joeya28

For the passed year (the same time I started cycling) or so I've been smoking cigars. Not all the time but about 1-3 times a month depending on the season. I tend to smoke a bit more when it nice due to bbqs and golf. But how bad is smoking cigars for my cardiovascular system. I don't inhale and I only smoke outside (I assume this prevents inhaling my own second hand smoke)

Any thoughts ??

ls01

1 thought, smoking is a stupid dangerous waste of time and resorces. why not chew on a charcol bricquet if you like the taste? nothing good can come from it, why play with it?

cshell

I smoke Black and Milds. Daily. And I run 25 miles a week, and cycle.

botto 

past.

joeya28

Well I started with a free cigar at a golf tournament and liked it. I find it relaxing. I dont really indulge in any other way I'm not a drinker. So its nice to sit outside and have a cigar once and a while. So I really want to know if not inhaling is keeping my lungs safe?

mathwheels

any tobacco product is obviously not a good thing BUT, a few cigars a month non inhaled. please grow a pair. will not kill you. enjoy a big Churchill, you will live longer then the constantly uptight.

tadawdy

Sure, you're not inhaling as much of the smoke (but you're still getting it second-hand, depending on where you're smoking), but you're still getting nicotine.

cshell

Smoke 'em. Enjoy 'em. When the bus hits you, you'll wish you had.

joeya28

haha that's what I was hoping to hear. I will keep enjoying my cigars

Thanks for the grammar lesson

darkadious

you can still get some mouth cancer

joeya28

Yeah that's why I smoke outside I feel like it cuts down on the secondhand smoke

botto 

corrected.

cshell

:eeps:

joeya28

Yeah but that's mostly from chewing on the cigar. Getting the leafs soaked in saliva then letting the saliva get absorbed in your mouth. I know that the smoke alone is still bad for your mouth and can cause cancer but my understanding is most people get it from chewing the cigar

StormBringer

Cigar smoker here as well. About 1 every month or so. My opinion, your numbers are fine, stay low and smoke the good stuff. A "god of fire" and a good glass of port will make you live longer.

On the scientific side, most studies of cigar smokers put 1-3 a day in the "lite" category. Even on those numbers the risk is a personal choice.

caloso

You'll still get some nicotine. Not as much as if you chewed or inhaled. Some reported side effects:

Accordion

I used to smoke tons of them....more like 3 or 4 a week....absolutely LOVE Fuente Hemingways...preferably the Short Story.....I was paying $130 for a box of 25 every month...

I talked to my doctor and he said smoking a Cigar is the equivalent to a pack of cigarettes....you inhale a TON of smoke...you don't know it but every time you smell that beautiful aroma you are taking that smoke into your lungs...and if it takes 45 minutes to smoke the whole thing you just inhaled a pack of cigarettes buddy....

Throw on top of that mouth lesions and cancer, tooth decay, gum disease and your wife telling you no more, uh, kisses, and you'll quit the nasty habit.

I quit a few years ago....cold turkey...I still long for one when I smell them but am really healthy now...

Take my advice with a grain of salt...I smoked a whole helluva lot more than you did....three or for a month...who knows....moderation..... there's just no real reason for it ... you can relax by drinking scotch....that's what I do now ...

kindablue

I would never smoke one.

From a study looking at just pipe and cigar smokers in paticular.
CONCLUSION: Pipe and cigar smoking increased urine cotinine levels and was associated with decreased lung function and increased odds of airflow obstruction, even in participants who had never smoked cigarettes.

Botto, did my vocabulary and grammar meet your standards?

joeya28

You had some hefty cigar bills. That's nuts I cant see myself smoking that much. Your doc is probably right but with the small amount I smoke I don't know if its that bad. Maybe in time ill switch to Scotch, or I can just have scotch and a nice cigar! Haha.

amillhench 

1-3 cigars a month is nothing. The people in this thread are over-reacting. If you eat 3 cheeseburgers a month, and I post warnings related to morbid obesity, is it relevant? No. No one said they are good for you, but most studies are done on people who smoke multiple cigars a week, many multiple times a day. Great example of how anal retentive so many cyclists are.

gsteinb

is that really how you judge people? I always wonder how the kid who got dropped on his head turned out.

Accordion

You bring up a great point....I believe I'll start doing black tar heroin but only once a month. It'll mellow me out and will be really relaxing after a century. Also, I'm going to only have unprotected sex once a month with a prostitute that works one of the darker streets in Los Angeles. All those stories of druggies and STDs are from people doing it ALL the time.

gsteinb

many cyclists are, wait for it; athletes. How odd of athletes to concern themselves with things that actually effect their performance. On a forum where guys wring their hands over 'deep dish' wheel advantages, and saving a 100 grams you're really surprised to see a reaction to smoking cigars?

SwingBlade

I smoked cigarettes for many years before finally quitting 17 years ago. My only hope is that I quit in time. My mother didn't quit in time. Cigarettes materially killed her, but not from lung cancer or any other form of cancer. My point is that tobacco kills, plain and simple, and in many ways. As far as avoiding second hand smoke by smoking cigars outdoors: unless you constantly swivel like an airport windsock, you are going to ingest a fair amount of second hand smoke. Also, unless you decide to give up breathing while smoking cigars, you are going to inhale ... any statement to the contrary is like a politician saying with respect to a pot party, "Yeah, I smoked a joint but I didn't inhale" ... self delusion at best.

I also smoked very expensive cigars for a couple of years in lieu of cigarettes. I even had my own climate controlled cigar locker in a very upscale cigar shop. Overall, the cigar experience was divine. I often had access to great Cubans back when that really meant something. Cigar smoking can easily become an expensive indulgence.

However, after awhile it became obvious that cigars can be just as addictive as cigarettes or any other form of tobacco. Some people have that inclination and some do not. But, cigars and second hand smoke can be just as dangerous for some people as cigarettes are to most people. The fact is that we don't know what DNA predispositions each of us has for these different tobacco related health disasters such as lung cancer, throat cancer, cancer of the mouth, heart disease etc.

Yes, smoking cigars can be a pleasurable experience in any number of ways. But, again, unless your tastes run to stogies, quality cigars at anywhere from $4 to $40+ apiece can also drain the wallet quite effectively if enjoyed too frequently. But, any decision to engage in any type of tobacco use should be made as a serious conscious decision that needs to be performed on an informed basis with a full understanding of the risks involved.

I'm sincerely not saying you shouldn't engage in cigar smoking and if you choose to do so I hope it is both enjoyable and safe for you, but, don't let anyone try to convince you that there are no potentially serious negative consequences for such a decision.

amillhench 

Not surprised at all; just stating it is an extreme point of view. I am an athlete as well, but I still eat bad food, drink beer, and occasionally smoke a cigar. I enjoy all those things in addition to cycling.