How Do You Reconcile With Pipe Smoking's Health Risks?

[alaskanpiper]

I hope this isn't taboo to discuss on this forum, but I think about it a lot and I'm curious how much thought/concern other members put into this subject. I personally believe there is an inherent risk in exposing to the soft tissues of the body to any form of smoke from any form of combustible material. For this reason I try to limit my pipe smoking to one or two bowls per week, although I would love to be smoking 2 or 3 per day. I do make exceptions to this on holidays, as well as whenever I am Moose hunting. I tend to buy into the less exposure = less risk theory, but I still worry about it fairly regularly and wonder if the enjoyment of weekly pipe smoking is worth the possible (albeit maybe unlikely) consequences in the form of oral cancer or other health issues.

I recognize there will be differing opinions about how much risk is involved with pipe smoking, so please before you post be respectful of what others believe and the "science" (or lack thereof) they choose to acknowledge. Feel free to quote statistics if you like, but I don't want this to turn into a scientific or political debate regarding individual thoughts and beliefs, or the validity of any statistics anyone posts, but rather, I would like forum members to answer two simple questions that pertain to yourself, regardless of what other members have said:

To what degree do you feel Pipe Smoking is a risk to your health? (Not being fat, or drinking, or stress, but pipe smoking)

and

How do you reconcile your desire to smoke with the risk you have identified?

 

[BROBS]

To what degree do you feel Pipe Smoking is a risk to your health? (Not being fat, or drinking, or stress, but pipe smoking)

and

How do you reconcile your desire to smoke with the risk you have identified?

very low, IMO. I feel chemicals in the environment, workplace, water, etc are most likely worse.
I think it mainly poses a health risk when in conjunction with other pre-existing issues etc.

I just figure that I enjoy it so it's worth it to me.

 

[Bowie]

This is a good post with thoughtfully worded questions.

To what degree do you feel Pipe Smoking is a risk to your health?

Medium risk at 5-7 bowls a week

How do you reconcile your desire to smoke with the risk you have identified?

I look at the overall picture balanced in with other at-risk behaviours, such as diet, specifically sugars, grains, and processed foods; alcohol use; other tobacco use; and other drug use. I reconcile my pipe smoking with my attempts to minimize or eliminate other risky behaviour.

Avoiding all risky health behaviour is near impossible and not really my desire. I choose to channel my risk into one prime activity - and this, in moderation - at the expense of others.

 

[cshubhra]

A ship is safe in a harbor. But that is not what ships are meant for

Happy Friday!!!

 

[brian64]

To what degree do you feel Pipe Smoking is a risk to your health? (Not being fat, or drinking, or stress, but pipe smoking)

Risks are negligible...maybe non-existent.

How do you reconcile your desire to smoke with the risk you have identified?

See above...the benefits far outweigh the risk, if there even is any.

 

[olkofri]

This sums up how >> I << approach the issue: On Piping and Health.

Select quotes from the article that can be openly discussed here:

“The trouble with always trying to preserve the health of the body is that it is so difficult to do without destroying the health of the mind.” – G.K. Chesterton

​

"being unhealthy is essentially impossible to avoid. The problem with the modern health advocates is that [they] wield the weapon of health selectively, condemning things they don’t like, such as smoking or drinking, while turning a blind eye to other unhealthy aspects of modern life. Those who vehemently condemn cigarettes see no moral problem with eating cheeseburgers, consuming high quantities of refined sugar, eating preservative-laden processed foods, drinking soda, breathing polluted air, using shampoo loaded with harmful chemicals, and the list goes on.​

​

All of those things are dangerous to our health, and almost all of them escape the condemnation of the health advocates. If one were to be perfectly consistent, one would do nothing but live in a paralyzed fear of damaging one’s health. I admit there are certainly those who are consistent (my wife and I used to read the popular blog of a woman who was), but their fixation on healthiness borders on a highly unhealthy Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, in which everything is suspect and dangerous and to be feared.​

​

But what is health anyway? Even if you were to make health your goal, health is a moving target and almost no one knows what it really is. If you ask one person, it’s using all natural and organic products. Another will say it involves eating a diet high in protein rich meat, but without dairy or grains. If you ask another person, it involves eating only plants and grains. One person says raw milk is best, another claims it is a deadly poison loaded with bacteria. The literally hundreds of specialized diets in existence, many of them contradicting each other, are enough to make one insane. Healthiness cannot be intrinsically moral because no one knows what it is."​

 

[alaskanpiper]

A ship is safe in a harbor. But that is not what ships are meant for

This is an excellent quote!

 

[tuold]

To quote Mark Twain, "...and you never try to find out how much solid comfort, relaxation, and enjoyment a man derives from smoking in the course of a lifetime".

Is it worth it? Every individual needs to make that decision.

 

[oldred]

To quote Mark Twain, "...and you never try to find out how much solid comfort, relaxation, and enjoyment a man derives from smoking in the course of a lifetime".

Is it worth it? Every individual needs to make that decision.

This. The stress relief/enjoyment I get is worth the risk. I also think it's safer than the pack a day habbit of cigarettes I had for years.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

 

[adui]

I was a bit concerned with this when I picked the pipe back up several months ago now. So I did some research (IE: Google) Surprisingly enough there is a fair bit of scientific evidence that suggests casual pipe smoking poses an almost negligible risk. The pipe smoker generally dos not inhale, so with only a bowl or two a day, you are only slightly more likely to have a problem than a non smoker.

That said, I had decided I didn't care anyhow, and I find the benefits to my mental health are worth the risk even if what I found turned out to be total garbage.

 

[python]

I don't think about it or care about it. I used to smoke cigarettes and dipped Copenhagen. I quit both of those, but I will not quit pipes and cigars. I do not inhale either of them.

My body is going to be used up when I die. Death is an inevitability, why die without enjoying yourself. This is just my opinion of course.

100% of people who drink water will die.

 

[karam]

I reconcile with the risks by balancing the enjoyment, relaxation, and stress relief. We're all going to die eventually, some will die happier than others. I won't eat supermarket bacon, but I will eat a smoked pork shoulder/ribs. And prepare the BBQ with a pipe hanging over my lip!

 

[alaskanpiper]

I reconcile with the risks by balancing the enjoyment, relaxation, and stress relief. We're all going to die eventually, some will die happier than others. I won't eat supermarket bacon, but I will eat a smoked pork shoulder/ribs. And prepare the BBQ with a pipe hanging over my lip!

God I love pork shoulder.

 

[BROBS]

God I love pork shoulder.

I'd say your pork shoulder will kill you much faster than a pipe.

 

[Spa32]

I don't think about the risks. Pipe smoking is just something I really enjoy. I normally smoke around 7 to 10 bowls a week.

 

[charf]

My father has smoked cigarettes most of his life and has just been diagnosed as having lung cancer at 78. He does have some other serious health issues as well, so it is hard to know if the smoking was the cause of his latest problem but obviously there is a strong link. Also my cousin who is 55, never smoked, drinks hot water and is a fitness freak and been this way his whole life has just been diagnosed with lung cancer and it has spread from his lung to his heart. He has had some treatment but only has months to live. He only discovered the problem because his heart started playing up in Oct.

When I pipe smoke even though I am only trying to inhale smoke in and out of my mouth, some is definitely getting to the top of my lungs. I can feel it later. So I smoke 1-5 bowls a week. I can't see myself smoking more than that. Yes, I feel there is a risk but I enjoy the hobby and nostalgia if you want to call it that.

I also drink beer, run, hunt, fish, jump out of planes, have a wife, kids, a business, fly, sit in rush hour traffic...which one will kill me first? When I die, I don't want to turn up at the pearly gates and look back down at a perfectly good body. I'm going to look after it but also make sure I get a lot of enjoyment from it. LOL. My five cents. No regrets!

 

[alaskanpiper]

I'd say your pork shoulder will kill you much faster than a pipe.

All things in moderation, my friend. Pork shoulder is a once a year type deal for us, and it always comes from a pig raised on a local farm in Chickaloon, Alaska.

 

[alaskanpiper]

My father has smoked cigarettes most of his life and has just been diagnosed as having lung cancer at 78. He does have some other serious health issues as well, so it is hard to know if the smoking was the cause of his latest problem but obviously there is a strong link. Also my cousin who is 55, never smoked, drinks hot water and is a fitness freak and been this way his whole life has just been diagnosed with lung cancer and it has spread from his lung to his heart. He has had some treatment but only has months to live. He only discovered the problem because his heart started playing up in Oct.

When I pipe smoke even though I am only trying to inhale smoke in and out of my mouth, some is definitely getting to the top of my lungs. I can feel it later. So I smoke 1-5 bowls a week. I can't see myself smoking more than that. Yes, I feel there is a risk but I enjoy the hobby and nostalgia if you want to call it that.

I also drink beer, run, hunt, fish, jump out of planes, have a wife, kids, a business, fly, sit in rush hour traffic...which one will kill me first? When I die, I don't want to turn up at the pearly gates and look back down at a perfectly good body. I'm going to look after it but also make sure I get a lot of enjoyment from it. LOL. My five cents. No regrets!

Sorry to hear about your pops and your cousin.

 

[verporchting]

The odds of pipe smoking killing me are incredibly minute (but greater than zero) or causing serious health problems (greater risk than that of death but less than other environmental factors like damn sugar and salt in practically every food source you can buy) but if that’s what punches my ticket something has to do it.

Im okay with that.

Beats having zombies munching on your brains or death by Walmart or any of a million other banalities that afflict modern man. Like skinny jeans or slow motion selfies.