Welcome. You will get great advice here. I have been slowly weaning myself off cigarettes for the past several months and haven't had one now in several days. So I understand exactly where you are at.
Some advice based on my experience, for what it's worth:
- You will definitely need a goodly number of pipes. This is particularly true with cigarette smokers simply because we are used to smoking so often and have so many "triggers" we need to be prepared for. Smoking your pipe over and over again, daily, repeatedly, will lead to a less enjoyable smoking experience and can ruin the pipe. Clearly money is an issue for most of us. My advice as you build your briar collection over time, as already stated above, is to pick up as many cobs as you can afford. My experience with the basic cob has not been good. However, I have found the Country Gent to perform very well, hold up under frequent smoking, and develop a nice cake. An excellent upgrade to the CG cob is a Foreverstem. Google it.
- Tobacco-wise, I've found VaPers seem to eliminate my urge to smoke cigarette tobacco. Not sure if it's the perique, or the overall strength/flavor, the nic hit, or what. But that's what did it for me. Early on here a member recommended GL Pease's Haddo's Delight and Cairo (a VaPer/Oriental). Those turned out to be solid recommendations and I would absolutely recommend them for someone trying to quit cigarettes. Escudo is another one that made it much easier to walk away from rolling tobacco.
- As you are first weaning yourself off cigarettes, don't feel like you need to smoke the whole bowl every time you light up a pipe. You can have a few puffs, get your fix, and then set it aside. You can then pick it up and relight later when you feel the next urge. Virginias and Virginia blends are good in this regard as they seem to do well with setting aside and relighting.
- Smoking a pipe is difficult. I had no idea how difficult when I first started. Took me about a year and half to really get the hang of it and then my smoking experiences went to a whole new level. You can't just read about it and learn it. You just have to go through trial and error. Don't give up. It's well worth it. Please trust me on this. Be patient with yourself. Biggest problem for a cigarette smoker will be smoking too fast and too hot. If you find this is the case with you, I suggest avoiding (for now) shapes such as the Dublin, Zulu, tankard, etc. Opt for shapes with a lot of wood between the tobacco and your fingers - princes, apples, tomatoes, some pots, etc. They will hold up better under pressured smoking. As you develop your technique, lose the cigarette twitch, and slow down your smoking, you'll do better with taller, thinner shapes.
- Figure out a way to have your pipes and tobacco with you at all times. They don't help you quit smoking by sitting at home on a rack. Get a nice case/pouch. Have a pipe tool / tamper. Have matches. Otherwise you will give in and buy a pack of cigarettes when you are out running errands, on way home from work, etc.
- Don't be afraid to spend money on pipe smoking - on good pipes and (especially) good tobaccos. But also on accessories like cases/pouches (see above). Your experience will generally be better, and you'll be more inclined to stick with it if you have some money invested. I know that was a big driver for me. I couldn't live with myself having spent money on all this great tobacco if I was also buying rolling tobacco, papers, etc.
- Spend time on this forum. Even if you don't post. Lurk. Read. Immerse yourself in the hobby. Also spend a lot of time reading through the tobacco reviews on one of a handful of major review sites. There are literally thousands of reviews. Keep your mind focused on pipe smoking, the hobby, the history, terminology, etc. This will help keep you focused and away from cigarettes. Also read through articles, interviews, etc.
Hope this helps. Good luck and keep me posted on how you are doing. Maybe we can lean on each other.
-
-
:
