

papajoe · Dec 4, 2014

One bowl per day , six days a week. I smoke mostly at work since my wife does not approve my smoking

hence six days and not seven.

billypm · Dec 4, 2014

My yardstick is if I feel the "need" for a pipe, I'm smoking too much. I quit cigs years ago and it was brutal but I did it and I have no intention of replacing one addiction with another. By managing my piping properly I hope to never have to give it up.
Health-wise we all have our own issues and smoking may or may not affect them. Just gotta use our best judgement on that one. For me I'm happiest smoking a bowl every couple of days, but I'll sometimes ramp that up and sometimes go a week without.

wyfbane · Dec 4, 2014

I saw somewhere that if you smoke 3x a week or less you are not a "smoker" for many health care systems. I tended to follow this guideline for a while.
But the tobacco is so tasty. So I was smoking 1x a day, sometimes 2-3.
Then my mom died in October and I have been going crazy ever since.
I am with Cosmic on his last point though. PAD and TAD have completely taken over my hobby time/$$. LoL

okiescout · Dec 4, 2014

Depends on the weather and time on weekends. Smoke at my B&C evenings, that is the extent of my inside smoking. They close 1 or 2 hours after I can get there, so it generally comes down to 1 big pipe a day. Weekends are outside so it is up to the weather conditions and how good the pipe is, 2-5 in good weather :D
Quit ciggs 30 years ago. I agree, a lot of it for me anyway was what to do with my hands. I went cold turkey on everything to get off them.

I could not believe how nervous I was, in a crowded break-room, with nothing to do with my hands. Finally got a coffee cup, just to hold, and that worked. Pipe would have been different, but I just couldn't stop inhaling it, at that time. Later I could enjoy my pipe without inhaling the smoke.

mso489 · Dec 4, 2014

Logging onto Forums always makes me feel hungry for a nice bowl of tobacco.

kanaia · Dec 4, 2014

For myself maybe 2 bowls a day during the winter. The most I've heard of is roughly 20 bowls a day based on a friend that goes through 1lb. of lQ every 6 days and has been doing that for over 20 years.

easterntraveler · Dec 4, 2014

1 bowl a day when I smoke my pipe. I never smoked cigarettes or cigars on a regular basis. The pipe is a luxury for me so I am not one who should be used for advice on this topic.

andrew · Dec 4, 2014

1-2 bowls a day, I'm an ex cigarette smoker but wasn't a heavy cigarette smoker, maybe 10 a day. I actually found an scientific article on pipe smoking that said to do the damage of a moderate cigarette smoker you'd have to smoke something like 16 bowls a day, and pretty much all the other diseases associated with cigarette smoking were dramatically decreased in pipes and cigar smokers, like extremely decreased.

mephistopheles · Dec 4, 2014

Smoke until you feel satisfied and no more. Moderation is respect and with it comes appreciation. Certainly don't push it until you're green around the gills.
For me, I'm happy with a bowl per day. Sometimes the idea of two is fitting, but time and the recent weather just do not permit.

boilermakerandy · Dec 4, 2014

I smoke 2 to 3 bowls a day however yesterday I didn't smoke at all.

How Much One Should Smoke?

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