How "NOT" to Inhale Smoke?

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Merton

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 8, 2020
941
2,499
Boston, Massachusetts
Smoking a pipe some smoke inevitably ends up in the lungs.I started to feel some respiratory distress after about 5 years. After 14 I sensed respiratory degradation to the extent that I knew I should quit. But I didn't know how. As far as I was concerned, I wanted to go out smoking a bowl of Dark Flake in a $25.00 Jobey estate that I adored. At 16 years I had a moment midway through a bowl that if I didn't'
stop smoking I would end up in the hospital.

So I did.

If it is mandatory that no smoke get in your lungs, my opinion is that you should quit. Maybe chew?
Inasmuch as you are one of the most articulate posters on this forum, i am interested to find out if you returned to pipe smoking or remained away from it. Moreover, if you remained away do you find that the love of the hobby is so ingrained that it is impossible to divest your interest entirely. Thanks.
 
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anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,678
29,400
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
I never really had an issue with inhaling pipes. It never felt right. Even with the same tobacco I smoked in rolled cigs (you gotta experiment sometimes.) That said you'll inhale whatever is around you in the air. There are a lot worse things you probably breath in everyday especially if you live in a smoggy area. Though I find it unlikely that the little bit of pipe smoke you might be breathing in would be doing much irritation unless you smoke a lot, it wouldn't surprise me to find that certain blends or additives don't agree with you and could cause irritation. Though I have to ask (no need for an answer by the way) if there are known underlying health issues that make the idea of inhaling a pipe rough. Though one thing no one has touched on you said you used to smoke cigs. Guess what happens to your lungs when you stop smoking cigs, they actually get worse as they're healing. That combined with nicotine being an expectorate if inhaled or not could be the reason it's making you feel the way it is. Your bad feeling in your breathing tube could be your body reacting to actually getting rid of the gunk that you've been breathing in. Though if you have pre established medical conditions then it could be a completely different story. As always if something feels wrong and you don't know what to think a doctor can often help (not always). But they have more authority at what's going on with the body you know with having spent all that time learning about it.
 

saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,097
Inasmuch as you are one of the most articulate posters on this forum, i am interested to find out if you returned to pipe smoking or remained away from it. Moreover, if you remained away do you find that the love of the hobby is so ingrained that it is impossible to divest your interest entirely. Thanks.
Thank you for admiring my articulation (no, not my spine.) Writing has always been very important to me. It has sorted the inner and outer chaos.

But no, I'm still quit today and will be three years quit in April. I still participate on the forum because it's the next best thing to smoking. Up until three months ago I still entertained smoking a bowl nonetheless, but that appears to have gone away.

Giving in just once means smoking N more bowls until I can quit the next time. Quitting is important but it only has meaning if you stay quit. I smoked cigarettes off and on untilI was 61, more on than off because I always chose not to stay quit.
 

olkofri

Lifer
Sep 9, 2017
8,033
14,644
The Arm of Orion
So, this thread has produced some questions for me. I’ve smoked a pipe for years. Normally just one bowl every morning. I love a huge cup of coffee and a bowl of nightcap first thing. I have always let the smoke sort of hang around me so I can purposely breath in a little. Or breath in a tiny bit with my nose until I feel the first little sting in my nose and then exhale. I am never actually inhaling like I would a cigarette (which I quit 25 years ago), but I am inhaling very small amounts either accidentally or on purpose.
I thought all pipe smokers did this until reading this thread. I guess I was wrong?
I passively inhale all the time, since I smoke in my car only, and in winter the windows are all but rolled up. And you know what? I don't sweat it.

Do we worry about all the smoke we inhale when barbecuing? Lemme tell you, I don't barbecue, but some tenants in my building do and I've seen their balconies foggy with smoke—same smoke comes up and the rest of us breathe it in, it gets in the suites and we all breathe it in. Who makes a stink about it? NOBODY. And BBQ smoke has been found to be carcinogenic too—hell, BBQ meat has been found to be carcinogenic too! Who cares?

Daily we breathe in all kinds of crap diluted in the water vapour around us and/or in the watery particles we call smoke coming from car exhausts, chimneys, winter furnaces, kitchen stoves and ovens, &c., &c., most of which has something gross floating in it—carbon compounds, grime, soot, ash, dead animal debris, spores, and bacteria, and a plethora of et ceterae... Who makes a stink about it besides the resident enviromental watermelons? NOBODY.

So, am I gonna get all bent out of shape about passively inhaling the smoke from my pipe that's floating about in the immediate vicinity just because the 'experts' have issued a dogmatic statement saying that 'anything tobacco-related kills'? Not bloody likely. If I were too worried about pulling a whiff or two of smoke into my lungs I wouldn't smoke at all.

Heck, I'm more concerned about contact keratosis and tongue damage than I'm about lung cancer.
 

Merton

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 8, 2020
941
2,499
Boston, Massachusetts
Thank you for admiring my articulation (no, not my spine.) Writing has always been very important to me. It has sorted the inner and outer chaos.

But no, I'm still quit today and will be three years quit in April. I still participate on the forum because it's the next best thing to smoking. Up until three months ago I still entertained smoking a bowl nonetheless, but that appears to have gone away.

Giving in just once means smoking N more bowls until I can quit the next time. Quitting is important but it only has meaning if you stay quit. I smoked cigarettes off and on untilI was 61, more on than off because I always chose not to stay quit.
Thanks for the response. I have sometimes wondered how I might react if health issues arose. The benefit I have received from smoking and collecting pipes and tobacco have been a boon and comfort in times of personal and professional stress. While I have other interests, the time that I spend reading about pipes and the enjoyment and contentment experienced in smoking a pipe in solitude enhances my emotional well-being. In any event, thanks for the response and I wish you good health. Cheers.
 

Worknman

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 23, 2019
968
2,819
Clenching while breathing would be out of the question in this case. But if you held your breath and sucked in like a straw I imagine it would eliminate all but miniscule amounts of smoke. Only problem is this method would also eliminate much of the flavor.
 

tjsgarden

Lurker
Feb 22, 2019
49
54
West Monroe, LA, USA
Hey Guys, the responses I got from my question was great. Again, I want to say thanks to all of you.

Just a brief update... I have been off cigarettes for a week. My lungs feel better than ever.
I have tried to incorporate much of what was shared into the mechanics of how I smoke. For now, I smoke quietly without music, internet or other distractions. I also relax and try to be mindful of the mouth, nose and lungs interaction while sipping small wisp of smoke. Initially, I inhale a medium breath of air only through my nose and hold my breath while using only my mouth to extract a very small amount of smoke from the pipe. The final step is to fully release smoke through my mouth. I am getting in a natural breathing pattern kinda like the breath method of smoking. Smoking in this manner allows me to get in a reflective mood and appreciate tobacco flavors more than my prior habits.
 

redz

Starting to Get Obsessed
Feb 2, 2021
275
1,418
Gaithersburg, MD
I too was contemplating this topic earlier today, while smoking my first bowl in a long time. I think that coming from a cigarette (among other things) smoking background in my younger days makes it a little more difficult not to unconsciously try to inhale. I just have to make a conscious effort to draw with my mouth only.
 

john3music

Lurker
Jan 31, 2024
26
189
The feeling in your throat could be nicotine strength. I notice with strong blends I get a full or irritated feeling at The back of my throat. I do not inhale. It also happens at the tail end of a stronger cigar.
You bring up a good point. When I smoke aros I didn’t get that feeling between my throat and lungs. When I switched to English I did.