Anyone addicted?

How can I tell if I'm addicted to cigars? All these health websites warn that cigars have 100-400mg of nicotine and that they are super addicting, but then I read posts on ask.com and people say they are not addicting from personal experience. Anyone here addicted yet? I dont smoke cigarettes, and I've only started cigars a few weeks ago, yet I can't stop thinking about my next cigar break and what I'm going to smoke. Is it just the excitement of a new hobby or what? I started at one cigar a day, now I'm at two cigars a day (I only have time to smoke half in each sitting so I guess it really counts as one cigar a day - or does it?)

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Gray4lines

Is it possible to become addicted because of the nicotine? Maybe. It is a completely different delivery than cigarettes so a side by side comparison of nicotine levels is a little misleading.

I would chalk it up to excitement. I always look forward to a cigar, but I have never felt like I need need gotta have a smoke. I have been enjoying cigars for going on 6 years.

I am at about one a day in the summer... I do pipes more in the colder months. Here's a way to test... If it's too damn hot or cold outside, do you still want to go suffer through it and smoke? I'm not talking about "Man, I wish I could go smoke right now." More like, "I might go crazy if I don't have a cigar now, and maybe another later" in sub zero temps or sweltering heat. Lol!

Martel

I found a tobacco risk calculator...for cigarettes, because there aren't any for cigars. I typed in my serious start date and found that if I smoked the equivalent of one cigarette/per day in cigars for the rest of my life (I might smoke two cigars a week), I'd take four months off. So far, I've lost four days, unless I quit now. Oh well. I think I smoke far less than this and never feel a need beyond I really enjoy the relaxing time. Right now it's too darned humid and buggy to want to go outside. I thought about it and turned right around and came back in. Don't think addiction is an issue.

ol_smokey1

You know, I've been contemplating this question as of late. I think about cigars. I check up on my cigar jar humidor several times throughout the day (to maintain RH). I spend time looking at cigars on various websites. I want to smoke, but I don't feel the absolute need to. I limit myself to 1 or 2 cigars a week (usually on the weekend...I try to make it a luxury; something I can look forward to after wrapping up the week). While I would like to smoke everyday, I have the willpower to restrain myself to just one a week. So I'm not sure...while I may be addicted in some people's eyes, I feel that I can control my addiction. I can function normally without smoking, so what's the harm?

0patience

AshMe:
How can I tell if I'm addicted to cigars? All these health websites warn that cigars have 100-400mg of nicotine and that they are super addicting, but then I read posts on ask.com and people say they are not addicting from personal experience. Anyone here addicted yet? I dont smoke cigarettes, and I've only started cigars a few weeks ago, yet I can't stop thinking about my next cigar break and what I'm going to smoke. Is it just the excitement of a new hobby or what? I started at one cigar a day, now I'm at two cigars a day (I only have time to smoke half in each sitting so I guess it really counts as one cigar a day - or does it?)

"Health" websites will say all kinds of crap to get people to not smoke anything.
Everything is bad for you, don't ya know?
A lot of people who first jump into cigar smoking go through a bout of over indulging.
It might be the addiction to the collecting.
And yes, collecting can be addictive.
Years ago, when I discovered that there were cigar websites, I was constantly looking for that next cigar.
I was smoking 1-3 cigars a day.
It was the thrill of the hunt.
Now days, I am lucky to smoke 2 per week.
As for being addicted to cigars, I go through times where I might go a month without having a cigar.

0patience

no idea how I double posted, but I did.

jimmyv723

Have there been times where I really wanted to have a nice cigar or enjoy a nice pipe. Sure there have but there has never been a single time where I absolutely had to have one. I've been smoking much more heavily within the last four years or so and just pipes for the last two and there have been times where a week or more has gone by where I haven't smoked anything.

With pipes and cigars the non-smokers like to look down on us but for the vast majority this is just a hobby that of course is about the cigars and pipes but when it comes down to it the hobby is a very social one. It's always more enjoyable to share the hobby with others and spend time enjoying a fine cigar or pipe with a good friend or multiple friends.

As far as the health aspect goes, when I was growing up I had an Uncle who was always smoking a stogie and I also had a Grandfather who was always smoking a pipe. They have both passed now but my Uncle was in a car accident and my Grandfather passed away of natural causes. The way I look at it is just enjoy life and don't worry about every little thing because if I'm going to go I would rather enjoy myself and not deprive myself of something as great as this hobby.

The3Stogies

Have you sold your house to buy cigars? Probably not addicted yet, just in love. I think of my cigars a lot and worry about them too when I'm not home. That's why I bought them their own air conditioner and they have their own room. Protecting my investment I tell my wife. Still smoke a few cigarettes but cigars have a very different appeal to me it seems. When I used to crave a cigarette (addicted) it had to be then, a cigar I can wait for it and it doesn't seem to bother me as much. Maybe it's more of an event than just a quick smoke to get the monkey off my back. Someone posted here once: "A cigar is my 1 hour vacation every day", or something like that.

If you ever really want to know if you are addicted just send me all your cigars and see what happens. I'm here for you, lol.

Amos Umwhat

The3Stogies:
Probably not addicted yet, just in love.

This sounds about right. When I was a cigarette smoker, I wasn't addicted for many years, until I ended up with a certain job, and found myself smoking 2 or more packs a day. After a couple years of that, got out of that job, carried the addiction with me. If I couldn't go out and smoke a cigarette I'd get more and more anxious, surly, cantankerous, mean to the point of my co-workers saying "GO OUT & SMOKE for goodness sakes"

Now, I work a high stress job, 12 hr shifts (that often become 14 hr shifts), and no worries. When I get home, if I want one, I can have a cigar. If it's too late, well, there's tomorrow.

That's not addiction.

Sadly, most of the "Health Information" outlets are as much into propaganda and political correctness as they are into genuine health information. Believe me, I know.

YankeeMan

I've said this before, cigars are not an addiction, they are a hobby... an addicting hobby!

I've survived 30 years of police work and prostate cancer. I'm going to smoke cigars!

raisindot

I think smoking anything involves cognitive dissonance of some kind. Look, anything that puts smoke in your mouth--even if r a few moments--can't be good for your health. And nicotine, if not absorbed in the lungs, is absorbed in your mouth. I do believe that cigars can cause certain kinds of cancers, such as mouth and throat cancer. After all, U.S. Grant smoked 20 cigars a day and died of throat cancer. Coincidence?

I do think if you smoke many cigars a day your chances for these non-lung-cancers are probably much higher than if you don't smoke them. I mean, if you're genetically pre-disposed to caner, it's something you need to think about, but it's your choice.

As far as being addictive, I do believe cigars can cause addiction since, again, nicotine is an addictive substance and you are absorbing it. However, it does seem among most cigar smokers that it's not a "gripping" addiction like cigarette smoking or alcoholism. Seems that most people here don't smoke a box of cigars a day, and that many don't smoke more than a few every week.

Since cancer does run in my family, I'm very careful about limiting my cigars. I try to smoke no more than two a week, and rarely have the time to finish them. And, honestly, since my cigar tolerance bandwidth is very narrow, I find myself disliking the vast majority of brands I smoke, to the point that after finishing one I don't like I feel ready to quit the whole thing together. That's when I need to go back to one of my preferred brands to assure me that that it's worth pursuing.

kuzi16

Gray4lines:
It is a completely different delivery than cigarettes so a side by side comparison of nicotine levels is a little misleading.

this is about right. since the nicotine is delivered to the body differently there is less chance of addiction.

in a cigarette the nicotine is delivered in high doses to the blood and brain via the lungs. this high dose is a big reason for the addiction.

in a cigar, a large portion of the nicotine does not make it to the blood because it is only being absorbed through the gums and cheeks. those membranes are nowhere near as effective as the lungs for getting nicotine in the system. so yes cigars have more nicotine because they are larger but they dont deliver in a high concentrated dose and they dont deliver the same amount of nicotine per puff.

Martel

raisindot:
I think smoking anything involves cognitive dissonance of some kind. Look, anything that puts smoke in your mouth--even if r a few moments--can't be good for your health. And nicotine, if not absorbed in the lungs, is absorbed in your mouth. I do believe that cigars can cause certain kinds of cancers, such as mouth and throat cancer. After all, U.S. Grant smoked 20 cigars a day and died of throat cancer. Coincidence?

I do think if you smoke many cigars a day your chances for these non-lung-cancers are probably much higher than if you don't smoke them. I mean, if you're genetically pre-disposed to caner, it's something you need to think about, but it's your choice.

As far as being addictive, I do believe cigars can cause addiction since, again, nicotine is an addictive substance and you are absorbing it. However, it does seem among most cigar smokers that it's not a "gripping" addiction like cigarette smoking or alcoholism. Seems that most people here don't smoke a box of cigars a day, and that many don't smoke more than a few every week.

Since cancer does run in my family, I'm very careful about limiting my cigars. I try to smoke no more than two a week, and rarely have the time to finish them. And, honestly, since my cigar tolerance bandwidth is very narrow, I find myself disliking the vast majority of brands I smoke, to the point that after finishing one I don't like I feel ready to quit the whole thing together. That's when I need to go back to one of my preferred brands to assure me that that it's worth pursuing.

I agree with this in spirit. Not sure there's a cognitive dissonance so much as an acceptance of risk. I won't ever deny the risk, but I find it acceptable. Also, I recognize that nicotine can be addictive, but don't see signs of addiction in myself. Does it mean I don't have a mild addiction? Who knows? How do you test that in general on a person? As far as cognitive dissonance goes, I do many more things through the week without thinking about them that are generally harmful to my health, or could be, yet I don't think about the risk. Anyone who's driven through or in Memphis will tell you that I have a huge health risk every time I get in a car! Have you seen the way I eat? I've considered starting a pizza diet because I love it so much. Beer! Wine! There are assumed risks in lots of activities both necessary and unnecessary, enjoyable or unenjoyable. Awareness is important, but so is a balanced approach to enjoying life, friends, family, etc.

Lee.mcglynn

You know your addicted when you start ripping out your copper piping and pawn your tv for a good cigar

Bob Luken

Lee.mcglynn:
You know your addicted when you start ripping out your copper piping and pawn your tv for a good cigar

LMAO I heard that!

AshMe

Bob Luken:
Lee.mcglynn:
You know your addicted when you start ripping out your copper piping and pawn your tv for a good cigar
LMAO I heard that!

Yeah. That actually WAS pretty funny

Lee.mcglynn

AshMe:
Bob Luken:
Lee.mcglynn:
You know your addicted when you start ripping out your copper piping and pawn your tv for a good cigar
LMAO I heard that!
Yeah. That actually WAS pretty funny

sorry couldn't resist

Thanatos0320

I think you're addicted the same way many of us have been addicted. You're addicted to enjoying the cigar, trying cigars you've never had, and experiencing new flavors. When you're like this you have to be extra careful with your wallet, if not then you might as well go ahead and buy another humidor. I had a 50 ct as my first humidor and that thing filled up in less than a week.

First Warrior

i'm addicted to the ceremony of enjoying a cigar. When I started smoking cigars I smoked way to many. Over time the cigars taught me how to smoke them and I started smoking fewer and fewer. Now it's one a day in the evening after a nice meal. The ceremony of unwrapping, prelight aroma, striking a wooden match, toasting the foot, lighting and dividing the smoke into thirds, the sweet spot, and finish, has got me hooked. I am also hooked on fly fishing and tieing flys, working out at the gym, cookin good food, growing a garden, solitude, helping others when i can, and making what approaches art in my studio. I guess I'm one addicted dude. This is a good thread, makes folks look beyond the surface.

raisindot

Thanatos0320:
When you're like this you have to be extra careful with your wallet, if not then you might as well go ahead and buy another humidor. I had a 50 ct as my first humidor and that thing filled up in less than a week.

This is known as CAS (cigar acquisition syndrome). Not to be confused with GAS (gear or guitar acquisition syndrome), VAS (vehicle acquisition syndrome), WAS (weapon acquisition syndrome), TAS (timepiece acquisition syndrome) or any of the hundreds of other ASs that are unique afflictions affecting men.

bbass2

I relate to what many others have said. Generally when I find myself craving a cigar it's not about a nicotine craving. It's the relaxation, excitement of trying a new blend, or something along those lines. There are times where I'll smoke 5 a week or 1 a month.
Cigarettes are what I would imagine a drug addiction is like in that once I got it in my head to smoke I would have to smoke and would go to nearly any lengths to get that fix. Cigars are more like a food craving.

jd50ae

First Warrior:
i'm addicted to the ceremony of enjoying a cigar. When I started smoking cigars I smoked way to many. Over time the cigars taught me how to smoke them and I started smoking fewer and fewer. Now it's one a day in the evening after a nice meal. The ceremony of unwrapping, prelight aroma, striking a wooden match, toasting the foot, lighting and dividing the smoke into thirds, the sweet spot, and finish, has got me hooked. I am also hooked on fly fishing and tieing flys, working out at the gym, cookin good food, growing a garden, solitude, helping others when i can, and making what approaches art in my studio. I guess I'm one addicted dude. This is a good thread, makes folks look beyond the surface.

Oh great.....you had to list your web site in your bio......I am addicted to journals.

jadelt

First Warrior:
i'm addicted to the ceremony of enjoying a cigar. When I started smoking cigars I smoked way to many. Over time the cigars taught me how to smoke them and I started smoking fewer and fewer. Now it's one a day in the evening after a nice meal. The ceremony of unwrapping, prelight aroma, striking a wooden match, toasting the foot, lighting and dividing the smoke into thirds, the sweet spot, and finish, has got me hooked. I am also hooked on fly fishing and tieing flys, working out at the gym, cookin good food, growing a garden, solitude, helping others when i can, and making what approaches art in my studio. I guess I'm one addicted dude. This is a good thread, makes folks look beyond the surface.

+1 for me its all about the whole experience (and the fly fishing is good here in MT too)

YankeeMan

First Warrior and bbass2, you both said it perfectly. The attraction for me is the relaxation of sitting down for and hour and a half or so and just talking to my wife, reading or just chilling out. My blood pressure has dropped 20 points since I've been smoking cigars regularly.

I too, enjoy the ceremony and ritual of smoking a cigar. It also allows me to enjoy special moments like when my son came home from his deployments safe and sound.

Cigary

I can think of worse addictions but when it comes to cigars...if you can't go a day or week w/o one then I'd say you are in the neighborhood. If you have reactions like sweating, irritability or you just get the shakes then yes....you're sadly addicted. The real question begs the answer...is it causing health issues...are you on the side of the hiways with a sign saying "Will work for Cigars"....then again...yes, you have a problem. I've been smoking cigars for 40 years and there were some periods where I didn't smoke for a year or two...or sometimes for months....weeks. Common sense approach is the key here.

The3Stogies

Cigary:
"Will work for Cigars"

That would be a great t-shirt right there

Darktower007

Gray4lines:
Is it possible to become addicted because of the nicotine? Maybe. It is a completely different delivery than cigarettes so a side by side comparison of nicotine levels is a little misleading.

I would chalk it up to excitement. I always look forward to a cigar, but I have never felt like I need need gotta have a smoke. I have been enjoying cigars for going on 6 years.

I am at about one a day in the summer... I do pipes more in the colder months. Here's a way to test... If it's too damn hot or cold outside, do you still want to go suffer through it and smoke? I'm not talking about "Man, I wish I could go smoke right now." More like, "I might go crazy if I don't have a cigar now, and maybe another later" in sub zero temps or sweltering heat. Lol!

+1 I just really enjoy them..I'm not at my cube or in the field shaking..GOTTA GET A CIGAR!! I kick back relax and enjoy! I smoke about one a day. In the evening. If I had time I'd smoke more...

FireRob

Addicted to cigars, No. Addicted to Skoal, Yes. After I smoke a cigar its usually not very long after I’ll have a dip unless I am just really enjoying the aftertaste/finish of the cigar. I can go on and never smoke a cigar again (I hope I don’t have to) but if it’s been a few hours since I had a dip you don’t want to be around me, I am a cranky, mean, easily irritated SOB.

Rhamlin

If your breathing your inhaling is what a Doc told me. So yes I think there is a bit of addiction going on but that bieng said it's also pretty minimal.