Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

[Nostradumbass]

I'm not a cigarette smoker or a snuff dipper, but I do enjoy an occasional cigar with the guys at the gun range, etc. Maybe 1or 2 a week at most. I know it's my OCD kicking in plus my wife gives me shit about it too.....
Just wondering if there's some of you do the same or have some input on this practice....thanks!

 

[oldgrayone]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

One is not any safer than 2 or 3. Ciggs, dip, pipes and cigars all have one thing in common. It only takes one to kill you.

I have been a heavy smoker for 35 years and I have also lost friends/family to cancer. Some were heavy user and some were very lite users and then there was granny that chained smoked Pall Mall reds until she died at 93 from a staff infection.

I would suggest to walk away and never look back.

 

[Raven 6]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

I smoke a good cigar once or twice every few weeks myself. Cancer is a stange thing, it don't care who or what you have done in your life, it will take you if it wants you. I lost my closest cousin to cancer at the age of 33, she never smoked a day in her life. My uncle smoked heavy all his life and he is in his mid 70's, and still smoking. My view is that I enjoy the occational cigar and a glass of bourbon, it makes me relax and happy. What you have to decide is if the risk is worth the enjoyment, to me it is.

 

[TimK]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

I smoke 2 a week. For a while there, I had some unrelated breathing problems. They got so bad I ended up going to the #1 respiratory hospital in the nation, National Jewish in Denver. Over the course of a year, I saw probably 10 specialists. I asked every one about the risks associated with cigar smoking. The verdict was unanimous, there is no risk considering the quantity I smoke.

If ten of the best doctors in the nation say it's OK, then I say it's OK.

 

[padronanniversary]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: triple 6</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I smoke a good cigar once or twice every few weeks myself. Cancer is a stange thing, it don't care who or what you have done in your life, it will take you if it wants you. I lost my closest cousin to cancer at the age of 33, she never smoked a day in her life. My uncle smoked heavy all his life and he is in his mid 70's, and still smoking. My view is that I enjoy the occational cigar and a glass of bourbon, it makes me relax and happy. What you have to decide is if the risk is worth the enjoyment, to me it is. </div></div>

Ain't that the truth. I had my great grand mother live to over 100, and the last few years of her life, all she did was smoke as a chain smoker. We're talking 1/2 carton a day easily, and her whole life she smoked. Then I have had buddies die early from lung cancer.

The problem I think many have is that you start inhaling cigar smoke over time regardless.

We all have vises. Just choose your poison.

 

[JHenckel]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

Ya Ill have one or two a week, I say live your life, dont worry about it because like was said before, if it wants you it will have you

 

[Blackhawk 1]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Nostradumbass</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'm not a cigarette smoker or a snuff dipper, but I do enjoy an occasional cigar with the guys at the gun range, etc. Maybe 1or 2 a week at most. I know it's my OCD kicking in plus my wife gives me shit about it too.....
Just wondering if there's some of you do the same or have some input on this practice....thanks! </div></div>
I use to smoke 5 to 7 cigars a week my Dr. told me no big deal, I even had some heart issues and that Dr. was not concerned about the cigars. I've had 3 wives they come and go but a good cigar is hard to beat.

 

[RJW]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

Everything in moderation. Well most things.

 

[Casey Simpson]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

Put it this way. If there is no benefit to an activity, but there might be a downside to it, why do it? And when you consider that it could become an addiction, really why do it? This coming from a former heavy smoker, addict, alcoholic, and more.

 

[DRAM40A1]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

The only down side is, as your taste gets refined so do the cost of the cigars......hahaha. Hell I enjoy one now and then but it's been a while.

 

[SledDog]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

Cigars are an improvement over other tobacco in that the smoke doesn't get into your lungs nearly as much as cigs, and it doesn't sit in your mucosa like chew. Are they good for you? Not really, but I find I can really relax with a good cigar.

 

[KHOOKS]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

I had a good friend of mine die of cancer. He didn't drink smoke and he fast walked everyday. He ate a very strick diet everyday. When he found out he had cancer he told us, man if I'd known this was in the cards for me I'd done exactly what I wanted to and not worried about the outcome cause now I can't enjoy any of it.

I guess hidesight is 20/20.

I say we are all dying with every breath we take and every beat of the heart that goes by. Just enjoy life the best you can. If your not hurting anyone but yourself and you are happy with it more power to you my bother!

 

[KeithR41]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

Look at George Burns.

41

 

[slothlacrosse]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

the british medical journal has done studies on this over decades with tens of thousands of people.

Prospective study of the effects of swit...elated diseases
The health risks from smoking pipes or cigars are less than those from smoking cigarettes, but there is little direct evidence on these risks in cigarette smokers who switch to pipes or cigars

This prospective study shows that smokers who switch from cigarettes to pipes or cigars halve their combined risk of dying of lung cancer, ischaemic heart disease, or chronic obstructive lung disease compared with continuing smokers, but their risk was still about 50% higher than that of lifelong non-smokers

The best option is either not to smoke or to give up altogether; failing that, switching to pipes or cigars is better than continuing to smoke cigarettes

there was another study (which i also believe was done by the BMJ) that showed a minimal increased risk in heart disease in cigar smokers (vs non-smokers) and a minimal decrease in the occurance of parkinson's disease and prostate cancer in cigar smokers.

and cigar smoking isn't about getting nicotine. there are much more effective ways of getting nicotine. cigars are typically enjoyed in groups. it's a social activity.

are there cigar addicts? absolutely. but how many times have you seen a guy standing outside in subzero weather trying to smoke a cigar? not many. how many times have you seen a guy standing outside freezing his ass off trying to smoke a cigarette?

 

[slothlacrosse]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

someone bring ammo and scotch. i've got plenty more!

 

[tullius]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: PadronAniversary</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The problem I think many have is that you start inhaling cigar smoke over time regardless.

We all have vises. Just choose your poison.</div></div>

If you don't inhale, you don't smoke cigars. I have vises and I have vices. Cigars are the least of my concerns. And Padrons are damned good.

 

[vman]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

Awesome!

 

[FightingFit]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: vman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

Awesome! </div></div>

Don’t you just wish he was still in his prime, bangin out cheesy action movies instead of the pretty boys we have now.

 

[FALex]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

I would like to think that a good cigar doesn't have half the shit a cigarette does, but anything being burned and subsequently inhaled/puffed on is probably detrimental to one's health. Still, I enjoy a nice cigar about twice a month...

 

[TimK]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Casey Simpson</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Put it this way. If there is no benefit to an activity, but there might be a downside to it, why do it? And when you consider that it could become an addiction, really why do it? This coming from a former heavy smoker, addict, alcoholic, and more. </div></div>

Who says there's no benefit? A cigar generally forces you to sit down and relax for an hour or so. I know lots of type A guys who only ever sit and unwind with a cigar. It can be very therapeutic, and it's a heck of a lot less expensive than a shrink.

Then there is the social aspect. My wife also smokes, and our weekly date night consists of 90 minutes together unwinding from the stress of owning two businesses and re-connecting with each other.

Put a group of guys together and hand out cigars and see what happens sometime. In my experience, guys who keep all their stress in and bottled up often manage to open up a bit and get some of it out. Some of my best friendships have been formed over cigars.

No benefit indeed.

 

[J.Boney]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: slothlacrosse</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

someone bring ammo and scotch. i've got plenty more! </div></div>

Ahhhhhhh, the Oliva Serie V. I have some Belicosos that have been aging for about 4 years...

Pairs well with an Oban 14 Single Malt!

 

[kill_goose]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

Not saying tobacco doesnt up your odds of getting cancer. But I think genetics has a lot to do with it as well.

I come from a long line of tobacco users, cigs, dip, etc. Cancer doesnt kill us, its usually a stroke or heart failure at a pretty decent age.

We all know that person thats used tobacco their whole life and is at an "advanced stage" and still going strong, likewise, theres the guy that never smoked a day in his life and dies of lung cancer at 40.

A girl I went to high school with had her tongue cut out due to mouth cancer at age 16, never dipped or smoked.

I chewed for 15 years. Kicked the habit one year ago this month! Im so glad I did. Not from a cancer scare standpoint, but Ive saved so much money this year, and its kind of neat being able to actually TASTE my food!

 

[slothlacrosse]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: J.Boney</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: slothlacrosse</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

someone bring ammo and scotch. i've got plenty more! </div></div>

Ahhhhhhh, the Oliva Serie V. I have some Belicosos that have been aging for about 4 years...

Pairs well with an Oban 14 Single Malt!</div></div>

if you like the Serie V, check out the Cain F (also made by Oliva)

 

[Lefty06]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

Nothing at all wrong with a good cigar every now and then.

 

[Bamafan]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

I smoke maybe 3 or 4 cigars a month. Two of my Doctors have said I am not worried about that. I think it all has to do with moderation. Take care and enjoy the cigar.

 

[jwsnydes]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Casey Simpson</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Put it this way. If there is no benefit to an activity, but there might be a downside to it, why do it? And when you consider that it could become an addiction, really why do it? This coming from a former heavy smoker, addict, alcoholic, and more. </div></div>


There is a notable advantage to all of these activities. They make you totally awesome.

 

[J.Boney]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: slothlacrosse</div><div class="ubbcode-body">if you like the Serie V, check out the Cain F (also made by Oliva) </div></div>


Haven't tried them, but hear they are good. Have you had a Drew Estate Liga Privada #9? Awesome Smoke!

 

[9H_Cracka]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

Your health is very simply a combination of genetics and environment. You have zero control over one and quite a bit over the other.

Think about it.

After 17.5 years on the wagon and seeing what a great solvent around the house Ethanol is, there is no way I'd consider pouring any more of that poison into my body.

Tobacco of any form consumed in any fashion introduces multiple poisons into your body. No way around it. Smoking it has the added benefits of introducing noxious carcinogens into one of your major organs plus burning off the vasilli which help you deal with materials unavoidable in daily life.

I personally do not feel sorry for poison users of any kind; it was their choice, and if they enjoyed it while doing it, more power to them. That said, I do not relish the idea of covering the increased healthcare costs they generate.

 

[WPG]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

What does burning off Vasilli Zaitsev have to do with smoking cigars?

 

[slothlacrosse]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: J.Boney</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: slothlacrosse</div><div class="ubbcode-body">if you like the Serie V, check out the Cain F (also made by Oliva) </div></div>


Haven't tried them, but hear they are good. Have you had a Drew Estate Liga Privada #9? Awesome Smoke!</div></div>

I enjoy the No. 9 but I really like the T52. I didn't like the rat (too much pepper) or the pig (too full and a bit one dimensional) as much as I thought I would.

Here's a little cigar porn for you guys:

(girl in the brown is a 38FF in case you were wondering)

 

[djtjr]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Tim K</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I smoke 2 a week. For a while there, I had some unrelated breathing problems. They got so bad I ended up going to the #1 respiratory hospital in the nation, National Jewish in Denver. Over the course of a year, I saw probably 10 specialists. I asked every one about the risks associated with cigar smoking. The verdict was unanimous, there is no risk considering the quantity I smoke.

If ten of the best doctors in the nation say it's OK, then I say it's OK. </div></div>

i love hearing this i am the same way maybe one or two every other week or when fishing and hunting thats exactly the excuse i needed to not give up my last vise since i no longer drink and excluding being a gun buying addict.

 

[SeanRT]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

If you're that worried about it, then don't smoke. I prefer the hookah, personally. It's CLEANER (it's not completely clean, though) and I like the taste better when compared to a cigar.

 

[Nostradumbass]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

For what it's worth.....last week I was at my family doctor for a physical and I asked him about occasional cigar smoking "1 a week or so," and he said he didn't see a problem with it. So I guess I'm gonna continue playing the odds....

 

[armorpl8chikn]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

Not trying to start any shit but the air is full of carcinogens. Your food is full of the stuff. Your bleached flour and highly processed sugar is dosed with chemicals to refine it "properly". Any idea where i am going with this? We live in a society that tells you tobacco is deadly and marijuanna is therapeutic. Do you have any idea how much "carcinogens" they have to feed rats to get them to go malignant? Do you know how many factors of ingestion they leave out of all these studies? Do you know how much refined sugar per capita was consumed in 1890? Do you know how much per capita is consumed today? Have you seen any studies that compared sugar usage per capita, to cancer per capita. Do you know that many thousands of medical compounds have been derived from the tobacco plant.
Most medicine is poison. Rat poison is a medicine we all know that. I will say that cigarettes are the worst form of tobacco you can use. Why? Because most cigarette tobacco is not properly aged but rather flue cured or flash cured. This does not allow for the breakdown of certain compounds within the plant. Everyone worth their salt knows the older tobacco gets the better. I know and have met several people who lived into their 90's that smoked a pipe or used snuff or chewing tobacco. My wife's great grandmother died just 3 years ago she was 103 and used sweet peach snuff every day of her life. No one will live forever.

 

[t8354p]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

I too enjoy the occasional cigar and my wife also gives me grief about it being unsafe. My take is that many things in life are unsafe especially when abused, so moderation is the key. Whether it's food, cigars, drinks, gambling, womanizing, etc. enjoy them in moderation and try not to hurt anyone.

However, whatever you do just make sure your doctor and dentist know you indulge in an occasional cigar and make sure they check your tongue, gums and the lining of your mouth at least once a year to make sure you don't have any cancerous growths.

Evan

 

[LUNCHBOX0621]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

Hell, all the best things in life are bad for ya.

 

[Ol' RD]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

Man's gotta die of something, might as well enjoy it.

Had a buddy when I was 5 years old run up to the bus his mother was driving slipped an when down under the front tire, died instantly. Had a 93 year old Grandmother eat fried eggs, fatback and biscuits and coffee black for breakfast every morning for most of her life. Like others have said, when it's your time, I don't care if you're a green tea drinkin' herbivore or a horndog that likes doing 200 mph on I-5. When it's your time to go, Goodbye!

OK, maybe Charlie Sheen IS overdoing it! LOL!

Just sayin'!

 

[Tunin]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

I am a doc, and I don't care about one to two cigars smoked a week. A properly smoked cigar gives very little inhaled smoke. It's all about the experience of sitting down to unwind. I used to be one of those one/week types. Now it's maybe one to two really good ones per year for special circumstances.

 

[Tigerbikes]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

As a former Skoal addict (two tins a day) my comment is that when I smoke a cigar, I get a little of the same jolt I used to get from dip.

I conclude, therefore, that you are getting some nicotine in your system.

And no, I am not deliberately sucking down the juices

.

That said, my Dad just turned 70 and has been smoking Marlboro reds since he was 16. His dad made it to 86 smoking Camel filterless for 70+ years.. all luck of the draw.

 

[slothlacrosse]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Mr300</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If you're that worried about it, then don't smoke. I prefer the hookah, personally. It's CLEANER (it's not completely clean, though) and I like the taste better when compared to a cigar.</div></div>

not trying to rain on your parade, but studies have shown that hookah smoking is one of the worst things you can do to your lungs.

because the smoke is inhaled at a lower temperature, it allows you to inhale the smoke deeper into your lungs.

 

[slothlacrosse]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Tigerbikes</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I conclude, therefore, that you are getting some nicotine in your system.
</div></div>

Nicotine does not promote the development of cancer and has no mutagenic properties.

Nicotine is a stimulant which releases small amounts of dopamine (similar to heroin but on a much smaller scale).

Nicotine might be what gets you addicted, but it's not what gives anyone cancer.

 

[Tigerbikes]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

10-4 slothlacrosse... but it is the nicotine that gets you hooked.

I don't like being addicted to anything

.

 

[slothlacrosse]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Tigerbikes</div><div class="ubbcode-body">10-4 slothlacrosse... but it is the nicotine that gets you hooked.

I don't like being addicted to anything

.</div></div>

"Never trust a man without vices..." - Winston Churchill

 

[Tigerbikes]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: slothlacrosse</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Tigerbikes</div><div class="ubbcode-body">10-4 slothlacrosse... but it is the nicotine that gets you hooked.

I don't like being addicted to anything

.</div></div>

"Never trust a man without vices..." - Winston Churchill </div></div>

Note that I wrote I don't <span style="font-style: italic">like</span> being addicted to anything, which doesn't mean I am not.

I doubt I could get by without caffeine.

 

[ARP]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

Yall are all addicted to guns

 

[slothlacrosse]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ARPredatorHunter</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Yall are all addicted to guns

</div></div>

i can quit anytime i want... i heard that benelli has a $250 mail in rebate on M4 shotguns.

 

[Alderleet]

Re: Cigars....how unhealthy are they??

Not gonna lie, We all run a better chance of dieing from a lead poisoning than dieing from tobacco.

I'm actually debating getting a blood test just to see the lead content.