How Important is Nicotine to You (After Quitting Cigs)

[chopper]

After 35 years of smoking cigarettes and numerous failed quit attempts, I ditched my 40-a-day habit for a pipe around ten years ago.
At the time I would start craving 30 minutes after my last cigarette. I was so sick of being a slave to nicotine.

For the first several years smoking a pipe I smoked mainly two blends that had mild to medium nicotine [Range of choice here in Oz at tobacconists is very limited] but once I found on-line tobacconists I mainly bought blends with mild nicotine.

Now I no longer crave for a smoke. I can go hours without and not notice when otherwise occupied.
Although most of my blends have mild nicotine I really don't notice any effect.
When I smoke a blend like PS Luxury Navy Flake with a nic-hit described [by who else but JimInks?] as "just past the mild level", I really notice it so smoke those blends in a small bowl.
It's strange because when I smoked cigs I smoked strong brands.

Although there's plenty of blends that I'll never get to try because they're too high in nicotine, it's totally worth it because I'm no longer a slave to Lady N.

 

[didimauw]

After 35 years of smoking cigarettes and numerous failed quit attempts, I ditched my 40-a-day habit for a pipe around ten years ago.
At the time I would start craving 30 minutes after my last cigarette. I was so sick of being a slave to nicotine.

For the first several years smoking a pipe I smoked mainly two blends that had mild to medium nicotine [Range of choice here in Oz at tobacconists is very limited] but once I found on-line tobacconists I mainly bought blends with mild nicotine.

Now I no longer crave for a smoke. I can go hours without and not notice when otherwise occupied.
Although most of my blends have mild nicotine I really don't notice any effect.
When I smoke a blend like PS Luxury Navy Flake with a nic-hit described [by who else but JimInks?] as "just past the mild level", I really notice it so smoke those blends in a small bowl.
It's strange because when I smoked cigs I smoked strong brands.

Although there's plenty of blends that I'll never get to try because they're too high in nicotine, it's totally worth it because I'm no longer a slave to Lady N.

When you finally switched to the pipe and quit cigarettes, did you smoke the pipe a lot at first?

 

[cigrmaster]

I smoke pipes because I really enjoy the flavors of pipe tobacco. Cigs taste like shit next to my pipe tobacco. They are not in the same dimension flavor wise. I have never bought a blend specifically for the niic hit. My strongest blend is Peterson Irish Flake and I can smoke it for breakfast with no food in my stomach.

I will still smoke cigs if I am at a bar that doesn't allow pipes but that maybe happens a couple of times a year as I am no longer a bar guy. When it comes to pipe tobacco, flava is where it is at not nicotine. You want nicotine, wear a patch or 4.

 

[chopper]

When you finally switched to the pipe and quit cigarettes, did you smoke the pipe a lot at first?

No not really as I used the pipe to deal with cravings.
I'd light up, take a few puffs, then let it extinguish. A large bowl would last me 2-3 hours.
The first 4-5 days were the toughest but since I was determined to quit the ciggies I can't remember it being too hard.

The pipe was an excellent placebo for me psychologically speaking. I really enjoy smoking and have used it to handle stress and depression since I was rather young.
My attitude was 'at least I get to have a smoke'.

Fiddling with a pipe helps address symptoms of AAHDA when I get fidgety.
These days I smoke more bowls in the morning then my smoking decreases as the day progresses.

Once I found on-line tobacconists my enjoyment increased ten-fold.
Then when I read the U.S. Surgeon Generals report that a pipe smoker who inhales has the same life expectancy as a non-smoker [basically because pipe tobacco has no added chems unlike cigarettes] it removed any notion to try and quit the pipe.
Now I smoke a pipe without any guilt and intend to go to my grave clutching one.

Since I've been fully adjusted to a pipe, I have not craved for a cigarette. There's been several times where I've forgotten my pipe or tobacco and been offered a cig. I've not been tempted once as I'd prefer to go without.
Breaking the desire for a cigarette is huge. Never in my life did I think I'd ever be rid of that urge.

 

[Quicksilver66]

I used to smoke 3 or 4 cigarettes a day for the nic fix and because I enjoyed the taste. When I smoke pipes it’s more about the flavour, relaxation and ritual. I like a gentle, background nic buzz from my pipes - nothing too heavy. When I want a quick nic fix I use my vape which is very effective at delivering a quick nicotine buzz - I’ve given up cigarettes.

 

[Franco]

I weaned myself of of cigarettes by smoking low-nicotine Virginias. I really didn't notice much of a nicotine withdrawal. Might have been psychological. Once I got passed the cigarettes for several months, I started back with my favorite Virginia-Perique blends.

 

[TheFall]

I am a little different than some, I never actually smoked cigs, or cigars, but I did start vaping when I was 18, I think I had one of the first systems, and I moved from that to a subohm mod, which I hid and never used around people because I felt that it was pretty lame, and would only pick straight, no sugar added, menthol flavors so there was no smell. I never really had a problem with the free base nicotine, I could quite for a week or a month here and there If I needed to or forgot my battery charger, ran out of coils ext. Then I got one of those nic-salt pod systems like the juul (small, discreet), and let me tell you, never try one of those pieces of crap. I got pretty addicted to that pretty quick, I was vaping the equivalent to 4 packs of cigs a day within 1.5 weeks. I would vape maybe 1 pack per month with the free base nicotine (1.5mg juice usually between 60 and 120ml per month and nic free juice). When I got to 6 packs a day (1 Month) I thought man this is retarded and expensive, I should quit. So it took me 3 months to go more than 2 weeks without buying a pack of pods, getting sick because I would take 4 hits in a row (2 cigs within like 30 seconds), finishing the pack and going cold turkey. Once I quite, I could no longer vape, but I still like the free base nic feeling, so I returned to my pipes

I started smoking pipes because I am really really stressed by nature and I can not sit still if I don't have a purpose to sitting still being unproductive. So the pipe is my "excuse" to relax. Sounds ridiculous but ehh I have to justify everything to myself.

I find that pipe tobacco is much more similar to the free base nicotine, it comes on slow, it is really relaxing, you know when you are approaching too much, and I personally never crave it. I crave the downtime focusing on my pipe and whatever I am doing while smoking, the ritual and the tobacco subtleties, but never the nicotine. Even blends that are considered strong, I don't really have a problem with because if I start to feel dizzy I just set the pipe down, have a sweet candy, and remind myself to sip slower. So for me, the strength of pipe tobacco doesn't play into the decision, unless they are considered really really strong then I shy away because I want to make it through the bowl and enjoy myself.

The nic salt vape was like someone hit you in head with something wonderful, on the first hit, feeling pretty good, second hit, almost euphoric, 3rd hit floating 2 inches off the ground. The problem with those vapes is they are so discreet you can just chain vape them, and after the first 6 hits of the day (or the middle of the night) you cant ever get the hit in the face euphoric floating feeling, you just feel gross and heavy and sweaty but you cant stop...

 

[Epip Oc'Cabot]

For me, I have always found nicotine highly enjoyable and pleasant and something I would look forward to. So, from that perspective, I would say it is quite a valuable part of pipe smoking for me. If there was no nicotine, would I still want to smoke a pipe? I would think “YES” I would want to. Yet, in the same vein, I can say I have never smoked any leaf without nicotine, so I cannot say for sure if I would.

 

[CircleK]

I’m more of the lower nicotine, higher flavor. I like to enjoy the smoke and tend to have a low nicotine tolerance.

 

[crashthegrey]

I certainly don't choose my pipe tobacco based on nicotine content most days, but I absolutely love the effects of nicotine. Once in awhile I do choose a strong nic blend because I want the hit, but usually I just like the effects.

 

[jaytex1969]

I smoked cigarettes for 33 years, from age 13 to 46. The last 20 years were RYO American Spirit.

I damaged myself pretty good with cigarettes. High blood pressure, physical impairments and, the final straw, angina. I had always been an unrepentant smoker with almost no intent to quit.

Chest pains and arterial blockages led me to reevaluate my position.

I went to a reputable vape shop, where the owner patiently listened to me and got me set up with some good gear. I vaped a relatively high nicotine liquid and managed to eventually replace cigarettes with the vape. Within a few months, the chest pains diminished and then disappeared. After 6 months, my 10 year blood pressure problem was reduced by half.

An odd thing happened along the way. While smoking cigarettes, I HAD to have one every 45-75 minutes or I was intolerable. With the vape, I found myself sitting it down for longer and longer periods of time without withdrawl.

I concluded, for me, that the nicotine was not nearly as addictive alone. I was still inhaling nicotine but no longer felt enslaved to it. I could climb stairs again without being winded.

Vaping, indirectly, led me to the pipe. Some people make their own e-liquid. And, some of those people use tobacco in a liquid "extraction" to get tobacco flavors into their home made liquid. I decided I wanted to try that, so I made my first P&C purchase of some small cigars.

My purchase fell during a transitional period for P&C where a system change wreaked havoc on everyone's orders. Shortly thereafter, I got a $50 gift card from them and an apology for any inconvenience.

Surfing the site, I decided, on a whim, to get a pipe and a couple of tins. That was almost 3 years ago and they have enjoyed quite a return on their $50 "investment" in me.

With the pipe, like the vape, I do not feel beholden to the mighty leaf. Monday through Friday, I work 10+ hours and usually have my first smoke of the day after dinner. Nicotine is still important to me. I enjoy it. I am just no longer distressed without it.

 

[matheuse]

No not really as I used the pipe to deal with cravings.
I'd light up, take a few puffs, then let it extinguish. A large bowl would last me 2-3 hours.
The first 4-5 days were the toughest but since I was determined to quit the ciggies I can't remember it being too hard.

The pipe was an excellent placebo for me psychologically speaking. I really enjoy smoking and have used it to handle stress and depression since I was rather young.
My attitude was 'at least I get to have a smoke'.

Fiddling with a pipe helps address symptoms of AAHDA when I get fidgety.
These days I smoke more bowls in the morning then my smoking decreases as the day progresses.

Once I found on-line tobacconists my enjoyment increased ten-fold.
Then when I read the U.S. Surgeon Generals report that a pipe smoker who inhales has the same life expectancy as a non-smoker [basically because pipe tobacco has no added chems unlike cigarettes] it removed any notion to try and quit the pipe.
Now I smoke a pipe without any guilt and intend to go to my grave clutching one.

Since I've been fully adjusted to a pipe, I have not craved for a cigarette. There's been several times where I've forgotten my pipe or tobacco and been offered a cig. I've not been tempted once as I'd prefer to go without.
Breaking the desire for a cigarette is huge. Never in my life did I think I'd ever be rid of that urge.

Can you link me to that report? I tried to find it but to no avail. Cheers.

 

[tomatamot]

I've never gotten a nic hit from smoking a pipe.

Me too!

p.s. I have never smoked cigarettes .

 

[mso489]

Never smoked nails. Genetically, my dad smoked Granger from after breakfast until bedtime (time out for meals), but my mom never bought a pack of cigs that didn't go stale. She liked to gesture and dramatize, but didn't need the nicotine ever. I think I got her nicotine gene. I've never smoked strong blends for the nic, though I've had a buzz from time to time. When I go off pipes for days, or weeks, for whatever reason, I never get any side effects.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Me too!

p.s. I have never smoked cigarettes .

Try Rustica.?

Finally a Nic Hit :: General Pipe Smoking Discussion

Still tinkering with Rustica, I figured out that my XL Dunhill can easily hold four cube cut flakes. Three and a half hours later, the room is spinning and I have cold chills.....heavenly.

pipesmagazine.com

 

[tomatamot]

Can you link me to that report? I tried to find it but to no avail. Cheers.

Try Rustica.?

Finally a Nic Hit :: General Pipe Smoking Discussion

Still tinkering with Rustica, I figured out that my XL Dunhill can easily hold four cube cut flakes. Three and a half hours later, the room is spinning and I have cold chills.....heavenly.

pipesmagazine.com

Even not one hair on my head.......................

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

I think I have “aged out” of nicotine addiction. Going from a day when I might smoke two or three large bowls of tobacco a day, sometimes high nicotine content, plus a cigar or two, to a day followed by not ingesting any nicotine, just doesn’t seem to be a bother anymore.

 

[--dante--]

I’m sure this has been asked a million times before, but I’m interested in everyone’s perspective because up until two months ago, i didn’t smoke a pipe necessarily for the nicotine as I was smoking cigarettes and getting massive doses of it. I smoked a pipe for taste, generally, with the nic hit as a bonus.

These days, as Ive weaned off the cigarettes to zero, I find myself reaching for the high-test blends a lot more often, with English blends that I once craved taking a back seat somewhat. I often think to myself, “That sounds good, but I’m craving something stronger...” and then I smoke some Old Joe Krantz.

I still enjoy the lighter blends, just not as often. I’m really happy that I’ve cut out the Pall Malls, and my intense nicotine cravings have dissipated a great deal to the point where I don’t really *need* it...but when it comes time to smoke a pipe, I’m finding that nicotine strength is becoming one of the main drivers in my choice of tobaccos, and one of the main factors in what I find to be a satisfying smoke.

Any of you that have quit the cigs have the same experience? How important is the nicotine hit to you?

Yes I have the same experience, and the nic hit is important to me, insofar as I always have some blends on hand that are heavy hitters in that department. As a former cig puffer, I enjoy that relaxing buzz after a heavy nic blend. Note: I don't really get the nic-hit unless I retrohale it quite a bit. That said, there are blends I enjoy that are medium and a few I like that are light/mild in that department. Some days I smoke quite a few bowls, and I don't want the whole series to all be strong. In the end, there's nothing wrong with switching between them as you are doing. Also, you'd be missing out on some good stuff if you only smoked mild tobaccos, so you can view your tolerance as a bonus.

 

[--dante--]

I think there are 2 addictions with cigarettes, maybe more. One is the nicotine. Another is satisfying oral fixation. And then you have the triggers (a phone call, drinking a beer, etc.). I quit a 2 pack a day cigarette habit 13 years ago. I think the pipe satisfies a small nicotine need as well as oral fixation/something to with my hands. I prefer flavor over strength. Not everyone is the same though obviously. Whatever trips your own trigger.

Agreed on all the above, and also, the cigarettes have additional chemicals in them engineered to keep you addicted that you would not find in pipe tobacco or cigars. I noticed when I first switched that I could smoke extremely strong pipe tobaccos that practically got you dizzy with nicotine, and still crave a cig immediately after. That told me there was more than nicotine at play in those things.

 

[sallow]

I smoked cigarettes for 25+ years, quit ten years ago.

I quit cold turkey for about a month then picked up the pipe, which I couldn't understand while I smoked cigarettes: Why smoke something you don't inhale?

I enjoy the stronger blends. Nicotine has a place in my life.