I smoked a pipe on and off for about 6 years when I figured my lungs could use a break from cigarettes. I wish I knew where my pipe went. I'm using an e-cig at the moment to get my nicotine, but I'll probably get back into pipes in the future. I like to be able to clench my nicotine sources between my teeth or dangle them from my lips; sadly this is not possible with a decent e-cig.
What exactly is the advantage of a pipe over anything else? I've never smoked, but I've always wandered why some people prefer pipes, others prefer cigarettes, and others still prefer cigars.
Well, for my particular situation, the advantage was that I wasn't using my lungs to absorb the nicotine, but rather the lining of my mouth. That said, people that smoke pipes a lot can get really nasty cancers like throat, esophogeal and mouth cancer. I don't want to be flip about cancer, as many people in my family have been affected by it (most recently the mother of the cousins I'm closest to) but it seemed to me (wrongly) that by not using my lungs for a bit, I was giving them a chance to recover a little bit. I was also experiencing lung infections fairly frequently, so pipes were good because I could still get my nicotine and not hack up grams of green, chunky goo. Basically, a cigarette is a very direct, no-nonsense way of getting nicotine. It's fairly quick. Even smokes that take a long time, like American Spirits only take about 10 minutes or less. I could go through a Camel Light (oops, I mean Blue) in about 2 minutes or less if I was in a hurry. Also, the tobacco is mised with chemicals to make it burn more evenly, as is the paper. Then there's the filter and ashed to deal with. Not to mention the smell. Essentially, it's an entirely disposable system. Cigarettes also have the advantage of creating opportunities to socialize often, during smoke breaks. Pipes are a more relaxed experience. You need to take a bit of time, as you need to drag out the tobacco pouch, and the tamping tool and then if you're using matches it can take a bit if it's windy. A pipe is leisurely. A fully packed bowl can take an hour or so to smoke. Then there's the scraping of the ash, etc. It's a process and it's clear why in fast-paced American life why it fell out of favor with people seeking ever more streamlined experiences. Pipe smoking can be social, but really it comes down to individual preferences in equipment and tobacco. It also smells quite nice to many people in a way that cigarettes definitely do not. Pipe tobacco is cured and cut a bit differently and tends not to contain things like additives that increase the rate of absorption, which are generally pretty bad for you. Cigars are something else. Now, people drill holes into the draw ends of cigars in case one doesn't want to smoke the whole thing in one sitting. Me, I prefer to get it all done in one. A cigar is a commitment, particularly in a world that is (justifiably) increasingly smoke phobic. The outsides are tobacco leaves, not paper and the tobacco is generally not blended, the way cigarette tobacco tends to be. Pipe tobacco can be blended as well. Anyway, a cigar is to a cigarette the way a beautiful rib-eye is to a McD's hamburger. It's meant to be savored and often, paired with strong liquor, like Scotch. Scotch tends to have complementary flavor ranges for cigars. It's worth noting that the cliches for cigars are handing them out on significant occasions, like births or wedding announcements. Freshly lit, cigars smell great (to me). Waking up after a night of cigar smoking with cigar stench all over, is not so great. When I had really long hair, I would make sure to have a shower when I woke up after having a cigar, otherwise I'd be bothered by it all day. Cigar smoking can be individual, but often it's a more social thing. A note about choosing cigars: choosing a cigar is all about personal preference and taste. Never believe anyone that insists that because some cigars are expensive, they must therefore be good. In fact, I would extend that to almost everything. Much as I absolutely adore smoking, I am concerned about my health and so have switched to an e-cigarette, only occasionally have a couple smokes or a cigar. As I mentioned, perhaps I will take up pipe smoking again on an occasional basis as the process intensive experience of pipe smoking is likely to limit indulgence by virtue of being time consuming. I guess I still have hookah/nargila sessions once in a while, but right now it's not readily available and I don't know who has my old nargila, so e-cigs for me.
I really had no idea there was a noticeable difference between the 3 mediums. That definitely was an interesting read. I don't have much else to contribute because my knowledge of this sort of thing is pretty much limited to everything you just told me. On a side note, how bullshit are e-cigs? I was skeptical as soon as I saw the commercials hit TV.
That's a good question. It's a question that politicians are running with and trying to pass legislation on. Basically, cigarettes are a nicotine delivery system. Nicotine in large quantities is lethal, no bones about it. However, large quantities for nicotine is minute compared to other stuff. Anyway, most of the carcinogens in cigarettes are formed during the burning process, and there are a shitload of carcinogens in cigarette smoke. More testing needs to be done on e-cigarettes to determine their potential danger, as they are relatively new. But, one obvious advantage is that there is no burning plant matter from which carcinogens can form. Additionally, the ingredients that make up e-liquid (the stuff that vaporizes) is relatively well understood. Yes, the nicotine can cause cancer, as can one of the common sweeteners for e-liquid. In general, it is thought that e-cigs are a vast improvement over traditional or "analog" cigarettes. Also, the vapor dissipates much more readily into air, because there is less stuff that comprises it. So, in short: e-cigs are less bullshit than people assume. There are people who think that they are completely safe, but the fact is that consuming nicotine is not completely safe. However, there have been studies done that equate the risk of nicotine from e-cigs to the risk of consuming caffeine from coffee, something which few people consider to be a danger even though it's relatively easy to overdose on caffeine. The ones you see on TV, I imagine are what the vaping community terms, "cigalikes" or, vaporizers that look like cigarettes. I don't know much about those. Actually, I got on e-cigs because of a post I made on hubski a while back. AlderaanDuran and insomniasexx seem to know more about (or at least have more experience than I do) with e-cigs. Maybe they can chime in to more fully answer your question.
Sounds like it does cut down on a lot of health risks, even just from the fact that there isn't too many ingredients in them. One thing I've always hated about cigarettes is that I have no clue what's in them. I know that there's some pretty harmful things, but I could only tell you a few of them.
They are not bullshit at all. I use one, but not the ones on TV or at the gas station. I have an Ego battery and use MT3S for the "clearomizer" (the atomizer and tank), and vape a juice that's made right here in my hometown. It looks something similar to this, but this is just a pic I nabbed of the ecig subreddit, and my clearomizer (the part on top that burns and holds the jucie) is a little different. It's about the size of a cigar. http://imgur.com/8o5zkPu Humanodon pretty much said it all, and I agree with everything he said. I'd say they are definitely safer than cigarettes just based on the hundreds of fewer chemicals (most ecig juices only have like 3-5), but yeah inhaling anything can't be that great for you. Consider it harm reduction, yet you still get that similar feeling of smoking and you still get nicotine. Plus it tastes better, doesn't stink, you don't have a butt to throw away, doesn't cost as much, and you can do it in the bathroom stall at work while playing cell phone games.how bullshit are e-cigs? I was skeptical as soon as I saw the commercials hit TV.