Advice Needed

[jpmcwjr]

Bingo. Or you'll start slow, then over do it, then settle into whatever's just right for you. At least that's my experience.

 

[verporchting]

Or get hit by a bus on your way to the organic artesian water bar after eating a gluten free sustainable earth friendly vegan meal and doing hot goat yoga for an hour while meditating on the koan of eternal life through better living and Yanni music
Meh, smoke 'em if you got 'em. :rofl:
Ash was right, it's all bullshit and we're enablers here. Smoke if you want to, but only if you want to. If you do, "enjoy the heck out of it". ::

 

[bullet08]

hard to say. your genetics has lot to do with how something will work with your body. been smoking since 12, so i'm more or less in the tobacco boat till the last stop. 51 now. but pipe smoking for me has been much less health impact then cigarettes. and less expensive than cigar. ultimately, the decision is yours to make.

 

[olkofri]

' "Gentlemen, you may smoke".

—King Edward VII'
—Olkofri, shameless enabler.

 

[carolinachurchwarden]

Here's the advice a young man gave carolinachurchwarden a while ago....

Yeah... That was a weird day... Hopefully you'll have better luck with your first outdoors smoking experience than I did. I don't suppose there'll be some kid tromping through the wilderness telling you you're gonna die if you don't stop smoking!

 

[stevecourtright]

Or get hit by a bus on your way to the organic artesian water bar after eating a gluten free sustainable earth friendly vegan meal and doing hot goat yoga for an hour while meditating on the koan of eternal life through better living and Yanni music

It's a good thing you didn't add "while hitting a drum" because that's exactly what I was just doing...

 

[seldom]

That is not a daft question. The health impacts of pipe smoking are not as well studied as impacts from cigarettes.
This page from the Seattle Pipe Club provides some information and advice that may be useful: Reducing Risks of Pipe and Cigar Smoking Summary Notes from the lecture of Henri P. Gaboriau M.D.

 

[jrenko]

At 53 years of age i am sure you can smoke a couple of bowl each day without worrying about dying any quicker. Also life is to short go worry about getting sick and such things. You might fall in the stairs tomorrow and break your neck. You never know when it's your time so start enjoy life and pipesmoking is for sure one of the things that makes life better.
I say welcome to the wonderfull world of pipesmoking.

 

[jvnshr]

I accept that any smoking is hazardous but would a bowl a week (or thereabouts) be really much of a gamble?

This question always amazes me. Have you ever seen those guys biking on the mountains? I don't think they ask if they are going to fall and break a bone before they start doing it. It is obvious right? You may fall and break your kneecap or you may finish the race without a single scratch. My advice is, even if you hesitate a little, just don't start. Because it is the hesitation but not pipe smoking that will hurt you.

I am hopeful the pipe will bring me the same pleasure as quality tea, coffee, claret, whisky etc do.

I am sorry but you are wrong. It will bring more pleasure :nana:

Much like how a piece of cake a week is not going to cause you have diabetes

Sugar doesn't cause diabetes. But if you eat a piece of cake a week and sit the whole day and don't exercise and become obese then you may have diabetes.

 

[mikethompson]

Since we are all throwing our worthless opinion on the pile, I might as well too. I think life is like a balance. There are things that I really enjoy, but if I did them all the time it would be too much. Find the balance that is right for you.
I'm lucky if I get a bowl a month, and that is fine by me.
We all have people in our family who never smoked anything, never drank, were in good shape, and got cancer. I'm more concerned about carcinogens in the air and food than my monthly bowl.

 

[richardjmiller]

Wow thanks all for the sage advice and opinions. You are all right - it's a balance of risk vs relaxation. And I certainly enjoy the odd glass of whisky and a more frequent top end claret and the health and safety Gestapo would have you believe it's all sinful. I'm on the UK side of the pond. Thanks for the tobacco suggestions which I will endeavour to follow up. Pleased to see a few fellow anglers - I just can't imagine a more relaxing moment than sitting by a couple of Devon rivers I know well, as darkness descends and the Sea Trout start to move.....

 

[diamondback]

Well, I’m new to the forum but I’ll only add that if you decide to go forward, be prepared for several months of trial and error until you get it down. I’m sure there’s the occasional person who picks up the pipe and smokes it right away with no problems (the veritable Stevie Ray Vaughan of pipe smoking), but for most it takes a good year or a little over to really begin to get the hang of it, from char light to tamping cadence.
In my case, I started in the fall of 2007 and Lord have mercy I couldn’t tell you how many months of frustration I went through until, slowly, things just began to fall into place. If I recall, it was probably the fall of 2009 until I was sure I was nearing the realm of intermediate piping. I still don’t consider myself advanced, but I love it and I’ll have a bowl whenever I can.
If you decide to go ahead, remember to enjoy the journey as much as possible and that it will likely take several months until you begin to feel like you know what you’re doing. Prepare for tongue burn, excessive relighting, experimenting with packing, trying to get flavor, etc. These can all be steps of an adventure if you look at it that way. It goes without saying that given you choose to learn the hobby, ask plenty of questions. I joined the forum specifically to help beginners if and when I can.
All the best to you regardless of your decision.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

+1 for Ashdigger, You nailed it again,

 

[rdavid]

Great response diamondback.
Sounds like we're on the same exact path. You described my first year to a tee. Definitely frustrating at times but the good bowls far outweigh the bad anymore.
Very much worth the journey and I'm learning new stuff everyday.

 

[gerryp]

but would a bowl a week (or thereabouts) be really much of a gamble?

Nope.
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the 1964 Surgeon General report on pipe smoking. If I remember correctly, it said pipe smokers have a slightly higher risk of mouth/throat cancer than non-smokers, have no significantly greater risk of lung cancer, and actually lived longer than non-smokers.
I suspect that taking a shower is probably more dangerous than pipe smoking.