Cigar Smoking

Hi there. Read the thread about stopping smoking. I managed to give up the cigs a few years ago but went on to cigars instead. tried the patches to stop - did not work. Also asked the doctor for the so called miracule tabs but apparently all these things are more related to cigs.

Any ideas on how to cut out the cigars without just relying on willpower. I have done 2 marathons and the first thing I did at end of both was light up a cigar - crazy.

Comments

  • Hi there,

    In February I gave up ciggies. I'd been smoking up to 30 a day for about 10 years, and 20 a day for 10 years before that. I used nicotine gum, and it helped a lot. Well worth a try, anyway. In the last week or so I think I've kicked the nicotine gum too :)

    I'm v. surprised to hear that your GP says the various aids to giving up smoking are not likely to help with cigars. I've never smoked them, so don't really know, but I can't see any difference except in the strength of the thing: presumably a cigar is stronger than a ciggy? If I were you I'd ask the pharmacist at my local chemist, for a second opinion.

    Very best of luck trying to give up: I feel I have my life back - I hope you can get there too :)
  • Sorry, I forgot to say - I also tried patches in the past and they didn't help me at all, as they're entirely passive. I found the gum much more effective because I was able to substitute a chewing activity for my smoking activity. A chewing habit isn't something I'd like to maintain forever, but it's certainly much less unhealthy than smoking. So, don't write off the nicotine gum on the assumption that it won't help because the patches didn't :)
  • I used to smoke 20 fags a day and always knew that I would give up. I did once, for about a year, but I was tempted back into smoking again. I enjoyed it.

    I believe that it is easy enough to give up smoking if you have a trigger that makes you stop and look at cigarettes as a really stupid thing to do. Same thing with cigars.

    How ridiculous to sit and put tobacco to your lips, then to inhale a load of smoke down into your lungs. How awful to let yourself be ruled by the dreaded weed rather than you rule it.
    Anyway, running made me stop for good. It was my trigger to end the stupidity of smoking. I will never start again.

    However, I know it is difficult. My boyfriend gave up, although he never smoked as many as I did, and allows himself one or two cigars at the weekend thinking that this is being restrictive. His trigger has not come yet. Maybe it won't. He doesn't run or feep fit.
    I hope that you, as a runner, can be stronger than him.

  • I found this article online for you:
    Do Cigars Cause Cancer?
    Cigar smoking increases the risk of death from several cancers, including cancer of the lung, oral cavity (lip, tongue, mouth, throat), esophagus (the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach), and larynx (voice box). As with cigarettes, the amount of exposure to cigar smoke is a key factor in determining the risk involved. Smoking more cigars each day or inhaling cigar smoke leads to increased exposure and increased risks. For those who inhale, cigar smoking appears to be linked to cancer of the pancreas and bladder as well.

    Most large scale studies have looked at the number of deaths from cancer in cigar smokers, not the number of cancer cases. While this might lead to an underestimation of the number of cancer cases caused by cigar smoking, the figures are still alarming.

    The risk of death from lung cancer is two to five times higher in cigar smokers as compared to nonsmokers. The risk is also two to five times higher for death from cancer of the esophagus. Death from cancer of the oral cavity is three to eight times more likely in cigar smokers, and the risk of death from cancer of the larynx is ten times higher.

    Again, the amount of exposure seems to be important. Recent studies have shown risk rates even higher than those listed above in people who smoke three or more cigars a day. However, the risk of death from these types of cancer is lower than the figures above in those who smoke two or fewer cigars a day. The health risks associated with occasional cigar smoking (less than daily) are not known.

    Does Inhaling Affect the Risk of Cancer?
    While almost all cigarette smokers inhale, most cigar smokers do not. This may be because cigar smoke is generally more irritating. For those who do not inhale, tobacco smoke does not reach the lungs in the same quantity as it does in cigarette smokers. Therefore, the risk of death from lung cancer is not as high as it is for cigarette smokers, but is still three times higher than the risk for nonsmokers. Cigar smokers with a history of cigarette smoking, however, are more likely to inhale. Those who inhale have an increased risk of death from lung cancer eleven times greater than that of nonsmokers.

    The risks for those who inhale are also increased in other types of cancer. Compared to nonsmokers, cigar smokers who inhale deeply are six times more likely to die from oral cancer, twice as likely to die from esophageal cancer, and 39 times more likely to die from cancer of the larynx. They also face more than twice the risk of death from pancreatic cancer and more than three times the risk of death from bladder cancer compared to nonsmokers.

    Do Cigars Cause other Health Problems?

    Cigarette smoking is known to increase the risk of respiratory diseases such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Cigarette smokers have twice the risk of dying of heart attacks as do non-smokers. And smoking is a major risk factor for peripheral vascular disease, a narrowing of the blood vessels that carry blood to the leg and arm muscles.

    While the association is not as strong as with cigarette smoking, cigar smoking (especially for people who inhale) appears to increase the risk of heart and respiratory diseases. At this time there are no studies that conclusively show a link between cigar smoking and either peripheral vascular disease or stroke. However, a recent study found cigar smoking, as well as cigarette smoking, is linked to erectile dysfunction in men (the inability to achieve erection).

  • Sorry - I'm posting a lot on this but I continued to read about cigars, due to my boyfriend smoking themat weekends, and I have just found out that smoking one premium cigar is like smoking 20 cigarettes!!!
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