Lifespan of Pipe Smokers

[BriarBrook]

I have read most of the studies(or lack thereof) but would like to get a real world sample of pipe smokers. How many years have you smoked? How old are you? Do you have any health issues you believe stem from piping?

I'm 42 years old, have been piping only a couple of years... no issues yet?

 

[Highlandpiper]

48, smoking my pipe for 6 months after smoking for 20yrs. No health issues I know of but I don't plan to live forever so risk acceptable for me. And only me can accept that.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

My teeth are beige. Is that a negative?

 

[AJL67]

I died 6 yrs ago.

 

[mso489]

My oft-cited example is my dad. He probably started smoking at age 15 and smoked continuously during his first career working life, usually from just after breakfast, and all day at work, until bedtime, with time out for meals.

He owned one fully functional pipe at a time, with maybe a near burn-out as a back-up, and smoked only Granger from the foil pouch.

He quit smoking cold turkey at age 65 to take a job at a non-smoking campus.

He lived until he was 89, well into his 90th year, and remained licensed to drive without glasses his entire life.

During his smoking years, he did a few years without the pipe, when he smoked on the same schedule with King Edward cigars, and then he went back to his pipe.

None of his ailments in his final years related to smoking that he or his doctors knew.

None of this means that I (or anyone else) will be as lucky, but that was his experience. He had good genes. His grandfather lived into his nineties, as did his aunts. All were ambulatory and active most of their old age.

 

[bullet08]

Longer than that of chopper pilots in Vietnam War. Come to think of it, my computer science teacher back in highschool was an army chopper pilot who was in Vietnam. I think he was a pipe smoker. Very nervous guy who rarely talk about the war, but he used to shake a lot. Now thinking back, I think it was Parkinson's and not the Vietnam experience. I remember him telling us life expectancy of a chopper pilot in Vietnam War was less than a minute.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Don't know how fatal piping is as I've never done it but I've used most tobacco products regularly on a daily basis including pipe smoking for 32 years and haven't had any adverse affects yet at 49 years old.

 

[anotherbob]

I have read most of the studies(or lack thereof) but would like to get a real world sample of pipe smokers. How many years have you smoked? How old are you? Do you have any health issues you believe stem from piping?

I'm 42 years old, have been piping only a couple of years... no issues yet?

I had my blood pressure way up and one of the reasons I started to get into pipe smoking as a daily thing instead of an occasional thing is because it got me out and lunting at least five days a week and also meant the walk would be at least 45 minutes. My next check up the doctor was impressed by how much I lowered my B.P. and after talking about how I went about it (many other things, changes in diet, other behavioral changes, meditation, and taking those stupid pills that make you feel horrible for the first week), the doctor said if the pipe is keeping you active then it's good and doesn't seem to be doing any harm.
One of the things I used to do professionally is aggregate studies and such (been a long time) and all the stuff I looked up for my own edification says you have to smoke a lot of pipes for it to harm you in any noticable way. Like does the pipe ever come out of your mouth? Do you sleep with the pipe? And even then it's not even close to the worst thing you can do. One important thing doesn't matter when or where these are looked into it seems consistent. Pipe smokers seem to live about as long as non smokers. They seem to have about the same number of serious health issues. Not saying it's risk free but you know that cats and dogs kill a certain number of people every year just by being a tripping hazard and trees randomly fall on so many people every year too.
The one big danger of pipe smoking! It's addictive well the nicotine is. And it's not uncommon for people to be a pipe smoker change situations enough that pipe smoking isn't a thing they find convenient enough and replace the pipe with a cigarette habit. That is the biggest danger. Well after dying in a fight with another pipe smoker over some stupid minutia of smoking technique. You'd be surprised how many people die over the inability to just say sure you're right I've never really smoked a pipe cause I don't own any Dunhills.
P.S. in three states it's considered justifiable homicide if someone gives you bad pipe advice. Those states are Texas, California, and Delaware. You'll notice that tobacconists in those states are jumpy as heck.
P.S.S. everything after the P.S. I made up until the P.S.S.

 

[Doctor Chopper]

Smoke pipe sparingly for 40 years, daily for last year. No ill effects.

Low volume pipe smoking up to a couple bowls per day has negligible health effects.

 

[AJL67]

P.S. in three states it's considered justifiable homicide if someone gives you bad pipe advice. Those states are Texas, California, and Delaware. You'll notice that tobacconists in those states are jumpy as heck.
P.S.S. everything after the P.S. I made up until the P.S.S.

I knew this was BS because in Cali you can knowingly give someone AIDS and it's no longer a crime and Delaware ... well let's not go into Delaware. Now if you said Florida i would have said it was 50 / 50 that it was true.


It's all freaking genetic, either shit is going to happen to you or it isn't, people can smoke for 60 yrs and have no ill effects, other people sit in a smokey room for 4 hours and end up with lung cancer.

 

[Doctor Chopper]

I knew this was BS because in Cali you can knowingly give someone AIDS and it's no longer a crime and Delaware ... well let's not go into Delaware. Now if you said Florida i would have said it was 50 / 50 that it was true.


It's all freaking genetic, either shit is going to happen to you or it isn't, people can smoke for 60 yrs and have no ill effects, other people sit in a smokey room for 4 hours and end up with lung cancer.

I definitely got more ill effects and negative health risks growing up in the 70's with smoking parents than I do smoking a pipe daily now as a greybeard.

 

[olkofri]

Nobody gets a thou of an inch beyond the line God drew for him before the foundation of the world.

Nobody dies not even a thou of an inch short of that line either.

Enjoy your smokes.

 

[AJL67]

To quote Dave G of the Foo Fighters.

And never mind, there's nothing I could do
(Never mind, there's nothing I could do)
Bet your life there's something killing you

 

[anotherbob]

I knew this was BS because in Cali you can knowingly give someone AIDS and it's no longer a crime

I just have to say I get a strong feeling that's not quite what is happening. The law is almost always more complicated and once there is a chance of the law painting any group in a way that makes another group look better, some conman will jump on it. It's so easy to exploit how little people actually know about the law. What kills me is when the person who starts the propaganda really does know better.
One example is some states added to their assault laws a clause called retoractive withdraw of consent. Some hack lawyer started telling people that meant a month later I could be like that was a mistake and press charges while maintaining that up till that point I agreed. No what it means is you can change your mind before something happens or as it's happening. Like if we were making out and then one of us remembered we don't like guys that way and said hey I don't want to do this anymore. Legally everything is fine up to that point.
So there is a little bell going off in my head saying there are critical pieces of info missing.
And that problem is a person problem not one group or the other by the way. Anyone remember when the FDA was going to ban cheese? Seriously because they considered regulate certain aging processes (which can go super badly by the way) all these people insisted soon only processed cheese would be legal.

and Delaware ... well let's not go into Delaware.

Wait do you think we're on a road trip? Because that's a common thing people say on a road trip. There and Idaho are the two places when people say they're from I actually go oh yeah some people do live there.

Now if you said Florida i would have said it was 50 / 50 that it was true.

Florida isn't just semi crazy they seem to like the reputation. The Florida man thing stems from how their laws make it easier to report on crazy arrests sooner. Trust me PA has our crazy that could compete with Florida man any day.

It's all freaking genetic, either shit is going to happen to you or it isn't,

That's a big thing. One of the biggest things actually in many cases. But not the only thing. Lung cancer for instance requires a predisposition towards it but smoking cigs will certainly bring that disposition forward a few decades.

people can smoke for 60 yrs and have no ill effects, other people sit in a smokey room for 4 hours and end up with lung cancer.

The way doctors explain it. You get lung cancer because the cells can only be replaced x number of times before going bad. How many times that is is genetic. Smoking cigs forces you to replace the cells sooner.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Nobody gets a thou of an inch beyond the line God drew for him before the foundation of the world.

Nobody dies not even a thou of an inch short of that line either.

Enjoy your smokes.

"Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah."

Pretty sure the modern equivalent would be FAAFO.

 

[AJL67]

I just have to say I get a strong feeling that's not quite what is happening. The law is almost always more complicated and once there is a chance of the law painting any group in a way that makes another group look better, some conman will jump on it. It's so easy to exploit how little people actually know about the law. What kills me is when the person who starts the propaganda really does know better.
One example is some states added to their assault laws a clause called retoractive withdraw of consent. Some hack lawyer started telling people that meant a month later I could be like that was a mistake and press charges while maintaining that up till that point I agreed. No what it means is you can change your mind before something happens or as it's happening. Like if we were making out and then one of us remembered we don't like guys that way and said hey I don't want to do this anymore. Legally everything is fine up to that point.
So there is a little bell going off in my head saying there are critical pieces of info missing.
And that problem is a person problem not one group or the other by the way. Anyone remember when the FDA was going to ban cheese? Seriously because they considered regulate certain aging processes (which can go super badly by the way) all these people insisted soon only processed cheese would be legal.

Wait do you think we're on a road trip? Because that's a common thing people say on a road trip. There and Idaho are the two places when people say they're from I actually go oh yeah some people do live there.

Florida isn't just semi crazy they seem to like the reputation. The Florida man thing stems from how their laws make it easier to report on crazy arrests sooner. Trust me PA has our crazy that could compete with Florida man any day.

That's a big thing. One of the biggest things actually in many cases. But not the only thing. Lung cancer for instance requires a predisposition towards it but smoking cigs will certainly bring that disposition forward a few decades.

The way doctors explain it. You get lung cancer because the cells can only be replaced x number of times before going bad. How many times that is is genetic. Smoking cigs forces you to replace the cells sooner.

Agree to disagree, or not disagree, depends on the section. lol

I def agree with the Florida statement, being born here and after various moves around the country ending up back here, whoever said you can never go home again was incorrect.

 

[olkofri]

"Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah."

Pretty sure the modern equivalent would be FAAFO.

Yeah, but I think I need to point out that at no time was I suggesting excesses or foolhardiness. As long as one does things in moderation one's fine.

Weird thing, earlier in the day, before seeing this thread, I was remembering a classmate I had in my first semester of medical school, back in the Jurassic period, who died at 20 +/- of lung cancer. Both him and his girlfriend were heavy smokers. He went, she lingered and in good health. He'd be a poster case for the antis, but lots of blokes here would bring down that poster real quick.

 

[warren]

Discolored tongue, pacemaker. three bypasses, nothing since sine the last time this question has been posed. I've smoked sixty years and chewed tobacco. But, I've also over used beef, alcohol at times. Lived a bit of a dissolute life I have and am paying the price I knew could catch up with me. Hockey, riding the rough stock, the usualy copper stuff have all contributed to a few aches, pains and diseases. But my genes, much tried and tested genes have done pretty well for themselves.

Moderation is certainly advice our mothers usually gave us but, in the end your general health is nearly totally reliant on your genes and immune system. If you abuse either . . . you'll be paying a price in the future. Weigh the risk v reward, I did and made a very selfish decision to abuse tobacco. Do I regret it? A bit, sure . . . but, choices and actions have consequences.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Yeah, but I think I need to point out that at no time was I suggesting excesses or foolhardiness.

Never assumed you were but both passages are complimentary to one another.

 

[monty55]

64yrs old
Started smoking cigarettes when I was 15, continue off and on to this day.
Started smoking pipes off and on since I was 24, pretty much on the last 8 years or so, and much less cigarettes.
No issues yet... that I'm aware of.

My dad smoked pipes from age 20-40, then cigarettes from 40-65. He lived to be 98, but the last 10 with Alzheimer's, so that wasn't really living, but no issues related to smoking.