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"?

[csbrewfisher]

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.

[kelmac07]

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

Originally Posted by csbrewfisher

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.

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

[MajorCaptSilly]

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

[shilala]

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.

[BlackDog]

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

j/k

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

[FriendlyMan]

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

Originally Posted by bookman

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"?

[Prospector]

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.

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?
Just kidding.

[rizzle]

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.

[csbrewfisher]

Originally Posted by Prospector

I do think you should discuss with your doctor.

...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?"

[MedicCook]

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.

[lightning9191]

Originally Posted by csbrewfisher

...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?"

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

[GreekGodX]

No worries Bookman. Smoke whatever makes you happy brother

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

[Cigargal]

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.

[JE3146]

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.
Posted via Mobile Device

[csbrewfisher]

Originally Posted by csbrewfisher

...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?"

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

[Tio Gato]

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.

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!