Pipe Smoking doesn't Interest me Anymore

[huckleberry]

Thanks all for your meaningful comments. I think I will take a break and try something else for some time to keep me occupied and see if a break will fix things. If not, be checking the Tobacco/Pipe For Sale threads lol

Regardless of what you decide......I wish you Happiness and Luck!.....

 

[fishmansf]

Regardless of what you decide......I wish you Happiness and Luck!.....

Thanks mate!

 

[kcghost]

Yes, good luck in your search.

 

[pipingfool]

Depression is no joke. I've battled it for years. Medication helps as does talking to someone.

I've taken breaks from hobbies for months (sometimes years), including pipes. But the way I see it, I can always come back to a hobby.

Priority number one is to take care of your health and do what you can to get your mind back on track.

You can always reach out to the folks here if you just need to vent or be heard.

And if no one replies, feel free to send me a PM and I'll listen to you. I'm not a licensed therapist (which I highly recommend), but sometimes it's nice to talk to a stranger with no fears of judgement.

I hope all comes out for the best for you.

 

[andrew]

I know that title sounds quite dramatic but frankly, its true! I realize how self-pitiful this sounds but I don't have much in life that is worth living for and when I discovered pipe smoking two years ago, it lit up my world and was one of the few things that kept me going. Fast forward two years to today, and I have almost completely lost interest in the hobby/lifestyle. I have tried so many blends and different type of tobacco and it's all just boring and time consuming to me now. I really don't get anything out of it, both in the flavor and nicotine departments (or at least not enough flavor and nicotine to keep me coming back) and I find myself just getting antsy sitting out in the cold for 45 minutes while I puff away in the evenings. I want to love pipe smoking again and give myself something to wake up in the morning for but I just can't bring myself to enjoy it anymore. Any idea how I can rekindle my passion?

Sounds like you need a therapist

 

[Sigmund]

As a retired professional I suggest the same. The worst thing that can can happen with treatment is nothing changes. A loss of interest and pleasure in most things is a prime trait of depression. Do yourself a favor and don’t wait. Life is too short to be unnecessarily miserable.

 

[anotherbob]

I know that title sounds quite dramatic but frankly, its true! I realize how self-pitiful this sounds but I don't have much in life that is worth living for and when I discovered pipe smoking two years ago, it lit up my world and was one of the few things that kept me going. Fast forward two years to today, and I have almost completely lost interest in the hobby/lifestyle. I have tried so many blends and different type of tobacco and it's all just boring and time consuming to me now. I really don't get anything out of it, both in the flavor and nicotine departments (or at least not enough flavor and nicotine to keep me coming back) and I find myself just getting antsy sitting out in the cold for 45 minutes while I puff away in the evenings. I want to love pipe smoking again and give myself something to wake up in the morning for but I just can't bring myself to enjoy it anymore. Any idea how I can rekindle my passion?

take care of your depression. Which by the way is something that puts you in good company. But you described classic depressive outlooks and reactions. I can put it this way you sound here like me trying to explain what depression is like. And the bottom line to me is that your life can be better and richer and sooner is better then later. Take care and it's ok to take help it's part of why we're here (in life). And whatever about smoking or not we'll miss you if you leave the forum

 

[proteus]

Buy yourself some running clothes and go for a long run. About 45 minutes should do it. Do this everyday for two weeks. You'll remember why you liked pipe smoking. Or you'll have found a new hobby. Either way you'll get your mojo back.

 

[fishmansf]

Buy yourself some running clothes and go for a long run. About 45 minutes should do it. Do this everyday for two weeks. You'll remember why you liked pipe smoking. Or you'll have found a new hobby. Either way you'll get your mojo back.

lol, love this. I used to run marathons and bodybuilding daily but I have since been preoccupied with getting my masters and working full time. I need to get back on the train and instill some sort of discipline in my life . That definitely will help

 

[fishmansf]

take care of your depression. Which by the way is something that puts you in good company. But you described classic depressive outlooks and reactions. I can put it this way you sound here like me trying to explain what depression is like. And the bottom line to me is that your life can be better and richer and sooner is better then later. Take care and it's ok to take help it's part of why we're here (in life). And whatever about smoking or not we'll miss you if you leave the forum

Thanks for the encouragement. I believe I will certainly be back. I do believe that I will be like other members of this form and return to the hobby after a hiatus. I will most certainly be smoking a bowl in between as my old man will often text me to drive an hour out of my way to come and smoke a bowl with him. He's getting old so it's always my pleasure to do so.

 

[telescopes]

Thanks for the encouragement. I believe I will certainly be back. I do believe that I will be like other members of this form and return to the hobby after a hiatus. I will most certainly be smoking a bowl in between as my old man will often text me to drive an hour out of my way to come and smoke a bowl with him. He's getting old so it's always my pleasure to do so.

I haven’t seen this as a reply yet, but finding yourself a spiritual anchor is something that seems to have left common sense in the modern world. I have a personal relationship with God as expressed through Jesus Christ and it has made all the difference for nearly 60 years. I know and feel love and purpose. Things don’t fill in the gaps for me but the love and joy of knowing Christ in a very real way is life made complete. I hope you will consider seeking something deeper and ultimately more real. My pipe smoking is merely an opportunity to meditate.

 

[nathaniel]

I'd been in a darkbplace the first 10+ yrs of my adult life. It sucks. And it almost always starts with boredom. Boredom of everything. Nothing interests me. Then that gets darker. I'm now starting to learn the oncoming signs and get up and do something before i get too helpless. I'm to take responsibility for myself. Not to find external sources of suffering but to recognize that i have choice in how i respond. I stopped drinking mostly and that was an eye-opener. I started getting into bodybuilding (which has its ups and downs too) and that rekindled some interest. Something to learn about almost indefinitely and pick apart. And bothbof those things had unworldly effects on the way I feel day to day. I also left the church amd redefined my worldview (not a recommendation necessarily, but it was helpful for me at the time as theology was a source of personal struggle).

I started listening to Jordan peterson, and trying to grasp the tenets of stoicism - and zen daoism to a shallower extent.

Namely, i made many small positive changes which accumulated into a fuller and more enjoyable life. Not only beneficial for myself but for those around me, not least of whom my wife and children. I wasted away over 10 yrs in a prison of my own creation. Im incredibly blessed beyond belief to only be 34 and have so much ahead of me hopefully. But i wont live as such. I will just live and be thankful. Day to day. One step at a time. Do something. Be something. Anything. Just be better than yesterday. Its a fucking wild ride!
Stay strong and reach out whenever the need arises. Most have been in the depths at some point. Go for a long walk and stuff that pipe with something tasty.

 

[RookieGuy80]

I haven’t seen this as a reply yet, but finding yourself a spiritual anchor is something that seems to have left common sense in the modern world. I have a personal relationship with God as expressed through Jesus Christ and it has made all the difference for nearly 60 years. I know and feel love and purpose. Things don’t fill in the gaps for me but the love and joy of knowing Christ in a very real way is life made complete. I hope you will consider seeking something deeper and ultimately more real. My pipe smoking is merely an opportunity to meditate.

This is a good thing to think about. A spiritual anchor could help. I know my depression started to fade as I spent more times in spiritual areas. Less time in the cheap false grandure of man and more time in the wondrous natural splendor might be a help.

 

[rsshreck32]

I'll echo what many have said that it sounds like your struggling with depression.
C.S. Lewis once wrote about "first things" and " second things" to describe our plight as fallen people.
He said that we try to elevate "second things" up to "first things "and there is our struggle. We attempt to have something fill a void that it was never meant to. Lewis said that only the "first thing" can do what a "first thing" is intended to.
He also said that if we attempt to have "second things" as "first things", we end up losing all things. But, if we have the "first thing" in its proper place, then we can rightly enjoy the "second things".
The "First Thing" is receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
All other good things, the good gifts provided by God, are "second things" that can then be enjoyed instead of turned into idols.
Praying for you friend. There are many suggestions, but there is only one answer.

 

[anotherbob]

Thanks for the encouragement. I believe I will certainly be back. I do believe that I will be like other members of this form and return to the hobby after a hiatus. I will most certainly be smoking a bowl in between as my old man will often text me to drive an hour out of my way to come and smoke a bowl with him. He's getting old so it's always my pleasure to do so.

This statement is a going out on a limb. But you reminded me of how sometimes what helps me start getting my footing is to look at what is bumming me out and basically acknowledging that I have good reason to be depressed. It's tricky though cause it doesn't work if I dwell. Basically just giving yourself permission and understanding with your depression that's the goal of that stock taking. What made me think that is what you said about your old man, it can be rough to just deal with time and the things and people it takes. Either way this kind of thing is a battle on many fronts and often little things add up to big things. But taking care of yourself doesn't have to outright win the battle to help.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I know that its possible and probable. My old man almost took his life when I was 12 because of his depression and anxiety. Very likely that I have that genetic trait.

Just your tossing this out screams this: GET ASSISTANCE NOW AND DON'T WAX AND WANE ABOUT IT ON THE INTERNET.

 

[badbriar]

Find / make some friends, go to a good cigar shop and hang out, shoot the shit and cure the ills of the world!
Of course, you will want to get a good cigar and have a nice bourbon to accompany!
There are a few shops here in Sarasota, FL that allow adult beverages. Buds and I have wind-down Friday every week. Lets us blow off steam and relax.

 

[anotherbob]

Just your tossing this out screams this: GET ASSISTANCE NOW AND DON'T WAX AND WANE ABOUT IT ON THE INTERNET.

Honestly there are a couple of things I am really glad I did and getting treatment is certainly one of them. Still get depression and have issues but my life couldn't be what it is if I didn't. And no they don't know everything and yes there are issues with Psychiatry but your life and your quality of life make it worth it. And at the least they've seen many people in worse shape then you. . And hopefully it helps that a bunch of strangers on the internet are rooting for you and care.

 

[andrew]

I recommend escitalopram.

I would leave that to a qualified psychiatrist after trying pretty much everything else. SSRI'S are almost impossible to get off once you start them and personally I find they make you numb to everything. They're overprescribed and are used as the first choice when they should be close to the last choice. It's easy to see commercials advertising it as a miracle pill that will make everything better, but 20 years later and having gone through several different ones I wish I'd had a therapist that made me realize a lot of factors in my life were responsible for being unhappy. Toxic relationships, no job at the time, no direction in life, addicted to drugs. I've recently become agnostic/borderline aethiest because the thought of there being absolutely nothing when you die, like it's over, lights out, you just simply cease to exist is quite comforting to me. But religion is a good thing to meet positive people mostly and give you a nice group of people to meet and have fellowship with

 

[TN Jed]

getting my masters and working full time.

That stresses me out just reading it! A week in the woods sans electronics with a loved one.