My Name Is Nate and I'm A Pipe Junkie

[mortonbriar]

I find this amazing:
7. My wife still hasn't given me the green light to fire up. But she is softening......
I don't mean in a bad way. Trust me, my wife totally owns me and I admit it.
I just mean getting into collecting pipes with that in mind.
What made you buy the first one?

I am curious too! My wife made me agree to a maximum 2 bowl per week diet when i started, it took 5 years on that diet to convince her I could probably smoke a bowl a day without having an 'addiction'...do you have a long term strategy at play here, or are you not too bothered if you dont get to smoke them?

 

[pipebaum81]

My wife is a recovering cigarette quitter so she can say nothing. I think her concern with it is she thinks it is silly for a young man like me (33) and makes me look old.
truenorth,I hope she softens up though and lets you light up. Pipes are beautiful but the smoking makes the experience whole.

 

[truenorth]

Thanks all for taking an interest. What made me buy the first one?
Backstory: I was born in '66 and started chewing when I was 13. RedMan at first, but soon "graduated" to Copenhagen, the hard stuff. I chewed right through to mid 20's. I had a real addiction and was buying a new can every other morning, chewing while eating, etc. I was thinking "safe alternative to cigarettes", but eventually wisend up to the risk of oral cancer. When my first child was born, 23 years ago, I decided that it wasn't fair to that little girl to elevate my cancer risk. I quit cold turkey, BUT, at that time I told my wife "When I turn 50, I am starting again."
As soon as I quit and started to observe other chewers, I realized what a repulsive habit it is and decided not to go back to that. But I was also noticing that I really enjoyed being around a couple of pipe-smoking friends, especially one guy that I curled with. I couldn't wait for him to light up. He enjoyed aromatics. This was about 18 years ago and I never seriously considered it until last year around my 48th birthday. I sort of joked with my wife that it's only 2 years away, but it will be the pipe and not Copenhagen, so I need to start my research. I bought The Ultimate Pipe Book by Hacker, and a few other books, and immediately got interested in all of the peripheral "coolness" of pipe smoking.
So, I love the smell. But I also anticipate one very real benefit. I have battled anxiety my entire life, and find that worry, worry, worry and more worrying has resulted in frequent hectic, fast-paced, mind-racing periods of life where I need to just slow things down. I think that the process of having a bowl will help to achieve this goal. I live on a lake in Northern Minnesota and envision sitting on the dock with a bowl and taking time out from life once in a while. I very much look forward to trying it out. But my wife says no. We both lost parents to lung cancer and heart disease and she is just anti-smoking. Period. I respect her enough to not just go for it. It is the only thing in 27 years that she has dug her heels in on. It has been fun. I can do anything else. "Honey, I'm going to drink a bottle of Jameson every week," "OK, just don't smoke." or, "I'm going to Vegas with the guys for a week, no questions asked." "Fine, just don't smoke." That sort of thing. I am on the verge of negotiating "Pipe Events" such as at the campfire while deer hunting, at a poker game at remote northwoods cabin, etc. I know she is OK with those things, but she will not go so far as to give permission.
I could go on a long time, but will cut it short now. But I am curious. In your (all of you) experiences, how effective is the process of taking time-out to smoke a bowl in slowing your life down? Does it have this calming influence? I imagine the answer is yes. What is the "procedure" if you will? Feel free to start a new thread about the process.
Thanks.

Truenorth

 

[drwatson]

Hi Nate! 2012 was my way too many pipes year. Every time I would go to Boswells I would see another one that I just had to have. Now when I see one I think I can't live without I have a mandatory 2 week waiting period. If it's still for sale and I feel the same about it, I buy it.

 

[owen]

Oh I feel your pain in 2014 I bought about fifty pipes exploring brands, shapes, sizes, countries and finishes crazy and I only started in April.

 

[tarheel1]

My name is Jeremy i also am a pipe junky. I plan to only purchase 6 UK pips this year. Will try to keep it under 2k usd.

 

[carmell269]

I have battled anxiety my entire life, and find that worry, worry, worry and more worrying has resulted in frequent hectic, fast-paced, mind-racing periods of life where I need to just slow things down. I think that the process of having a bowl will help to achieve this goal. I live on a lake in Northern Minnesota and envision sitting on the dock with a bowl and taking time out from life once in a while.
Truenorth, thank you for sharing this, it took guts in my book. I live in a pretty rural area of southern California, however I have a hour and a half commute on average to my job in Orange County, sometimes 2, sometimes 3 hours....thats one way, not round trip total ! So when you talk about anxiety, I know exactly what you mean. Pipe smoking has helped me shed that anxiety. Until I started recently with the pipes, I had no outlet, other than to internalize the stress and just deal with it somehow. Im planning to make changes this year with my employment that will hopefully alleviate most of this horrid commuting nightmare, but until then, Im going to keep enjoying my hobby and will continue to do so as long as Im enjoying it. The beauty of pipes is that there are so many levels of involvement, not just smoking them.
Sorry Nate for hijacking your thread, just felt compelled to comment on this.

 

[ivapewithfire]

@Truenorth
Honestly thanks for sharing. That was very interesting.
The main reason I asked why you bought the first one is because I kind of fell into pipe smoking.
I started whittling/woodworking to, believe it or not, relieve stress. I even whittle a little during smoke breaks at work. Keeps my hands busy and my mind off of other things. It's really helped my focus.
Well the first thing I started carving was a pipe from a black walnut tree I cut down. I don't even know why I picked that shape, it just seem to start coming out of the wood as I stripped it away.
Well after carving a pipe, I figured I needed to smoke something out of it. I went and picked up some store cherry brand at a seedy little smoke shop (I didn't know we had a real tobacconist in town until later).
I didn't know any body close that smoked a pipe. It just happened.
Because of that strange turn of events, I'm always interested into how others got started. When you mentioned you collected pipes, but didn't smoke; that really piqued my interest.

 

[sablebrush52]

I definitely qualify as a pipe junkie. Who needs more than a basic rotation, much less well over 140 regular smokers as well as 100 or so junkers that I use for restoration practice? I just bought yet another family era Barling, which I need like I need more wrinkles on my butt.
I did slow down in 2014, to maybe 6 total. After all, I had declared at the end of 2013 that I was done collecting after purchasing that Talbert morta goblin. But there's something endlessly fascinating about these bits of wood, rubber and/or plastic.
Is this the male equivalent to women's fascination with sparklies?
Having promised myself not to buy a bunch more pipes, I bought instead about 35-40 lbs of tobacco for the cellar. At my age far more than I will live to use unless I mound it all in a pyre, ignite it, and dance around it.
I'm still a card carrying junkie.

 

[jcochey]

I love that Talbert. Congrats on a couple of beautiful pipes.

 

[pipebaum81]

@truenorth PM sent

 

[jackson1]

Could be worse. Could be me.

 

[iamn8]

Well, since I began this thread I've aquired a Rad Davis, a Tsuge, another S. Bang, and two commissions, one by Cooke and one by Michael Parks. I'd say I've got my addiction completely under control!! Also I just ordered a dozen tins of Tsuge seasons, a few of a Loire Valley Blend, and a couple McClelland Master Penman, all because of reviews I read HERE.
When I signed up for this forum, I was told it would be "free", no cost. Turns out that was a lie and I want my money back!!!

 

[mcitinner1]

Good luck with that...Haha

 

[pylorns]

And we're not even halfway through the month!

 

[melvinsunsmokedcastello]

"Nobody ever says I want to be a junkie when I grow up"
but it happens..oh by the way, how many of the 5245 different tobaccos listed on tobaccoreviews have you tried? Gotta try 'em all to see what you like

 

[iamn8]

Actually those were the first words I ever said as a child. Perhaps this was a self fulfilling prophecy.

The answer is around 10, so roughly.... A lot. I'm new and my TAD affliction is just getting warmed up. I live in a loft and am thinking about lining the walls with Spanish ceder and shelves

 

[frank13]

Howdy, Nate. Welcome. ::

 

[mcitinner1]

I have to agree with Melvin though, buying pipes isn't nearly as addictive as buying tobacco, especially when it's on sale, or when you get more when you buy more, or when you get something "free", or....get the idea? :roll:

 

[stvalentine]

Thank you Gentlemen, I feel a lot more normal now! I find myself undergoing a severe spell of PAD. I have just started over smoking pipes (I am an avid cigar smoker) after many years and already can´t walk by a pipe without buying it. The whole debacle started only in December 2014 and I just ordered a pipe cabinet with the capacity for 60 pipes. So we all know where this ends..... :-/