Why Is Pipe Smoking Relaxing?

[Simmerdown☕️]

Former cigarette smoker
Affinity for simpler times
Guys that smoked pipes looked as if they new something I didn’t
Lover of old movies
Needed a hobby that made sense to me
Relaxing reflection
Great with coffee ️

 

[kg.legat0]

I think it is what people need it to be on an individual basis. I personally find it engaging as well as relaxing. I smoke a lot of lower-nicotine blends so I don't think it's totally that but could also be a part. Whatever it is, I like it.

 

[Casual]

I will note that lots of drugs that affect the brain have wildly different effects as the dose increases and decreases.

Half of Silicon Valley is micro-dosing all sorts of psychedelics and other drugs, reporting different effects without the psychedelic effect. (And the other half of Silicon Valley are lying.)

I’m sure the way nicotine works in my current occasional pipe is different than it used to work, decades ago, with my pack-a-day cigarette habit. So I wouldn’t be surprised if it did play some role, along with the breathing, and mindfulness of the ritual.

 

[Dr_Harshit_Joshi]

It's everything which is associated with Pipe Smoking that makes this hobby and hobbyist alike relaxed!
I never smoked and would get in by next month with Missouri Prides Cobs that I ordered from SP but I did learned and is still learning from every source possible including this place. The relaxing end begins from the very pipe and blend you search, read, re read and purchase it.. that being the initial spark of your relaxation. Then comes smoking ritual!.. unpacking the tobacco tin or bulk pack.. infusing the fragnance into your nostrils deep within to figure out different aromas which makes you skeptical for a moment to appreciate those different tobacco leaves is unapologetic! Filling the bowl, Packing it firmly and igniting the char light is the utmost level of relaxation that attains with very first smoke that goes into your mouth.. This highest state of meditative stillness is nowhere to be found that easy! Now of course not everything lasts eternal.. the burned out tobacco and ashes in bowl marks the end of this stillness accompanied with a promise of return again soon.. this is achieved by cleaning the pipe and making it ready for the next smoke..

Happy Piping!

 

[Mr_Smokey]

I did some amateur research on this a while ago, some of the compounds in cigarette smoke act as monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors. MAO metabolizes dopamine, so MAO inhibitors keep dopamine levels high. Nicotine encourages secretion of dopamine so it's a double whammy.

I imagine there may also be other mechanisms involved in relaxation from tobacco smoke, since there are thousands of compounds involved. Perhaps there are also differences in levels of bio-available compounds between different growing and curing processes, I couldn't find anything about that at the time.

 

[Rebub24]

For me it is the process of smoking and the meditative qualities of that process. I find myself focused on the act itself and being present in the moment, not thinking about the thousands of other things going on.

 

[mso489]

Sedentary aspect often; sensory stimulus of taste and scent, and tactile dimension, heat and flame; rituals related to packing and smoking; signaling of down time and meditative aspects.

 

[danimalia]

Cosmic is definitely on to something. I'm a nicotine addict. When I'm in withdrawal, like I was when I woke up this morning, I don't feel well. A bit of caffeine and a pipe of Dark Flake U/S, though, and I begin to feel very contented. Not relaxed, mind you, since I am pounding my system with CNS stimulants, but feeling pleased and happy and well. For the guys who can truly take or leave nicotine, it might be different. I'm talking about the folks who might smoke once a week or so, though, and not the folks who say they can take or leave a pipe, but just happen to smoke every day, often multiple times per day.

 

[Casual]

I'm talking about the folks who might smoke once a week or so, though, and not the folks who say they can take or leave a pipe, but just happen to smoke every day, often multiple times per day.

Yeah, my cigarette habit from decades ago was definitely addiction. I can take or leave a pipe, literally, no discernible withdrawal effects like I remember from the (several) times I quit cigarettes way back when. It’s very different. I think I’m only able to do that because of the many years without any nicotine between these things.

 

[danimalia]

Yeah, my cigarette habit from decades ago was definitely addiction. I can take or leave a pipe, literally, no discernible withdrawal effects like I remember from the (several) times I quit cigarettes way back when. It’s very different. I think I’m only able to do that because of the many years without any nicotine between these things.

Interesting. While we know nicotine is very addictive, people have totally different reactions to the stuff. Most people can take a drink or two in the evening and be happy, but the idea of having a single beer was like torture to me. If I took a drink, I was going to take another. And another and another. Some people can dabble with all sorts of stuff and avoid addiction. Not me. Seems like there's been a huge increase in understanding how these things work, but there are still plenty of mysteries, too. Pretty fascinating, I think.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I love donuts, I eat at least one a day, sometimes a box. I have my favorite brands, and will try others. It's a big deal to me. But if they (for some reason) made donuts illegal, I wouldn't be trying to stock the closets of my house with donuts. I would probably just shrug it off and move on. The same with Mountain Dew. I drink it twice a day. But, if gone, I wouldn't be freaking out about it.

If, we aren't addicted to any aspect of this, then why is it the thought of someone taking it away from us is so much more extreme than anything else that could be taken away from us?
Why would we not just start smoking nicotine free stuff? Why not smoke nicotine free stuff now?

 

[brian64]

I love donuts, I eat at least one a day, sometimes a box. I have my favorite brands, and will try others. It's a big deal to me. But if they (for some reason) made donuts illegal, I wouldn't be trying to stock the closets of my house with donuts. I would probably just shrug it off and move on. The same with Mountain Dew. I drink it twice a day. But, if gone, I wouldn't be freaking out about it.

If, we aren't addicted to any aspect of this, then why is it the thought of someone taking it away from us is so much more extreme than anything else that could be taken away from us?
Why would we not just start smoking nicotine free stuff? Why not smoke nicotine free stuff now?

Stocking up on tobacco because one can read the writing on the wall is not "freaking out" IMO. Why not stock up on it if it's 99.9% certain that the prices will never be lower and availability never better? If that's freaking out then I'd hate to see what real panic looks like.

And regarding "addiction", there's nothing that can be said on this subject that hasn't been said many, many times already on this forum...and I don't think anyone is going to change their perspective on it at this point.

But I'll repeat my position again just for the hell of it: as with nearly everything else, it just depends on how you define the term. Personally I try to be consistent in how I define and apply terms. I've never yet encountered anyone who considers a person an alcoholic if they are a light to moderate drinker. So why would a different standard apply to tobacco?

If someone can easily go for days or weeks without using a given substance and experience no effects, I would never define that as addiction. If that is addiction then the word loses its meaning.

 

[brian64]

I'll just add this about "cellaring": I would agree if someone is spending beyond their means to stockpile tobacco it could be interpreted as a sign of addiction, or just bad priorities, or however you want to look at it. But if you're budgeting responsibly and you want pipe tobacco for the future, then I'd call that being prudent.

 

[anotherbob]

I don’t believe it’s the nicotine or something psychosomatic or even the mediative aspect of pipe smoking but I can say I feel considerably more relaxed after a bowl. Is their an explanation that I am unaware of?

part one is the nicotine. Which like a lot of drugs effects you differently with differing ingestion methods. Pipes give a lot of nicotine very slowly over time (compared to a cig) that ingestion method promotes relaxation. Part two the act it's self creates a state of what science people call flow. Flow is the state you enter when doing an activity that is tricky enough that it requires vigilance but also isn't very taxing at the same time. That state is very relaxing. Put the two together and both elements don't just layer on top of each other, but compliment and prop each other up. Ironically the tongue bite and pipe going out require attention but not that much once you get the knack for it and that actually makes smoking a pipe more relaxing then if it was just a touch easier and more forgiving. That's also why things like fishing can be relaxing too (without the nicotine if you don't realize how well they go together.)

 

[anotherbob]

My only comparison is snuff which I never really felt relaxed from but if feeling edgy maybe slightly less so after.

snuff is the opposite on nicotine then pipes. It's a decent but small amount of nicotine entering your blood stream almost immediately (if you look at nicotine levels in blood, snuff spikes those levels in half to three minutes but it dumps that nicotine in almost immediately once it crosses the nasal membrane and because of how blood flow works it crosses the brain blood barrier almost instantly (like cigs which dump a smaller quantity of nicotine into the lungs per puff). Which applifies the stimulating nature of snuff (which might explain why I snuff most first thing in the morning waiting for coffee and when I am binge watching t.v. shows Jeeves and Wooster at the moment.)

 

[anotherbob]

I think it is what people need it to be on an individual basis. I personally find it engaging as well as relaxing.

That is a pretty spot on description of the mental state of flow. So thanks for adding some credence to my previous babbling.

 

[Casual]

Why would we not just start smoking nicotine free stuff? Why not smoke nicotine free stuff now?

When I started a year ago, I looked for some nicotine free tobacco to smoke. I thought that maybe they’ve found a process like decaf coffee. The only things I found were a couple of substitutes where the ad copy read like new age miracle cure craziness.

So I didn’t try them for fear of them being worse for me than tobacco. You can’t trust new agey crap to have been soberly tested in my experience.

The closest thing I’ve found are some cavendish tobaccos that seem really low nicotine. But unfortunately also low in flavour, and usually aromatics. I smoke them occasionally and like the low nicotine aspect.

 

[kg.legat0]

That is a pretty spot on description of the mental state of flow. So thanks for adding some credence to my previous babbling.

I also happen to dabble in babble <tips hat>

 

[anotherbob]

I also happen to dabble in babble <tips hat>

it's an important proficiency.

 

[brian64]

When I started a year ago, I looked for some nicotine free tobacco to smoke. I thought that maybe they’ve found a process like decaf coffee. The only things I found were a couple of substitutes where the ad copy read like new age miracle cure craziness.

So I didn’t try them for fear of them being worse for me than tobacco. You can’t trust new agey crap to have been soberly tested in my experience.

The closest thing I’ve found are some cavendish tobaccos that seem really low nicotine. But unfortunately also low in flavour, and usually aromatics. I smoke them occasionally and like the low nicotine aspect.

Personally, I would not want nicotine-free tobacco because I desire the effects of nicotine. The assertion is frequently made though that if someone desires nicotine that automatically equates to addiction.

Again I would ask, is this standard applied to anything else? If someone desires the effect of alcohol does that automatically make them an alcoholic? I desire the effect of alcohol when I imbibe, but I almost never have more than one drink in the same day, and literally never more than 2 (and I'm defining "drink" as one ounce of hard liquor or 1 beer or about 8 oz of wine. And I can abstain for any period of time with no trouble whatsoever...so I certainly would not say that I'm addicted to alcohol.

A major component of the relentless and absurd anti-tobacco propaganda is the above assertion...that ANY tobacco use at all is an addiction. This is obviously not true, yet it is often stated even here on this forum...which, IMO, reflects the results of that propaganda. Because it certainly does not reflect objective reality.