When you feel like you've given up smoking

[forgop]

I was never a heavy smoker, averaging maybe 1-2 cigars a week. I started in another masters program in Fall 2016 and would go to a shop in town and do homework for 6+ hours and smoke the whole time maybe once a week. Then said shop owner decided to implement a fee to access the room to sit at a table even if you bought cigars in her shop, so I quit going. This was during the winter and as I got busier with clincials and being gone upwards of 100 hours a week, I never packed cigars. I've smoked exactly 1 cigar about 2 months ago after more than a year long hiatus after that and it wasn't the same as before. I even went to Cancun in June and didn't pack a cigar.

 

Anyone else go through something similar and find their love for it once again?

 

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

 

 

[99call]

Whenever I smoke cigars on autopilot, I realise 'lady nicotine' is playing a part, and I really don't like that, it will play on my mind, and I'll want to either stop for a while, or definitely cut down.  

There is no getting away from it, smoking cigars is bad for your health, if you don't want to smoke you definitely shouldn't.   That said, if a special occasion pops up, and you have some nice cigars to hand, it's always an incredible treat.    Like with all vices, we should be the master of them, not them the master of us. 

[Viva Vegas]

I used to smoke cigars when I went to the track to bet on the horses maybe twice a month, and only then. I moved out west to Vegas where we have no tracks and maybe went 9 years with out a stick. I was looking through a magazine and saw a candela wrapper cigar and remember my grandfather  only smoking green cigars in the 60's and 70's. So I ordered some and love them and now smoking Cubans too. A Cuban Candela I am waiting for now

[HumidorJuan]

I slipped into being a three cigar a day guy for a bit. I had a crazy schedule and I travel for work so I just always had a stick on the go in the car. Got crazy cravings for it but when I smoked my mouth just felt raw. And I devalued it smoking that much. I plowed thru a dozen siglo I’s like they were cheap smokes. I had a smokeless weekend away with the wife and kids and felt like I reset myself a bit.  Back to 1 or two a week and it made me realize how I was forgetting one of the best parts of cigar smoking, the satisfaction of taking my time with a good cigar at the end of a long day. 

[David88]

Unless I am on holiday I will usually smoke 1 or perhaps 2 cigars a week. If I have a couple of busy weeks I find it can easily be a month or two between cigars. I try to make sure that first cigar after a break is a good one!

[Ptowncigar]

2 hours ago, Viva Vegas said:

I used to smoke cigars when I went to the track to bet on the horses maybe twice a month, and only then. I moved out west to Vegas where we have no tracks and maybe went 9 years with out a stick. I was looking through a magazine and saw a candela wrapper cigar and remember my grandfather  only smoking green cigars in the 60's and 70's. So I ordered some and love them and now smoking Cubans too. A Cuban Candela I am waiting for now

Ive gone through the same. I used to be able to smoke around 3-4 cigars a week. Then kids and a new career came. I really lost the ability to take a hour out of the day for myself. Goals I wanted to make with my department didnt vibe with smoking cigars. I even looked into selling some of my cigars thinking I’ll never be able to enjoy them. Now that things have calm down, I dove back into my stash which aged nicely and try to smoke at least once i week. 

[Jal154]

11 hours ago, HumidorJuan said:

I slipped into being a three cigar a day guy for a bit.

OMG ........got into that habit several years ago for about 6 months....FLITHY! Everything started to taste the same, then things started to taste like ash....no, not ass, well maybe, but then again I really wouldn’t know so we’ll stick with ash ???? Anyway, really turned me off from smoking. Still smoking one a day but recently I went a day here and there without one. Really would like to get down to a couple a week. Those minutos are what gets me about 9:00pm at night. But those 3 cigars a day got to be ????

[BeerPimp]

I always smoked NC and stopped for a couple years.  Then my friend got me into CC and now I am back to 1-2 cigars a week.  I definitely focus on the relaxation and enjoyment of smoking a cigar.   Trying to detect all the nuanced flavors.  Speaking of which time to go outside and enjoy one.

[KavalanWhisky]

I started by smoking 1 or 2 a month then went to every friday in the month.  Now I smoke 2-3 times a week and always 3-4 cigars per session.

I do feel that I do devalue certain things about the cigars but even when I was smoking less I didn't taste anything more than I am now and I'm certainly smoking more variety than before.

 

[TBird55]

No comment...?

[Fuzz]

I am a social smoker. If I'm not with my friends who smoke, then I don't. I sometimes go weeks without a cigar. I just can't smoke on my own. When I was younger, it was a different story, but nowadays I miss the social aspect if I smoke on my own.

Thankfully, I haven't gone too far down that path with drinking. I still enjoy a nice rum or glass of wine on my own, but a cigar would not be joining us.

[BJRPorter]

Yes. I stopped, and got back into it.

The differences I still contemplate.

NC got more expensive, but also better.

CC are the same price, but got milder.

In both cases I’ve read about seed changes having some responsibility.

Your talking months, where I just sorta stopped, for years.

One good cigar brought me back.?

[SenorPerfecto]

During the height of the Blitz, I was smoking up to 6-7 cigars per day, from my tobacconist over at Fox's. Literally from the time I woke up until I fell asleep, sometimes with a lit cigar still in my hands! Why my bedclothes never caught fire is a mystery to me -- probably my chambermaid saved my life more than once.

 

After the war, I fell out of favor, and so did cigars.

 

Lately I've picked it up again. It seems like there's nothing but time. Though the cigars are very light-bodied -- you might even say a ghostly flavour profile.

 

Yes, there's nothing, now. But time...

[Cubasam]

It’s been tough; bought a ton of boxes via FOH this year and trying to find that reason why I’m still smoking. Started a new way to set up my humidor with 65% and trying the el pres method of capped, fridge, wait, and smoke. Still aren’t getting the flavors most people are getting; I’m not new to smoking have been smoking for the last 8 years. I’ve had some good Cubans but not exceptional ones. Hopefully it changes in the near future

 

[RubenF]

I quit for about 9 years a while back. Mostly due to extremely busy schedule (taking the CPA exam, finishing master's degree, getting married, etc). Just got back on it about 8 months ago, and currently smoking way too much, from my perspective (2 a day on average). In retrospect, that's probably one of the reasons I stopped in the first place, as I genuinely don't like being dependent on nicotine. So now (well, at least when I get back home from vacation lol) I'd like to cut back to 4-5/week. I do react very strongly to nicotine as a lifetime ago I was a 2 pack/day cigarette smoker. 

So with that said, how do fellow FoHers deal with nicotine cravings when smoking at a level below, let's call it "comfort nicotine levels"? I've found that if I smoke at a level below at least 1 cigar every couple days I don't enjoy them as much, as I just get a massive nicotine buzz that I simply hate and find myself dropping the cigar about the half way point. I'm actually very interested in fellow's thoughts on this!

[Colt45]

Interesting for sure. For me, cigars are not a hobby per se, and are relatively personal. To be brief, I've gone years, months, weeks without smoking. I've no problem coming back.

[PigFish]

Cigar smoking is a custom, it is not a habit. If it became a habit, I would feel a slave to it and consider it a weakness. I would likely give it up!

I go through binges and breaks... Smoking for me is like that.

There can be too much of it, and I get sick of it. It has happened before. In moderation I always enjoy it. I will likely smoke (moderately) until I become ash myself...! Sometimes I will binge and there will be breaks. I roll with it.

-Piggy

[pbibby]

I am similar I suppose. Most I've ever really smoked was about 2 times a week in college. In the last 5-7 years I've found myself only smoking 10-20 times per year due to new jobs, children, etc. The love has always been there for me, but the time hasn't been (or rather, I choose to use the time in different manners). Cigar smoking is a "selfish" habit at times in terms of the time it takes, especially if your wife doesn't care for the smell, etc and doesn't like to sit with you. I personally have continued to buy cigars (ha!!) in hopes that I have more time in the future for it as well. 

[Riverstyx]

When cigars start to become dull, I take a break. Seems to work every time:

 

“Smoke not to dullness.”  ...or something like that. 

Ben Franklin’s 14th virtue

[wineguy]

I smoke 0-12ish cigars a week but probably average 6-7... depends on what else I am doing.  Golfing and friends are more. Time with my kids I have none unless we are at a social situation where other friends are smoking. I have felt like I wanted to have a cigar but not a craving.  As I type this I haven’t smoked since wed evening and likely won’t until next Tuesday or Wednesday due to college visits with son. 

[Thirds]

On 8/8/2019 at 2:26 PM, Cubasam said:

It’s been tough; bought a ton of boxes via FOH this year and trying to find that reason why I’m still smoking. Started a new way to set up my humidor with 65% and trying the el pres method of capped, fridge, wait, and smoke. Still aren’t getting the flavors most people are getting; I’m not new to smoking have been smoking for the last 8 years. I’ve had some good Cubans but not exceptional ones. Hopefully it changes in the near future

 

If I can suggest something, go lower still.  I’ve had some folks recommend 60 and lower and I find they are absolutely correct.  Letting it sit in a non-humidified space changed the flavor profile dramatically (where you can actually taste different profiles). I still can’t taste a thing in Upmanns for some reason and it’s driving me insane.  Did a box split with some guys and their descriptions blow mine away.   Somehow I’m going to learn to taste what an Upmann is supposed to be like but until then I’ll keep exploring others.  The low RH makes the experience totally different.  Try two weeks...get those suckers dry.  If you don’t like them as is there’s really no harm in experimenting further. 

[Fugu]

On 8/9/2019 at 2:03 AM, RubenF said:

So with that said, how do fellow FoHers deal with nicotine cravings when smoking at a level below, let's call it "comfort nicotine levels"? I've found that if I smoke at a level below at least 1 cigar every couple days I don't enjoy them as much, as I just get a massive nicotine buzz that I simply hate and find myself dropping the cigar about the half way point. I'm actually very interested in fellow's thoughts on this!

I may count myself lucky to be one not to develop nicotine-craving. While at the same time having a seemingly high nic-tolerance. So, am not smoking cigars for nicotine uptake as it seems.... That allows it me to handle it quite like Piggy put it, with "binges and breaks". "Binge" for me, however, hardly means more than one a day (I am not one to be able to combine smoking and working: If smoking, and were it the humblest stick, the cigar and/or the company I am smoking in gets my full attention). Can easily have a break of four weeks or even more and not experience any nicotine sickness when getting back.

Now caffeine on the other hand - >24 h without it and I develop headache. Perhaps there is a physiological link, no idea....

[Hammer Smokin']

It is tough on us non cigarette smokers.

I'm a daily cannabis smoker, have been for 20 years. But never smoked cig's. Started smoking Cigars about 4 years ago. At first it was a challenge. I loved the flavour and feeling, but couldn't handle the Nic. Too many good cigars cut early...sometimes causing me to have to lie down, or worse (puking post cigar isn't fun).

Four years later I no longer get that Nic overload, unless I get carried away. My biggest fear in life is getting a "Nic" craving. It is tough - don't kid yourself. I get cravings, but I tell myself they are "good cigar" carvings, not Nic cravings.

I think I'm just trying to kid myself.

But I don't ever want to feel the "need" to have a cigar. If it gets there, I'm done for sure.

(I'm a 2 cigar / week avg)

[teamrandr]

Yes my cigar smoking has its ebbs and flows.  I take long breaks of a year or more and then there is this current summer when I started smoking my old stuff. I was having 2 or 3 a day on weekends. I am dialing that back for now.  

[PigFish]

... funny! Nicotine actually makes me sick. Maybe I am used to the lower dose in cigars having never smoked a cigarette. Cigars are nothing about nicotine for me. I don't think I would know a nicotine craving if it dropped on my foot.

I don't crave cigars. I have to consciously think of wanting to smoke. I then have to decide if it is the right time and place, rule it out, or select the right size cigar. I have to gauge if I will have enough interest to see the cigar through. The fact is, I get bored easily. That is one reason I smoke smaller cigars so often.

What I really like to do is smoke and drive. I also like to smoke and gamble, play cards. 

Cheers! -Piggy