The Pipe Strikes Again!

[Lord Wigglybottom]

Well it has been a while since I posted anything here (been lurking, mostly) but I figured this event was worth mentioning, happy as it is.

A beloved teacher of mine has decided to give up cigarettes, but due to some previously-existing medical conditions quitting cold turkey was not an option - she tried it and other, important things began to throw tantrums and shut down. I'll spare you the details. Long story short, a couple days ago I loaded up my trusty cob with some Penzance, brought it along, and bade her try a puff. She dug it. Dug it quite a bit.

So last night I ordered her a simple clay pipe and a pouch for said pipe + a day's worth of 'baccy. I couldn't bring myself to suggest a cob - I know they're cheap and great smokes but damn it, as much as she enjoyed it it just flat-out looked weird seeing a middle aged lady with something as coarse-looking as a cob. Once the pipe arrives (plus a 16" clay cw I bought for myself purely due to its Gandalf-y nature) we're hitting the Briar Patch here in town to pick out a suitable blend for her continuing education (conversion?).

Has anyone else had experience with using the pipe to phase out cigarettes? I figure there are blends out there that can give enough of a nic hit to keep the wolf away from the door, but since the stronger blends generally aren't inhaled except a teeny bit to enjoy the smell, it cuts down on wear and tear for the ol' bagpipes. At least this is my hope for her.

[Requiem]

Quitting cigarettes can be really hard and even if the pipe can help a bit it probably won´t be enough.
Nicotine gums work great. On my recent trip to the USA I had them on the airplane and they completly satisfy any nicotine dependence. If combined with self-restrain and with the pipe (just as a smoking pleasure, not a nic deliver) it should work.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by Lord Wigglybottom

...I figure there are blends out there that can give enough of a nic hit to keep the wolf away from the door, but since the stronger blends generally aren't inhaled except a teeny bit to enjoy the smell...

Burley's where the vitamin-N is, they say. Prince Albert, Carter Hall, etc. Easy to find, cheap, easy to smoke. But, then again, if she already liked Penzance, she should smoke Penzance. Much higher road for a lady, Penzance.

As said Requiem, I just don't know about pipes, nic and quitting the cigarette addiction. Back when I smoked cigs (feh) I had to be dosed once/hour* or I got fidgety and frazzled; I can smoke one bowl or a few bowls in a day or not smoke a pipe for a week at a time. For me the iron grip of cigs was totally different than the periodic enjoyment of a pipe. I'd be interested to hear if the lady makes the transission.

*when smoking on planes became illegal I HAD to revert to Kodiak and Copenhagen to get thru flights longer than an hour (which was all of them). As I work and travel these days a pipe is often inconvenient or there isn't time in the day to properly enjoy a pipe so it's put aside, more-or-less forgotten.

[jamesstew]

Me used smoking pipe and snus to help break the ciggy addiction. The snus really helped at work and in social situations.

[soundman85]

[/QUOTE]As said Requiem, I just don't know about pipes, nic and quitting the cigarette addiction. Back when I smoked cigs (feh) I had to be dosed once/hour* or I got fidgety and frazzled; I can smoke one bowl or a few bowls in a day or not smoke a pipe for a week at a time. For me the iron grip of cigs was totally different than the periodic enjoyment of a pipe. I'd be interested to hear if the lady makes the transission.

*when smoking on planes became illegal I HAD to revert to Kodiak and Copenhagen to get thru flights longer than an hour (which was all of them). As I work and travel these days a pipe is often inconvenient or there isn't time in the day to properly enjoy a pipe so it's put aside, more-or-less forgotten.[/QUOTE]

I completely second that! My wife and I quit cigs about six months ago. we had to use the patch, cuz gum just didn't keep us from trying to kill each other. I waited a good two weeks after completing the program, then tried one of my cigars. I found that while I enjoyed the smoke very much, there was no buzz, and better yet, no urge to have one the next day even. however, I discovered that I could taste better, and my low end cigars were no where near as good as I remembered, so I switched to pipe tobacco, and found the taste I was always looking for....and still no "addiction", not counting the usual slide down the slope! Bottom line, cigarettes are an evil imitation of tobacco, pipes are the real deal: tasty, relaxing, and non-addictive.