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Verno

Lurker
Nov 18, 2019
5
10
I was a 25 yr pack a day smoker. I got off the cigs 3 years ago. I am looking at pipe smoking because I like the idea of the ritual and the pause that it forces you to take during the day. I'm thinking, evening smokes on the porch or stopping during a grouse hunt to smoke a bowl and brew a coffee etc. I'm terrified of going back to cigs. I'm wondering if any former cig smokers can advise if the differences are big enough that it doesnt become a slippery slope back to smoking cigs?

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title - Bob
 
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unadoptedlamp

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 19, 2014
742
1,368
If you have been clear of nicotine addiction for 3 years, and have had a pretty strong addiction in the past, I would steer clear.

It might be worth looking into the mental addiction that you are currently experiencing (assuming you do not use nicotine in any form) and work that out. There are some good books for this that might suit you, like the Alan Carr series, which most nicotine addicts know about.

Plenty of people move to the pipe, and stay there, however, few people (if any) can ingest nicotine without making it an addiction. I'd be aware of that before making any decision.

Further, you'll possibly get the double whammy of a pipe collection addiction. Good luck, with all of that...
 

redglow

Lifer
Jan 7, 2019
1,822
4,043
Michigan
I was a pack and a half ciggy smoker as well as a cigar and pipe smoker for years. Inhaled everything. Then, went cold turkey for over 5 years without a bit of tobacco.

I started smoking pipes again about 10 months ago. I like it because I ultimately liked the taste and aroma and the experience/ritual of the pipe so much more And can enjoy my pipes without purposely inhaling the smoke. Just puffing quietly on the pipe still brings me a lot of satisfaction.

I only smoke a bowl or two at night after getting home from work. So, I don't spend my entire day with my pipes.

Have not even thought about picking up the cigs or the cigars again.
 

brian64

Lifer
Jan 31, 2011
9,602
14,666
I've only smoked a relative handful of cigarettes in my life, so can't speak to that personally. But I can say that for me nicotine's "addictive" qualities are very unimpressive...very weak...no comparison to caffeine, for example. Apparently that is different for some people.

I can tell you though that over the years I've been on this forum I've seen numerous ex heavy cigarette smokers say exactly the opposite of what unadoptedlamp said (as you can already see from redglow's comments).

So, you'll have to decide for yourself. You're not likely to get any strong consensus here. What you're likely to get are mostly extreme polar opposite opinions on this question.
 
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weezell

Lifer
Oct 12, 2011
13,653
49,163
You get to the point(at least I did) where cigs don't even taste good anymore. I gave them up last April, but have smoked a pipe for 40 years in moderation. My wife smokes cigs and once in a while I grab one and they taste like ?. It just depends on "you"...
 

trubka2

Lifer
Feb 27, 2019
2,470
21,640
Almost a year ago, I switched to the pipe after smoking 2+ packs/day for 30 years (in addition to occasional pipe and cigar smoking). It took some doing, just because there's not nearly as much nicotine involved. I haven't even been tempted to have a cigarette in months; they don't even smell good to me any more. It's a very different addiction, much mellower and much less harmful, but I still have a nicotine habit. Whether or not you would backslide into ciggies, I can't say. Personally, I find it easy to draw a line between the two.
 

unadoptedlamp

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 19, 2014
742
1,368
I agree that it doesn't seem normal for pipe smokers to go to cigarettes. They're awful, especially in comparison to pipe tobacco. Once you have a taste for good tobacco, you'll probably smoke nothing when faced with no pipe tobacco or a pack of cigarettes.

However, I would consider a 25 year pack a day cigarette "hobby" a fairly strong addiction (whether it is physical or metal or both) and think that it is reasonable to offer caution, as the person was looking for opinions/advice and context seems appropriate.

Different people react differently to tobacco, as brian points out. You would have to look at your own personal history and determine if nicotine is an issue for you or not. Pipe tobacco will certainly deliver nicotine. How you deal with that is only something you know about.

Good luck! At least if you do go for pipes, I'm guessing you will find it more enjoyable than cigarettes. I just wouldn't have any illusions regarding what it is all about, considering your history.
 
Jan 28, 2018
12,952
134,597
66
Sarasota, FL
The biggest challenge in replacing cigarettes with a pipe is instant gratification and convenience. That's increasingly true these days where smokers have to step outside when they want to smoke. I smoked pipe a number of periods of my life prior to this go around. Always enjoyed it. But I was also on the move all the time and smoking the pipe didn't always match my activity level. Seeing how much I enjoy it now, I wish I'd have been more patient when I was younger. But that's true for far more than pipe smoking.
 
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Dusk

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 8, 2019
141
497
Undah Da Sea
I started with pipes to get away from smoking overpriced factory cigs and their rising taxes. The first month was rough trying to learn a whole new way of smoking but the switch was well worth it.

At the same time I discovered some great RYO blends that are far better than any commercial cig, so I still roll on occasion. However, I do smoke pipes fairly often but still less than the equivalent of half a pack a day (which is what I was up to at one point). What can I say? I'm an evil smoker with no soul. My intent was never to quit, rather I just wanted to find a better way to enjoy tobacco and get my money's worth.

So OP, if you're truly scared of "relapsing" I'd stay away from smoking completely if you're just going to guilt yourself and feel terrible about it. I will say that once you get a taste of pipe tobacco you're not likely to go back to regular factory cigs. I can't even stand the smell of them anymore with the FSC and other chems added, hardly resembles real tobacco.
 
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danimalia

Lifer
Sep 2, 2015
4,385
26,440
41
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
I was a pack to pack and a half smoker for 24 years. Started when I was 13, and finally gave them up in July for the pipe, along with some cigars. I'm still addicted to nicotine, but not only do I get enough from the pipe to satisfy me, I also have noticed my addiction "softening" around the pipe. For example I can go longer periods without nicotine, and aside from when I first wake up in the morning, I rarely find myself experiencing any withdrawal symptoms. I start each day by smoking a high-nicotine blend like GHC Dark Flake or HH Bold Kentucky, and after that, I tend to smoke 3-6 more bowls throughout the day depending on what's going on.

Nicotine addiction is a pretty pernicious thing in my experience. The withdrawal symptoms are nowhere near as severe as opiate withdrawal (which makes you want to die) or alcohol/benzos (which can actually kill you.) Yet, despite negative consequences, and attempts to quit, I haven't been able to. So there's definitely something there that makes it very difficult for people to kick. That's why the people who study this stuff rank nicotine as among the more addictive drugs. At this point, I enjoy the pipe, and feel the harm is quite a bit less than cigarettes, so I'm comfortable with myself right now.

If I was nicotine free for 3 years and felt good about how my life was going, I would be wary of exposing myself to the stuff. That said, will a bowl or two a day turn you into a cigarette smoker again? I'd bet no, not in and of itself. You have to know yourself. Are you truly interested in pipe smoking? Or are you looking for an excuse/path to start smoking cigs again? If so, you might find yourself smoking cigarettes before you know it. I don't mean to suggest anything, but these are the questions and concerns I'd have for myself if I were in your position.

Good luck with whatever you decide, and welcome!
 

ray47

Lifer
Jul 10, 2015
2,451
5,610
Dalzell, South Carolina
If you kicked the cigarette habit I would recommend that you not start smoking a pipe. Your just exchanging one habit for another and your taking too much of a chance to go back to the cigs. I speak from experience. I gave up cigs and turned to the pipe and dip to fill in the void. Day to day stress and other factors just pushed me back to the cigs and now I use cigs, dip and the pipe, but I do smoke less cigs. Find another outlet, you'll be happier, believe me. If you want to stay with pipe smoking and that's your call, I'd smoke strong pipe tobacco. It does cut down the urges for a cigarette. The most important thing is DON'T INHALE because that will make you want to smoke a cigarette. That's what happened to me. Some here will disagree with what I've said and that's okay, everyone is different and there's no right answer. Take in all the advice you've received, weigh the pros & the cons and then make your decision. I wish you the best in your decision.
 

kurtbob

Lifer
Jul 9, 2019
2,131
12,748
57
SE Georgia
If you kicked the cigarette habit I would recommend that you not start smoking a pipe. Your just exchanging one habit for another and your taking too much of a chance to go back to the cigs. I speak from experience. I gave up cigs and turned to the pipe and dip to fill in the void. Day to day stress and other factors just pushed me back to the cigs and now I use cigs, dip and the pipe, but I do smoke less cigs. Find another outlet, you'll be happier, believe me. If you want to stay with pipe smoking and that's your call, I'd smoke strong pipe tobacco. It does cut down the urges for a cigarette. The most important thing is DON'T INHALE because that will make you want to smoke a cigarette. That's what happened to me. Some here will disagree with what I've said and that's okay, everyone is different and there's no right answer. Take in all the advice you've received, weigh the pros & the cons and then make your decision. I wish you the best in your decision.
Same here but kinda backwards. Ever since I was 14 yrs old playing baseball was using tobacco (chewing). Which turned into cigs, chew, dip and cigars while in the military and was on that merry go round for 30 yrs. now only smoke my pipe 100% since the last 5 yrs with little to no inhalation and doing just fine with the reduced nicotine. But yes, it is swapping one habit to fill the void of another much more enjoyable one in my opinion
 

RadioPiper

Lurker
Nov 7, 2019
18
81
Saugerties, NY
I smoked a pack a day for the last 15 years. Also smoked cigars and pipes during that time, but not nearly as much as cigs. Gave up both drinking and cigs about 8 months ago. Didn’t smoke anything for 4 months then had cigars every so often and a pipe more. Have no desire to smoke cigs again thankfully, or drink for that matter.
 

mtwaller

Lifer
Nov 21, 2018
1,311
5,331
34
Atlanta, GA
Lots of good thoughts from others on this subject. I smoked a pack plus per day for about 15 years. I gave that up about a year ago when I started enjoying cigars. Smoked cigars for a month or two, and decided I wanted to try pipes. It took a few months at least to really wrap my head around pipe smoking and figure out how to make it work for me.

As others have said, once you find some pipe tobaccos that you like, I doubt you’ll find cigarettes nearly as tasty as you used to. I enjoy the ritual of pipe smoking, and do it how you have described it. Always a bowl in the late afternoon or evening, sometimes two. But sometimes I can go days without smoking a pipe and I don’t “Jones” for it by any means.

I find it easy to mentally and emotionally separate pipes from cigarettes, that is to say smoking a pipe doesn’t make me want to buy a pack. I haven’t bought cigarettes in over a year, although I’ve smoked a few occasionally if I’m at a party and I’ve had too much to drink.

In short, I don’t think smoking a pipe would be a slippery slope back towards cigarettes. I was afraid of the same thing, but I’ve found it absolutely not to be the case. Everyone is different, though.. personally, I think pipes and cigars have likely saved my life. They’re the reason I don’t ever want or need to go back to cigarettes. I thought I’d chain smoke until I died young, but now I feel like I’ve got a much better chance of living a full and relatively healthy life. All thanks to pipes and cigars which I DO NOT INHALE. Can’t stress that enough!
 

hauntedmyst

Lifer
Feb 1, 2010
4,006
20,750
Chicago
I gave up cigarettes a number of years ago and have no desire to return. To me, pipes are different. They don't have the habitual, drug addict drive of cigarettes. I enjoy it for what it is and that's that. Yes, I look forward to it but I don't feel like ripping my skin off when I don't get to have a pipe. I used vaping to give up cigarettes and it was fairly rapid. Within a month, I couldn't tolerate the taste of a cigarette. For me, pipes are just for joy.
 

nunnster

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 17, 2019
141
62
As a nearly 3 PAD long term (almost 10 years) smoker that quit many years ago, I can tell you that the concern is reasonably justified, but the reality is that the two are nothing alike. The tobacco is totally different and the way the nicotine hits you is different. I've not once ever had a craving for a pipe like I used to have with cigs. I can go a day or two or three without even wanting a pipe if I had too, where as a cigarette I constantly felt like I needed to smoke. Take it slow and set rules for yourself. Cigarettes are a different beast all together, so its possible that a pipe could trigger a craving for them, but it's not gonna make you run out and get a pack
 
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