Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

Just kinda curious. I was a casual cig smoker in my drinking days and was about a pack to a pack and a quarter smoker for 1.5 years before I quit. I am a recovering alcoholic (sober 9 months on the 8th) but thankfully I was a short term "hard drinker" for only 16 months or so I know some potential long term health issues are a maybe a result of those two. The quitting booze helped with the memory so it might sound odd, I'm not worried about adverse affects of the drinking as long as I remain sober, which I never plan to drink again. Or at least until I'm 70 and can be the old creepy guy at the club ogling the college girls lmao.

As the title asks, do you ever think about the consequences or the possibility / potential of the consequences of long term cigar smoking or suffered any thus far in your stogie career? Curious from the perspective of those that just mouth the smoke and those that retro-hale as well. When I started learning to retro-hale it opened up a whole new dimension so admittedly I have read not to do it consistently but on a stick say the size of a Undercrown Corona Viva! I retro a good 1/3rd of it. I can smoke a La Flor Dominican Double Ligero Digger on an empty stomach and not get a nic buzz and retro a good 3" of that 8 1/2" x 60 RG stick if that says anything.

In-between quitting smoking and picking up cigars again, I went for 1.5 years with no nicotine with the exception of last June when I was in LA for the Kings vs. Devils Stanley Cup games 3 & 4. I thought I'm on vacation, one pack won't hurt. I had two cigs and I thought I was going to have to go to the ER as my chest felt like an elephant was sitting on it or both my lungs collapsed. From that day on I knew / know I'll never smoke another cig again so I don't worry about a nic addiction from cigars.

My quantity has dropped of SIGNIFICANTLY since my humis decided to grow wings at 50mph in my catastrophic moving disaster and I moved to a "soft crash" place until I get back on my feet again that is not herf friendly. So went from about 2-3 a day (so up to 21 a week) to now maybe if I am lucky 2-4 a week.

Thoughts???
-(P
J.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

The relaxation I get from cigars reduces my personal risk of stress induced stroke tenfold....that's all I nned to know. :)

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

Tom, how old yee be?

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

Old enough to know better, James. :lr

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

lmao, go to bed ya ole cranky bastardo!

Night Sir.

J.-(P

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

Nope. As Iron Maiden sang in some song some time ago, "As soon as you're born you're dying". Might as well have some enjoyment on the journey.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

Wow I have not hear Iron Maiden I ages!! I suppose and Idon't remember who originated the line, "It's burn out than to fade away"

J.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

Too many other things will kill me long before the cigars.So the short answer is no.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

"It's better to burn out than to fade away"
Neil young sang it, Curt Cobain made it infamous

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

I smoke 2 or 3 sticks per day and this concerns me a little. It seems like there just isn't a lot of data compared to cigarettes.

The most immediate health issues I have concerning cigars are my allergies. They certainly don't help.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

Tell you what I know after six years of cigar smoking on a regular basis, my stress melts away. I find calm and peace and in this crazy and upside down world that is priceless.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

Nope. I do what I want!

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

Just for my own curiosity I've asked both of my past two doctors about cigar smoking, without inhaling. First one told me that there was nothing I was doing to my health, the second one gave me a lecture about tobacco use. I stopped going to her.

We partake in many more dangerous activities to worry about cigars. Once when my wife and I were BS-ing about cigars and health she mentioned that Fidel has lived a very long life, as did God, well George Burns anyway.:D

:2

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

And Winston Churchill, he drank quite a bit and smoked like a chimney.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

Only you can no when your cigar smoking goes beyond a relaxing past time to something else... Tobacco use is addicting and if you have tendencies towards addiciton, you have to be aware of what how often you do everyting.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

I am more concerned about how many cigars I buy as opposed to how many I smoke. I smoke less then I buy and some cigars are aging as I don't rotate them in for one reason or another and many don't age well.

I smoke outside and smoke about 5 - 7 a week. The data I've seen says that is nothing. But even it is bad life is not worth living if I have to be like Bloomberg.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

I'm with you weelok, about 7or8 a week. I'm 57 and chain smoked camels for 25 years before I quit around three years ago. Least of my worries is a few cigars.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...46633413_n.jpg

We all could be doing worse things to our bodies so i think we are safe.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

I'm more worried about the things in our food to include sweeteners that are linked to causing cancer in laboratory animals, genentically modified foods, asbestos, you name it more so than cigars void of the chemicals added to cigarettes that I generally don't inhale into my lungs.

I'm not saying it's impossible, but in every COPD patient I've seen thus far, not a single one was a cigar smoker. I work in a high stress/fast-paced environment. I need outlets to unwind and having a handful of cigars on a weekly basis is going to have far less of an impact on my health than what most everyone eats on a daily basis.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

Interesting topic that I haven't seen discussed a lot. I had 6 cigars this past Saturday (which is a lot, and I was feeling the effects and even ruined my palette that I couldn't taste a rare cigar my boss threw at me) one of the regulars in the shop is a Doctor, he is the one who tells the family that their loved one is not going to make it or that have already passed (rough job if ya ask me), anyway we were talking and he asked me how many I had that day when I told him his eyes got big and he said that 1 cigar is like 16 cigs or something like that and he added up I had like 68 cigs that day.

He asked me if I ever got a nic buzz, I told him that I did and I was drinking Coke at the moment, he said he would be more concerned if I didn't get a buzz.

Anyway not sure if it's true or not, but cigars like most of you have said relaxes me and makes me less stressful, and I'm not quitting now.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

Not worried at all, though I only average about 4 sticks a week.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

This has actually been discussed a fair amount. Studies(fwiw) have shown that smoking one or two cigars a day WITHOUT INHALING and WITHOUT CHEWING (holding the cigar in your hands rather than mouth between puffs) will do very little to endanger your health. That being said, everyone is different so you pays your money and you takes your chances. I AM concerned about the health risks of smoking, but I DO believe that the positive far outweighs the negative when it comes to lighting up my pipe or my cigar- AND I do follow the "rulz" mentioned above- including NOT holding my pipe in my mouth between puffs either.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

16 cigarettes that you don't inhale.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

No, I don't.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

Yeah, I just said really and that I didn't know that and let it go at that, but he is a Dr and he does smoke, so I took at face value.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

This. I once had a dentist try to lecture me about smoking; he was stunned when I told him that you don't inhale cigar smoke.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

I worry about this constantly. In fact, I worry about this so much that I am a nervous wreck. The only thing that seems to calm me down is a cigar.

Seriously, cigar smokers should all realize that smoking cigars has some (most think vanishingly small) affect on health, but so does yelling at the TV during a baseball/basketball/hockey/football/futball game/match.

No one gets out of this life alive, kids, so come to terms with it and live the life you want, not the life others would have for you.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

Ever since I realized I have an expiration date, I don't really worry about much of anything.
I know if something is right or wrong, whether it's good for me or not. I generally ask others about these sort of things when I'm looking for someone to co-sign my bullsh1t, or help me justify enjoying lots more than is sensibly my due. That's cause I'm a weasel that way. :)
I found that I can smoke a few pc's a day without any negative reactions. Then I couldn't anymore, so I don't smoke that much. Others can tolerate more, and others less. They can safely figure out what's right for them.

Every second we're closer to expiring. Everything we eat, drink, breathe, or do.
If a few cigars bring joy at the end of a hard day's work, there's not a thing wrong with that, no matter what the studies say. The stress from not enjoying those cigars is likely to be equally as unhealthy.
We all need to enjoy ourselves, and there's plenty of good stuff out there to enjoy. Too much of any of it is bad for us, too little is bad for us. I can usually figure out how much is just right when I want a whole lot more, because a whole lot more ruins the fun of it. :tu

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

After 30 some odd years I finally quit smoking, the only reason I quit was because I had the flu and just didn't smoke for 2 weeks, that was it I was done. After that I took up cigars, what can I say I enjoy nicotine, I have no desire to start smoking cigarettes again but I do enjoy my cigars and will keep enjoying them.

My mom was a model of health, never smoked, didn't drink, eat pretty well... she was hit and killed by a car when I was 17, hell she was even on the sidewalk when a piece of #*@* cut the corner going into a parking lot and hit her.

You never know what tomorrow will bring, if anything at all, so enjoy today.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

Not to mention 16 that are void if all the nasty chemicals added to cigarettes

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

Hugh is right on.

I wrote a cigar related article on a website and received a few "cigars will kill you" replies. Here's a link: http://sharpologist.com/2012/05/rela...ar-primer.html

Here's my reply:


...although, I'm not going to give you a hard time if you want to smoke a box of cigars per day. :ss

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

You never know what tomorrow will bring, if anything at all, so enjoy today.[/quote]

You hit the nail on the head Adam. My dad enjoyed his cigars and pipes to the fullist for 50 some years, He never had any health issues at all ( he's 73)
3 months ago he went to bed and woke up 1/2 hour later with a massive stroke and now lives his days in a nursing home. So with that being said, enjoy every day like it was your last.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

I figure it's much safer than smoking cigarettes so I'm not too worried about it. I've learned that pretty much all indulgences whether it be food, tobacco, alcohol, etc, have a negative impact on health over the long run. Might as well enjoy it while you're here though.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

Not at all.

See - George Burns...

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

Everybody dies of something, except those people that die of nothing.

Nobody gets out alive.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

About 98% of the population...-(P

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

aint that the case. This past week alone I had this very same discussion with both my neighbor and a coworker.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

And myself yesterday with my father.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

:tpd:

I always remind folks of Jack Lalanne.
Picture of health.
Lived to 96.
Was a promoter of juicing.
Swam tugging boats in the San Francisco Bay.
Never smoked.

In contrast, George Burns smoked 10-15 cigars DAILY for over 70 years.
Didn't exercise as walking was tough enough but always maintained his wit and lived to be 100.

Go figure.
Since I average one cigar a day, I need to kick it up a notch to reach that 10-15 a day.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

I do worry about it...and I worry about a LOT of other crap too...so worrying will probably kill me 1st.
Carlos, I have been covering your share and mine lately...you're all set. :tu

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

Nope something is going to get me eventually. May as well enjoy the ride!

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

This is my philosophy to a tee. When my wife and I first started getting serious years ago she gave me a little grief about smoking cigars especially since she quit smoking cigarettes because she knew I despised them. I flat out told her that if the cigars were gone that the stress would get me much faster than the cigars ever could. Plus I backed it up by showing her a laundry list of people who smoked 3-5 a day who lived well into their 90's. Needless to say she saw my point and stopped giving me grief about it. Years later my spending on the hobby became an issue but I quickly learned how to mask that so that it didn't look as bad.:D She's even gotten better on that front too so it's been a win win all around but I do make sure I keep most of what I buy quiet and don't flaunt it. No need to re-ignite that issue. I also only smoke between 1 or 2 a week most often so it's not like I am like most cigarette smokers and just mowing down sticks non stop freight train style. For me it's a way to sit and relax and forget about the stresses of everyday life for an hour or two whether it's sitting outside with a stick and a drink or hanging out with the guys smoking and shooting the sh*t. If it ever did become an issue with my health I know I could quit in a heart beat even though I would really miss the social aspect of it but I know I would have the ability to stop cold turkey if needed.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

Yup. My buddy smoked one with me the other night. He usually smokes hookah. He inhaled and coughed something fierce. I said, yeh don't do that :r

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

Haha!!! My friends that smoke cigarettes don't get cigars at all and a poor Vietamese friend turned green smoking through half a mild cigar before setting it down. I figure he powered through 30 cigarettes in that one setting!!!

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

I think there are a lot of other factors involved regarding this. You can mention Milton Berle, Winston Churchill, George Burns, but then again there were a couple of other famous cigar smokers who died of oral/throat cancer: Sigmund Freud and Babe Ruth. Freud was very fond of his cocaine along with his cigars, and Ruth drank like a fish. Connection? Maybe. In any case, I don't worry much about it.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

I'm overweight (working on getting that down), work in a fast paced/high stress job (911 dispatcher), have mildly high blood pressure & have a family history of cardiac issues, so my 3-4 cigars a week are the least of my worries. Especially since they help the diet by giving me something else to do when I'm bored besides eating, & seem to help with the stress & BP by giving me a chance to just sit down & relax & unwind. The way I see it, when it's your time, it's your time. Might as well enjoy the life we have.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

I can see how a 2 pack a day smoker could greatly increase his risk of cancer and other health problems, but my 2 or 3 cigars a week? The risk increase is probably so small it would have to be measured in fractions of a percent.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

The original, only non-biased Surgeon General's report from 1964 concluded that cigar smokers mortality rate is virtually the same as a non-smoker. It also concluded that pipe smokers mortality rate was lower than non-smokers.

What is there to be worried about? You have decidedly better chance getting killed in a car wreck on the way to work. Think about that.

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

Interesting thread I just switched to sticks for this very reason. 3 weeks ago I was a pack a day smoker now I smoke one acid crush (at lunch) and one robusto in the eve. I couldn't feel better no more coughing or hacking brown bits in the morning. I also get an level of enjoyment I had lost a long time ago with cigs

On a long enough timeline the line expectancy for everything goes to zero

Re: Cigar health issues...do you guys ever worry about it???
 

I guess it's not so much a deep worry but I am a member on about 4 other forms and one BOTL posted a thread on how upset he was that due to a non mouth throat or teeth issue his doctor told him had to quit herfing and it got me thinking. That and I was curious about the risks of a smoker who just for lack of a better term just mouths it vs mouthing and retrohaling. When I "learned" how to retrohale a few years back from Doc at Stogie Fresh it was a whole new ball game and I could not imagine smoking without retrohaling.

I hope that makes sense.

J.