Am I still..."man"?
 

I ask this because I can no longer smoke strong cigars. In fact even medium cigars make me crazy with the nicotine. Today after lunch I had an Upman (NC) cameroon toro and...whoah...I had to lie down. But I was already lying down! What is happening to me!! Seems these days (2 months to my 40) anything stronger than a Conn. shade gives me the whoozies. So I ask you, dear CA inmates

am I still..."man"?

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

That's interesting. I didn't think that cigars' nic content was all that high. Perhaps there's something else going on...but I hope not.

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

I find myself smoking "stronger" sticks now...

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

Yikes!!! Thanks for scaring the **** outta me!!!!:wo

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

I've been through it. If you are an occasional smoker (1-3 per week qualifies), you can get hit pretty hard. If your diet, etc has changed it will be a factor as well. Some cane sugar before and after the cigar will help. Anything sugary will lessen the nicotine punch.

MCS

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

About a month ago I smoked an Anejo that was so strong it burned all the buds off my tongue and my mouth hurt for almost a week.
No buzz, but it put a hurtin' on me. Never had that happen before.
I'm with Jerry. You better check your blood pressure or go see the doc or something.
You might have something plugged up.

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

Are you having hot flashes? Find yourself crying frequently? Do you still pee standing up?

j/k :D

I find if I haven't slept well for a few days that strong cigars or pipe tobacco will kick me in the keester.

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

It could be the heat? try smoking in a cool area and drink more fluids while doing so. And never smoke when your hungry.

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

Any recent changes to your meds? (all us inmates are on some kind of meds). Could be a drug interaction with the nicotine, which is also a drug. I do think you should discuss with your doctor.

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

There could be numerous possible reasons. If you were smoking often then stopped or slowed down to "every once in a while", this could be your reason. Are you eating a proper meal before? Did you used to drink beverages with sugar in them while smoking (such as soda or other drink with high sugar content) and now don't? Are you sitting in the direct heat while smoking? Are you a diabetic?

You'll always be a "man". The question is, are you a Mans Man?:D
Just kidding. :tu

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

I've been getting hit harder by the nicotine lately as well. I think with me it has had more to do with when I smoked rather than what I smoked though. In other words, not enough in my fat stomach at the time.
:dance:

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

...and your doctor will say "There's absolutely nothing wrong with you son. Now go smoke all the cigars your heart desires, in fact, even more than that. You wouldn't happen to have one I can mooch from you, would you?"

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

I have to say that smoking milder cigars does not take away fom be a man. Now if you start smoking cherry flavored cigars then there may be room to question.

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

:r I think we should all have your doctor if this is what happens to you!

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

No worries Bookman. Smoke whatever makes you happy brother :tu

You are a man no matter what happens or what you like when you're smoking!

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

I would have to say, "Probably not"

seriously-

I agree with some of the others that there might be something else going on with you. Shouldn't be such a drastic change to your smokes like you are having.

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

Not to scare you but when my blood sugars are high, even the mildest of smokes will mess me up bad. Diabetes does suck in this hobby. Especially when sugar is supposed to fix the nic buzz but makes you feel worse cus it raises the blood sugar levels.
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Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

I can assure you...these words would not pass through MY doctor's lips.

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

Getting checked by a Doc may be good advice. (Just in case)

A FOG once told me to take the cigar out of my mouth once in a while. I find that if I'm chewing it or keeping it in my mouth for long periods of time I get a strong buzz. It's like chewing tobacco and smoking it at the same time. Sometimes I'll keep the cigar in my mouth because there's no place to put it. Like when mowing the lawn or driving a standard shift while drinking beer and talking on the cell phone.

Are you still a man? Of course! Sometimes my palate changes and I crave a nice mild Conn. wrapped cigar. Being a gentleman makes you a man, not the strength of the cigar you smoke.:2

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

I guess I don't see the corollary between "manliness" and strong cigars.

Scott mentioned the Añejo - the last time *I* had one, my head was spinning. And I smoke at least 2 cigars a day. I may be alone in this, but nicotine-sickness isn't the pinnacle of cigar enjoyment for me. In fact, it's exactly the opposite.

But assuming you're healthy, you may just be going through a change in preferences. For me, I started off like most people with really mild stuff and worked my way up to the really strong cigars over the course of several years. I reached a pinnacle in about 2002, when I took it all the way up to Bolivar Fuertes, Opus's, LFD Chisels, Camacho Havanas, etc. Since then, I have actually been descending the ladder of strength. Aside from the occasional ball-buster, I've pretty much settled on cigars that lie in the flavor profile and strength level of Davidoffs. Hell, my go-to cigar anymore is the Griffin's #300.

So, no I don't think your lack of stomach for the strong stuff is an indicator of your loss of "manhood". If that were an indicator, what would non-smokers be? As far as I know, Brock Lesnar doesn't smoke cigars and I'd pretty much curl up in a ball and suck my thumb if he were coming after me! :r:r

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

No, but get your doc to check you out. Better safe than sorry.
:tu

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

I find that some cigars have quite a bit of nicotine and I'm pretty sensitive to it compared to other Botls/Sotls....so I tend to cut it with sugar like pepsi and for stronger ones I eat a good meal first...maybe try that? Or like others have said it doesn't hurt to talk to your doc... But mine only tells me to quit smoking...lol
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Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

Electrolytes, heat, diet change, medication changes, all of these things can change how your body will react to cigars.

I know for a fact that when it's hot outside, we sell a lot more mild cigars, but during the winter, we pick up and sell more fuller bodied cigars.


Take note of any major changes in your lifestyle, they may be affecting your tolerances.

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

the person make a man mate not the stuff he owns or smokes lol

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

I don't think you are supposed to smoke cigars with your, er, gender-specific parts. At least I hope not. Presidential examples aside. :eek

For whatever reason I am an utter lightweight when it comes to alcohol and caffeine, but nicotine just doesn't seem to do me in even when I smoke a dozen or more cigars back to back at an all day herf event. I don't eat any sugar, or much of anything sugary. Don't really eat starches either, mostly do a low carb diet. I'm not sure why people can vary in their response to nicotine, even the same person at different times, but it would be nifty if somebody had links to medical information on the subject.

What makes sugar counteract nicotine? Is it a competing receptor? What's the mechanism?

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

It's the precursor to turning 40 :r The closer you get, the more you will start falling apart. Aches, pains, memory loss, heartburn, cigars too stong.....it's just the start........:r :r

Seriously......probably should check with your doctor to make sure.

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

To put it simply; Nicotine indirectly lowers blood glucose levels. By eating a simple carbohydrate or glucose, you counteract the nicotine lowering blood sugar levels.

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

Thanks for all the supportive/helpful comments. I have a doc appointment in the Fall, so we'll see.

Oh, and yes, I know that strong cigars don't make a man a man. What makes a man a man is his character.

Also his B.O.

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

Hmm. If you're a low carber who almost never eats simple carbohydrates, I wonder if it would follow that you have more stable blood sugar levels that are not prone to swings, and/or more tolerance for low blood sugar levels, and consequently less prone to nicotine effects?

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

:r:r:r

Seriously... smoke the cigars that make you feel good!!!

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

You very well could be less prone to the nicotine effects. Everyone's physiology is different. It's quite interesting, in my line of work I see this a lot. One person could have a BGL of 45 and still be talking normally, but have a chief complaint of, not feeling "quite right", other people will be unconscious at a 45 BGL.
I'm a lot like you, Tanith. I don't smoke (cigarettes), eat very little sugar, I'm not diabetic and have never to this day had the Nicotine high/buzz from any cigar. I smoke full bodied cigars almost exclusively with 0% effects from nicotine.
I will do a bit more research on this and see what I find. Very, very interesting.

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

:hmI don't have hot flashes, but i have been watching a lot of oprah..

No, but now that I think about it I have been trying to lose some bellyfat so i've been eating less sugar and running in the morning.

Hmmm???:hm :hm

Oh, and i have been spending a LOT of time "manipulating" myself to pictures of Salma Hayek on the Internet...

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

Thanks for the research offer, it's a fascinating subject.

I smoke cigars in a fairly wide range. I enjoy and appreciate any stick that has a good balance of flavors. Too mild and not flavorful or robust enough to be balanced is not good to me, and too strong/harsh/unbalanced is also not good to me. There's a fair number of mild-medium cigars in my typical rotation, but at an all day herf when people keep shoving random tasty sticks in my hand cause I just gotta try this, there's a fair number of *everything* in the rotation. I literally don't think I stopped smoking from 3PM to nearly 3AM on Friday at the Lake Greenwood herf, other than short bathroom and meal breaks. There was no effect other than "wow, these cigars sure are great." I don't know how many cigars I consumed, but it was pretty insane. Generally I had at least one in hand and often there was something else going around as a PPP.

The next day my palate was slightly scorched and I had less of a desire to be a perpetual chimney, so I did without smoking for a most of the day while swimming in the lake. In the evening a good handful still got consumed, and there were some tasty sticks being passed around that I definitely wasn't turning down.

I don't smoke cigarettes either and I don't know why my nicotine tolerance effectively seems to be that of a cockroach. I'm not a heavy smoker and I've historically never been a daily cigar smoker, though now that Rob has picked up the habit we're more likely to share an evening on the porch that way. I don't think this is an acquired tolerance. It would be interesting to find out what it is though.

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

I chew a can or two of snuff a day. That dictates my "normal" sugar balance, which is fine (so say the tests).
When I smoke a couple cigars I usually end up craving candy, so I keep plenty around.
If I don't smoke a cigar, I don't touch it.
So there's definately something in there "mechanism-wise" that affects sugar levels differently. I did research on nicotine in snuff vs. cigarettes, but never vs. cigars.
I get the nic from snuff through my lip. The nic from cigars I get through my sinus. The uptake and endurance is probably the sway factor.
I don't get sick from the cigar, just crave sugar afterwards.

Back to the "man" portion of the thread...
Sofaman was smoking a Tat Noella Reserva beside me a few days ago and I made him move downwind cause it was so gross it turned my stomach.
I tried it a couple times, and it turned my stomach.
I pride myself on being able to smoke anything, but whatever filler Pete Johnson likes, it makes me gag. Kinda like sweet potatoes.

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

Thanks again all. I'm gonna try the sugar intake thing, see how it works.

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

I just want to say, if you're getting nic sick and drinking lite beer, you might require recertification of your manhood.

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

Um, actually, i don't drink at all anymore...

:(

Someone reincert teh manhood!!!

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

Are you SURE that's really what you want to ask someone to do? :r

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

:r:r

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

That would be EXACTLY the same as drinking lite beer, except it doesn't require re-certification.

:)

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

I like the thought of the low carbs making you more tolerant to nicotine because of he constant level of blood glucose. This is very intersting and making me think a lot about it. My only conclusion was the more exposure to nicotine the greater your tolerance. Your nicotinic receptors in your body would need more nicotine to be satisfied.

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

That's the interesting thing. I more or less quit smoking for quite some years, but when I picked it back up again and immediately hit a herf, my tolerance levels were still the same - eg, no really apparent upper limit as far as I can tell.

I'm sure if I inhaled I'd be in trouble, and I've also noticed that if I mix cigars with large amounts of alcohol, caffeine and/or greasy or sugary/starchy processed food (which I normally do not eat at all), I'll be sick. But I'm not sure how much the cigars have to do with that, since I'll feel like utter crap if I indulge in those things to excess whether I'm smoking or not.

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

I agree on the food thing. If you don't eat it normally then once you introduce it to your body you will get sick...

I wonder if there is any psychological aspect to the nicotine tolerance? What about the nicotine receptors in the body? Just because you stopped smoking does not mean the receptors reverted back to how they were.

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

Real low tolerance for junk food. Half a candy bar or a bite of some processed junk food sweet will make me think about hurling, more than that and I probably will hurl.


No idea. I have never been a daily smoker (until quite recently) or even a very frequent smoker. At herfs I've always puffed like a chimney, but between herfs, my frequency used to be maybe once a week or so, if that. Then for quite some years, maybe once every few months.

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

Sooo--your getting swimmy headed! My advice to you is to start drinking heavily!!

Re: Am I still..."man"?
 

Also, I have been hitting the french press pretty hard lately...

I just smoked a Monte Peruvian Fer de Lance without my java and I feel fine. This is a slightly stronger Monte, I'm told. I think it might be the coffee after all...:dance:

Might switch to decaf.:rolleyes: