Cigar ... The ultimate stress relief

[Miner]

Been a busy week in the office..

4 day Easter holiday turned into a 3 day work marathon, it was ok, it was fun...

The marathon ended today after 6 days, report out, client happy.

So I retire to the patio with a Bolivar GM and a glass of malt..

And reflect on life..

I go to the gym for stress relief, but the exercise leaves me f@@ked, but at least I can eat the good stuff with lots of bad stuff!!

BUT the best stress relief is a good cigar, I went into tonight with plenty and came out with none.

So my Friends, cigar smoking might increase my chance of getting the big C

But after tonight my chance of getting a heart attack has reduced to ZERO

And I'm so relaxed the kids can do anything they like.

Cheers

PS the Pirate is having a sale.....

Life's Good

[isa]

Oh yeah , agreed, with a Boli in hand, life's for sure, GOOD

[Marker]

Miner,

If you think cigars increase your chance of getting cancer by quite a bit you might be wrong. A few comparison reports between a heavy cigar smoker and a cigarette smoker show that the cigars are still loads better than cigarettes. This was done with a person smoking 3-4 a day. If you smoke 1 or less a day in a well ventilated area, I am going to say your cancer chances are greater than not smoking, but the benefit of lower stress etc balances it out.

Here is a good story about how misunderstood cigar smokers are. This is courtesy of my own wife.

I used to go out every Wednesday night to the cigar shop and smoke a few cigars with the guys. Now it is Mondays. Anyhow. My wife and I have a date night every Wednesday so we are eating at a restuarant when she asks the question 'Are you going out tonight?'

I said yes even though I could have been a bit curt with her. She knew the answer but still asked the question. She is a great lady but sometimes that gets on my nerves.

So the next question which I did not expect 'Why do you have to have a cigar? What is so addictive about it?'

Where did this come from? Her dad was a chain smoker for many years. He quit some time ago but used to smoke in the car, windows up, dead of winter. In the house. I can see why she has an unpleasant memory of smoke. I don't smoke in the house or car or around my kids.

I proceed to tell her that I don't have to have a cigar. There is no driving craze to need a cigar. Would I like one? Yeah, I enjoy them quite a bit. Do I have to stand outside in -30 degree weather because without that cigar I am going to turn into a frothing lunatic? That isn't the cigars fault, that is just who I am. Kidding. I don't have to have one if I don't feel it is a good time.

Then she asks what is in cigars that makes them addictive. I tell her that they are not like cigarettes. They are tobacco rolled in a cylinder and held together by vegetable glue and more tobacco. There are no tar/100+ carcinogens added to cigars. And besides all this, I don't even inhale the thing. I put the smoke in my mouth, taste it a bit, then blow it out. Do I inhale some by proxy, sure. The amount I inhale is pretty minor because let me tell you, if you inhale cigar smoke and you are not used to inhaling smoke... that is one rough coughing fit.

Her eyes are glazed over and I realize that I hit the point she missed. She thought I was inhaling them. Killing myself with a monster cigarette faster than she could imagine.

Now bless her heart she still let me smoke cigars for 7 months before this and didn't get ticked about it. This just illustrates that so many people have zero clue what cigar smoking is like. To most it is a way to kill yourself with cancer sticks 20 times bigger than a cigarette. Like we want to die sooner just look cool doing it.

Out of the people I smoke with there is about 200 years of smoking cigar experience in the lot of them. Many are not native to where I live but found there way here through life. In all of their cigar experience and travels none of them have known a person who died from cancer who only smoked cigars. Not one person. No mouth/throat/lung whatever cancer at all. Some of them smoke 3-5 a day and still don't have health issues related to smoking.

Also there is this nice fact. Michael Jordan, considered one of the best athletes of multiple generations, smoked a cigar on the drive to each home game and otherwise had cigars in his downtime. The guy was one of the most fit people playing pro sports in the USA and he smoked cigars.

[Puros Y Vino]

Miner,

If you think cigars increase your chance of getting cancer by quite a bit you might be wrong. ...................

Nice post Jamie. You've been bursting at the seams to write this haven't you? Well put. I think you've captured the key element of cigar smoking vs cigarette smoking. One is done out of pure enjoyment , the other is feeding a "need". There are as many days where I decided to not to have a smoke as those where I did. I always prefer to smoke cigars in the company of other cigar smokers. When I smoke alone I'm usually reviewing a cigar or need to decompress from a bad day or week. And it always does the trick for me. My wife is an ex cigarette smoker and needles me a bit now and then but is slowly understanding that this is a pastime that gives me a lot of enjoyment. I used to cycle for enjoyment too and that was equally, if not more dangerous, than lighting up a cigar.

[Colt45]

Sitting with a cigar and a beverage - what more can you ask for?

You can solve all the world's problems.....

Or think of new ones to create

[Orion21]

Not to beat a dead horse, because Marker hit the nail on the head, but the risk for cancer is barely elevated unless you smoke 3+ cigars a day every day.

From a study I read in 2002 the risk for mouth based cancers for someone smoking 5+ cigars a day was 6.6 compared to 1 for a non-smoker and a 9.9 for a cigarette smoker at 1 pack a day. For someone smoking 1 cigar per day it was a 1.6. This is the trend across the board, but for "overall" cancer risk a cigar smoker smoking 5+ per day AND inhaling is at a higher risk for cancer. Those of us who smoke less than 1 cigar on average per day and do not inhale have a negligible elevated risk for all types of cancer . . . it's almost like the study had to assign some sort of elevated rating (1.6 vs. 1 for a non smoker). Personally, since I might smoke 40-60 cigar per year I am not worried one bit. But if I was giving advice to those who smoke 3+ cigars per day and retrohale I would cut back or stop inhaling.

[Puros Y Vino]

Not to beat a dead horse, because Marker hit the nail on the head, but the risk for cancer is barely elevated unless you smoke 3+ cigars a day every day.

From a study I read in 2002........

Is said study available online??

[riazp]

i'M with you guys on this one. Cigar smoking is one of lifes pleasures. If its so damn bad for you why Did Don Alejandro Robaina and other famous cigar smokers die so Old? explain that one to me.

[Miner]

Chaps

Up until 10 years ago and for 30 years before that I was a 20+ a day cigarette addict. Took me that long to figure out that a 5 minute smoke did nothing for stress but lots for bad health.

And all the damage was done inhaling.

Now, a couple of times a week, for at least an hour at a time, I switch off the rest of the world and enjoy.

Plus

Each cigar is like a meal, each one has a unique taste and I am only now starting to appreciate that.

Definitely one of life's pleasures.

Cheers

[El Presidente]

Nice Clive

Only cigar Lovers "Get it" mate. There are plenty within the cigar world who have forgotten it or have yet to discover it.

It is not about how expensive the stick, box codes, vintage etal. It is a about celebrating the best moments of life in all their forms.

[ramon_cojones]

Amen, cigar smoking is therapy for me. That and going to the gym.

My gf once asked me why I liked it so much, a genuine question and not a judgment. I explained to her that in that hour and a half I am not thinking of the stresses of life and described all the aspects of the experience including all that I derive from a fine habano. When I am smoking with a mate of mine, for the time we share though for long minutes at a time no words are exchanged, we are on the same page. She completely understood and was fascinated at the same time, now if I could convince her to do it with me that would be something else.

[kiwiman911]

I think you are all right, we the BOTL need to share the experience we have with non cigar smokers because they just don't get it. It's about the moment.

And I write this sitting in my favorite bar by myself enjoying a cigar and relaxing

Thanks to my friend for introducing me too this wonderful habit

[SirenJockey]

Firstly just wanted to say 'Hi' to all the forum members as I've just joined the site. I'm not what you'd call a massive cigar buff, but hey, it's something I'm settling into and looking forward to enjoying for many years to come.

I'm a shift worker and I love my job. Every now and then there are moments in my line of work where you need a little time away for some self-serving clarity and an opportunity to escape the grind. I call it 'Decompression Time'. Get away from the job, the differing character types of people you deal with on a seemingly endless basis, and the often complex and political nature of my line of work. Everyone - no matter what you do for a crust - needs a chance to unwind from the things that you see and experience almost seemingly on a regular basis.

A work colleague peaked my interest into cigars after series of particularly rough shifts - and I've loved every moment since I found them.

For me a cigar and glass of single malt or even a great coffee is the ultimate 'Decompression Time'.

It is the ultimate stress relief - no doubt about it.

[davidsan]

Definitely agree, Thursday or Friday nights for me usually end with a nice smoke and glass of rum - helps me de-stress and mellow out. Smacking the hell out of a punching bag is good for letting out some angst but nothing quite compares to a good cigar.

[CanuckSARTech]

I stress out at H S.A.'s recent decisions (the last two or three years especially).

[randomhero1090]

I'll own up to it, i've tried prescriptions in an attempt to relax and not be anxious.

But, nothing, not a damn thing on this planet (and i've tried all sorts of stuff) relaxes me like 3 fingers of scotch and a good cigar.

[Miner]

I'm actually quite selfish when it comes to cigars..

Me, the selected smoke and a drink. That's it..

I don't need company or conversation.

I just enjoy the moment

Cheers