Smoking is... good?

[Glenn]

It's been half a year since I started smoking and I have drawn two conclusions:
- It isn't addictive to me, I can go days without any, and then, light up several during a day. On average, I smoke 2-3 cigarettes per day.
- It relaxes me and I tend to smoke more often when I come home stressed from work problems.

That is an interesting observation, and very close to what I have found. I decided to take a break from cigar rolling, and buy some cigarette tobacco about 6 months ago. I buy the whole leaf tobacco and chop it up and roll it with a roller. I usually roll about 5 or 6 at at time, and find that I don't smoke them all in a day. And like you can go without them for a while and not feel like I am addicted and need to smoke. One caveat though, I find when I am smoking, one cigarette can last a long time, and that quite often I will put it down and relight it some time later. So I may be smoking 8 times a day, I am only smoking 4 cigarettes.

 

[Lys]

It's been half a year since I started smoking and I have drawn two conclusions:
- It isn't addictive to me, I can go days without any, and then, light up several during a day. On average, I smoke 2-3 cigarettes per day.
- It relaxes me and I tend to smoke more often when I come home stressed from work problems.

That is an interesting observation, and very close to what I have found. I decided to take a break from cigar rolling, and buy some cigarette tobacco about 6 months ago. I buy the whole leaf tobacco and chop it up and roll it with a roller. I usually roll about 5 or 6 at at time, and find that I don't smoke them all in a day. And like you can go without them for a while and not feel like I am addicted and need to smoke. One caveat though, I find when I am smoking, one cigarette can last a long time, and that quite often I will put it down and relight it some time later. So I may be smoking 8 times a day, I am only smoking 4 cigarettes.

I would like to feel the same, I feel quite addicted to tobacco. I can go without for a few hours when I am not allowed to smoke or when I am busy, and still feel OK but I really enjoy smoking and I may smoke a bit to much compare to you guys.
For my part I think I smoke at least 10 cigarettes a day but I don't know exactly as I roll it one by one.
I am going to try your method tomorrow Hello H2O, rolling several cigarettes and see how many I smoke a day.
I don't know if there is an amount of cigarette that could get harmful. Do you know anything about that?

 

[Glenn]

It's been half a year since I started smoking and I have drawn two conclusions:
- It isn't addictive to me, I can go days without any, and then, light up several during a day. On average, I smoke 2-3 cigarettes per day.
- It relaxes me and I tend to smoke more often when I come home stressed from work problems.

That is an interesting observation, and very close to what I have found. I decided to take a break from cigar rolling, and buy some cigarette tobacco about 6 months ago. I buy the whole leaf tobacco and chop it up and roll it with a roller. I usually roll about 5 or 6 at at time, and find that I don't smoke them all in a day. And like you can go without them for a while and not feel like I am addicted and need to smoke. One caveat though, I find when I am smoking, one cigarette can last a long time, and that quite often I will put it down and relight it some time later. So I may be smoking 8 times a day, I am only smoking 4 cigarettes.

I would like to feel the same, I feel quite addicted to tobacco. I can go without for a few hours when I am not allowed to smoke or when I am busy, and still feel OK but I really enjoy smoking and I may smoke a bit to much compare to you guys.
For my part I think I smoke at least 10 cigarettes a day but I don't know exactly as I roll it one by one.
I am going to try your method tomorrow Hello H2O, rolling several cigarettes and see how many I smoke a day.
I don't know if there is an amount of cigarette that could get harmful. Do you know anything about that?

Hi Lys

I don't know if I can answer your question with much authority, but I remember from the transcripts a couple of things. First was Laura asking about why some people can get lung cancer from smoking and the C's replied that was because of prior thought indoctrination. So all the bombardment of all the bad health effects was causing people to believe they would get cancer and then becoming self fulfilling prophecy.
Secondly when asked how much she should smoke, the C's said about 20 cigarettes a day. And also that you should try to get the purer tobacco from the tobacconist.

I seem to remember that the cigarette companies have put chemicals in tobacco to make it more addictive. So maybe by experimenting you can find other tobaccos with little or no additives and see if that affects how addicted you feel. I actually buy the raw leaves and chop them up, so I know there is nothing like that in them.

 

[Lys]

Thanks for your reply Hello H2O.

There was a time when I thought that it could be harmful for me but it didn't stop me to smoke.
Now I am more aware of the benefits of smoking. Mostly through the talks I had about it with my boyfriend and then through this thread. And I am so grateful for that!

I like smoking, it helps me to breath deeply, to stay focused and it relaxes me. Being free of the negative thoughts linked to it is very appreciated.

I remember being even more addicted when I smoked big brand tobacco, it is been few years that I've started to smoke free additive tobacco and you are right, I can tell the difference.
I think Fergreen is the best I can find in France and it seems hard to find raw leaves in here but I hope I would be able to grow some tobacco next year. :)
I'll stick to Fergreen until then and see.

Thanks!

 

[Il Matto]

I seem to remember that the cigarette companies have put chemicals in tobacco to make it more addictive. So maybe by experimenting you can find other tobaccos with little or no additives and see if that affects how addicted you feel.

Having never smoked branded cigarettes, or seriously investigated what chemicals are added to them, I can't speak with any authority, though I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that there are all kinds of unnecessary and potentially harmful additives. Perhaps this may sound a little precious, but I have come to think of tobacco in the same way as I think about the food that I eat, that is, the source and quality of the tobacco I smoke is important and I try not to compromise on that where possible. In relation to that, I think there is also something to be said for taking some time to prepare what you are going to smoke, such as rolling your own cigarettes, which I think can promote a beneficial 'relationship' with what you're smoking, as it were (just like preparing a meal from scratch).

I like smoking, it helps me to breath deeply, to stay focused and it relaxes me. Being free of the negative thoughts linked to it is very appreciated.

Lys, I absolutely agree with your sentiments there! Given what Hello H20 mentioned about the possible relationship between prior thought indoctrination and negative health effects of smoking, perhaps it is important that we pay close attention to how the anti-smoking cultural programming impacts on our thinking - is it at least a part of what causes the anxiety about how much one should or should not smoke a day? If we attempt to keep a number in mind regarding how much we smoke in a day, do we take something away from the process of smoking itself?

Just some thoughts :)

 

[goyacobol]

I seem to remember that the cigarette companies have put chemicals in tobacco to make it more addictive.

We have mentioned the additives in cigarettes a few times in this thread but there has not been much specific reference to what those are and what the science is in so to speak.
I smoke either whole leaf organic tobacco or American Spirit organic cigarettes to avoid additives.

Here is a list for American manufactured cigarettes I saved awhile back before deciding to look for additive free tobacco.

List of additives in cigarettes

The shear size of the list is intimidating. No one brand would have all these additives and there is not a great deal of science to tell us how each additive affects risks for smokers. I suppose the list worked to scare me away from regular commercial brands.

I think too much of the "science" on the study of disease these days is "Epidemiological". It is more like "bean counting"/"game theory" approach to determining the root causes of diseases. I am seeing this approach in the justification for vaccines and other health issues and I question the validity of this "method". I think it is a much too general way to identify root causes of many diseases and lacks a scientific control group that is truly "controlled".

For epidemiologists it becomes a simple formula to extrapolate their findings as this case study example:

 

[Lys]

I seem to remember that the cigarette companies have put chemicals in tobacco to make it more addictive. So maybe by experimenting you can find other tobaccos with little or no additives and see if that affects how addicted you feel.

Having never smoked branded cigarettes, or seriously investigated what chemicals are added to them, I can't speak with any authority, though I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that there are all kinds of unnecessary and potentially harmful additives. Perhaps this may sound a little precious, but I have come to think of tobacco in the same way as I think about the food that I eat, that is, the source and quality of the tobacco I smoke is important and I try not to compromise on that where possible. In relation to that, I think there is also something to be said for taking some time to prepare what you are going to smoke, such as rolling your own cigarettes, which I think can promote a beneficial 'relationship' with what you're smoking, as it were (just like preparing a meal from scratch).

I like smoking, it helps me to breath deeply, to stay focused and it relaxes me. Being free of the negative thoughts linked to it is very appreciated.

Lys, I absolutely agree with your sentiments there! Given what Hello H20 mentioned about the possible relationship between prior thought indoctrination and negative health effects of smoking, perhaps it is important that we pay close attention to how the anti-smoking cultural programming impacts on our thinking - is it at least a part of what causes the anxiety about how much one should or should not smoke a day? If we attempt to keep a number in mind regarding how much we smoke in a day, do we take something away from the process of smoking itself?

Just some thoughts :)

Sure, I think there is a part of truth in your words. I realize that by wondering how much I should smoke, I may still have some programmed thoughts.
But may keeping in mind how much we smoke in a day also help to analyze our needs of nicotine, when we need it more than usually and so why?

Trying to know how much we need nicotine is not easy, I guess we just have to listen to ourself.
Thank you for your post, it brings some interesting thoughts out.

 

[flashgordonv]

I seem to remember that the cigarette companies have put chemicals in tobacco to make it more addictive.

I think too much of the "science" on the study of disease these days is "Epidemiological". It is more like "bean counting"/"game theory" approach to determining the root causes of diseases. I am seeing this approach in the justification for vaccines and other health issues and I question the validity of this "method". I think it is a much too general way to identify root causes of many diseases and lacks a scientific control group that is truly "controlled".

For epidemiologists it becomes a simple formula to extrapolate their findings as this case study example:

Indeed. Epidemiology lies at the very heart of so called anti tobacco science. And epidemiology, as used in anti smoking campaigns, is all about conducting surveys and questionnaires and applying statistics to the result. Now epidemiology works quite well when it is a disease with a single cause which is being examined. But none of the so called smoking related diseases are single cause. No "smoking related" disease only occurs in smokers. Diseases like lung cancer and emphysema and COPD area all diseases with multiple risk factors - genetics, environment, socio-economic status and associated living conditions, diet, pollution, stress, diesel fumes, work related conditions etc. So you can't look at an occurrence of one of these diseases and say with certainty that it was caused by smoking.

For an honest epidemiologist ( pretty sure this is an oxymoron, certainly in the tobacco control space), studying smoking and ascertaining that it causes a particular disease is virtually impossible. The best they can do is show some form of correlation between smoking and the disease, and of course, correlation does not equal causation. (E.G. A study of basketball shows that tall men play basketball - a correlation. if we drew the conclusion that playing basketball makes men tall, then we have incorrectly drawn a causation from a correlation.)

And when it comes to questionnaires, here we can find the gentle art of manipulation to get the results wanted. You can get any result you want from a survey depending on:
1. What questions you ask
2. What questions you don't ask
3. How you ask the questions
4. What assumptions you make
5. Whether you allow for any other confounding factors

In short, anti tobacco rhetoric is based on lies, omissions and obfuscations and is not worth the paper it is printed on. But it is politically incorrect to find anything other than that smoking is harmful - to do so leads to recriminations, ad hominum attacks and loss of jobs, as well as an absence of research funding. Few have the moral courage to risk that.

There is an article here with more details: https://www.sott.net/article/315356-The-epidemic-of-junk-science-in-tobacco-smoking-research

 

[odyssic]

When I smoke, which I just started doing a year ago, a few cigarettes here and there... organic American Spirit, my face turns ashen, sort of gray, around my eyes and cheeks. Any one have experience with this? When I come my, my partner is always aghast, and I can't tell whether it is beneficial or detrimental, though it looks like a lack of oxygen?

Personally, I notice what a previous commenter notices re: minimal addictive tendencies to this tobacco.

Also, I stumbled upon this in a book recently...

"Neanderthal ancestry study[ 7] found genetic variants associated with Neanderthals that affect “lupus, biliary cirrhosis, Crohn’s disease, optic-disk size and type 2 diabetes and also some behaviors, such as the ability to stop smoking."

Aniys, Aqiyl (2016-09-18). Alkaline Herbal Medicine: Reverse Disease And Heal The Electric Body (p. 12). UNKNOWN. Kindle Edition.

Meaning, I found it interesting, the idea that genetic strains may interact with tobacco in different ways.

Also interesting:

"The Germans then went to work testing hundreds of ancient mummies, finding nicotine in a third of them. Not only that, but actual tobacco leaves were discovered in the guts of Ramses II (of Exodus fame, maybe). And among those leaves, an actual dead tobacco beetle was found, which means that some ancient Egyptian just smoked the hell out of his cigarettes."

http://www.cracked.com/article_19769_5-baffling-discoveries-that-prove-history-books-are-wrong.html

 

[goyacobol]

When I smoke, which I just started doing a year ago, a few cigarettes here and there... organic American Spirit, my face turns ashen, sort of gray, around my eyes and cheeks. Any one have experience with this? When I come my, my partner is always aghast, and I can't tell whether it is beneficial or detrimental, though it looks like a lack of oxygen?

Personally, I notice what a previous commenter notices re: minimal addictive tendencies to this tobacco.

Also, I stumbled upon this in a book recently...

"Neanderthal ancestry study[ 7] found genetic variants associated with Neanderthals that affect “lupus, biliary cirrhosis, Crohn’s disease, optic-disk size and type 2 diabetes and also some behaviors, such as the ability to stop smoking."

Aniys, Aqiyl (2016-09-18). Alkaline Herbal Medicine: Reverse Disease And Heal The Electric Body (p. 12). UNKNOWN. Kindle Edition.

Meaning, I found it interesting, the idea that genetic strains may interact with tobacco in different ways.

Also interesting:

"The Germans then went to work testing hundreds of ancient mummies, finding nicotine in a third of them. Not only that, but actual tobacco leaves were discovered in the guts of Ramses II (of Exodus fame, maybe). And among those leaves, an actual dead tobacco beetle was found, which means that some ancient Egyptian just smoked the hell out of his cigarettes."

http://www.cracked.com/article_19769_5-baffling-discoveries-that-prove-history-books-are-wrong.html

odyssic,

I smoke organic American Spirit and don't notice that effect but if I did I guess I would maybe look for a different tobacco. I have also tried the tube injector cigarettes and bought organic tobacco that I thought is good quality. If you are interested here is one source I found that I think is a good one for organic tobacco Uppowoc Organic Garden.

The Egyptian tobacco story is quite interesting. Thanks.

 

[seek10]

When I smoke, which I just started doing a year ago, a few cigarettes here and there... organic American Spirit, my face turns ashen, sort of gray, around my eyes and cheeks. Any one have experience with this? When I come my, my partner is always aghast, and I can't tell whether it is beneficial or detrimental, though it looks like a lack of oxygen?

I also smoke organic American Spirit. I haven't observed any issues with it, though some complain of strong odor, forcing me to wash my face, mouth after smoking and use chewing gum.

 

[Voyageur]

I seem to remember that the cigarette companies have put chemicals in tobacco to make it more addictive.

We have mentioned the additives in cigarettes a few times in this thread but there has not been much specific reference to what those are and what the science is in so to speak.
I smoke either whole leaf organic tobacco or American Spirit organic cigarettes to avoid additives.

Here is a list for American manufactured cigarettes I saved awhile back before deciding to look for additive free tobacco.

List of additives in cigarettes

The shear size of the list is intimidating. No one brand would have all these additives and there is not a great deal of science to tell us how each additive affects risks for smokers. I suppose the list worked to scare me away from regular commercial brands.

I think too much of the "science" on the study of disease these days is "Epidemiological". It is more like "bean counting"/"game theory" approach to determining the root causes of diseases. I am seeing this approach in the justification for vaccines and other health issues and I question the validity of this "method". I think it is a much too general way to identify root causes of many diseases and lacks a scientific control group that is truly "controlled".

For epidemiologists it becomes a simple formula to extrapolate their findings as this case study example:

As bolded above, I agree.

FWIW, the subject of additives came up in one of the Health & Wellness Shows - possibly this one: The Health & Wellness Show: The Truth about Tobacco and the Benefits of Nicotine - Part 2 or in Part I. This was recalled as the discussion was on commercial tobacco and additives. Personally (and recommended), I don't smoke commercial tobacco like many here, however, the author of this article (an excellent read) A comprehensive review of the many health benefits of smoking Tobacco cites (I might be mistaken here) on the radio show how many of the additives, which vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, are substances like lavender oil for taste - among other oils etc. Then there is the usual "formaldehyde" et all which derives as a natural process of combustion, and in a cigarette, it seems far less toxic than keeping warm by my combustible wood burning stove, let alone hanging out in a car in traffic.

Generally, my impression from this talk was that the list of additives, at some point, was vastly exaggerated and the context presented in such a way that it fit with the narrative that smoking is bad as added emphasis. This does not mean that there are not bad additives, even in the paper itself, yet as the discussion also pointed out, most, if not all studies that showed the actual benefits of tobacco used commercial tobacco - at least as remembered.

 

[goyacobol]

I have been smoking the organic American Spirit cigarettes for quite awhile now but this article makes me consider just smoking organic tobacco in a pipe for awhile. It may not apply to the organic version of American Spirit since they do have non-organic versions too.

_http://www.naturalnews.com/049182_vaccine_toxins_cigarette_smoking_mixed_health_messages.html

If toxins in cigarettes are unsafe to INHALE, then why are toxins in vaccines supposed to be safe to INJECT?

(NaturalNews) First, doctors were telling us that cigarettes were good for us and good for digestion. But we know better. Now, they're telling us that vaccines are safe. Again, we know better. Still, vaccines are encouraged.

Like the old saying goes, "They'll get you coming or going."

When it comes to cigarettes, people are aware that they're bad for health. Smoking them is discouraged. But when it comes to vaccines, many people advocate getting them and are told by medical professionals that they're great for health. What's the difference?

Let's take a closer look at the illogical thoughts infiltrating our society.

The toxins in cigarettes are carried on the particles of tobacco into the lungs. Riding on those particles are ammonia vapors, glass fibers from the filter, cellulose acetate -- a form of plastic like in photo film -- aluminum and lead. Over years of smoking, the lead alone can lead to dementia. But the onset of dementia comes over time, with all kinds of muscle malfunctions, central nervous system failures, and eventually, complete memory loss. People forget who their family is and they can't even tell you who they are.

Doctors used to recommend their favorite brands of cigarettes, in prestigious medical journals in the United States less than a century ago. Oh, but people don't recall. They often forget the news they saw just last month or last year, so they're apt to not remember the fact that many medical professionals used to actually tout the health benefits of cigarette smoking.

Now, let's consider that yearly flu shot. Dangerous toxins exist in vaccinations -- just as they do in cigarettes -- yet people still wonder why their health is falling apart. After all, we're told that vaccines are safe, right? Just like we were told cigarettes were at one time too.

Doctors just can't seem to "put their finger on it" so they scribble out chemical prescriptions that get them paid. Then people go on to experience side effects which are significantly worse than the condition being "treated."

This is medical idiocracy and it's time everyone wakes up to this matter. After all, if toxins in cigarettes are unsafe to INHALE, then why are toxins in vaccines supposed to be safe to INJECT?

Are vaccines more dangerous than cigarettes?
Tests regarding heavy metal toxins in a variety of popular cigarette brands such as American Spirit, Marlboro, Pall Mall, Camel and Winston have been conducted by Mike Adams, science lab director of the Natural News Forensic Food Lab. No surprise here, but they all contained a significant amount of lead.

Cigarette smoke provides a direct pathway into the bloodstream for the lead to wreak havoc in our bodies; it's just one of the heavy metal toxins impeding immunity, central nervous system function and brain function. Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, tests all of this and provides the public with the heavy metal concentrations down to the parts per billion (PPB). This is invaluable information for anyone trying to quit this toxic habit.

But what about that other habit that doctors and Big Pharma suggest we abide by? Did you know getting two or more flu shots is a toxic habit? It's true. Some Big Pharma giants even outright mention that getting another flu vaccine when a person has already had "previous administration of any influenza vaccine" is not advised. So really, people shouldn't get more than one such shot in their lifetime, right?

Furthermore, the flu vaccine contains 25,000 times more mercury than is legally allowed in drinking water. Then there's aluminum and formaldehyde. Yes, formaldehyde is embalming fluid for the dead.

Still, the fear of infectious disease has been propagated all over U.S. news time and again. They take extreme cases and broadcast them with scary pictures and warnings, conveniently forgetting to tell people that no reported case of anyone dying from the measles in the U.S. has occurred since 2003, yet over 100 people have died from the measles vaccine over the past 10 years.

The bottom line is this: Don't inhale, eat, or inject known toxins. Don't put toxins on your skin either. Also, question everything. Question vaccines. Question the known carcinogens that are purposely added to them and ask yourself: how different are they, really, from the ones people are inhaling from the cigarettes they smoke?

I don't know how accurate this article is but it is kind of a good argument against vaccinations being promoted by the expert "Medical" profession.

 

[Mountain Crown]

Any study to document this goyacobal? After all, it could seem suspicious that it naysays a brand that proposes safety.

 

[goyacobol]

Any study to document this goyacobal? After all, it could seem suspicious that it naysays a brand that proposes safety.

Jerry,

That's why I said I don't know how accurate the article is. I saw it on Twitter posted by a forum member and read it. The logic was used to compare smoking with vaccinations which I am really against due to the toxins in them like mercury and aluminum etc.

I don't think American Spirit makes any safety claims but mostly points out that their tobacco is additive free and the organic is well, organic.

Out of all the other choices I felt American Spirit is a good choice comparatively speaking. I also have organic leaf tobacco that varies in quality of taste. I have a tube injector for cigarettes but the process is not always consistent in getting the right mix or cut for the injector. The convenience and predictability of American Spirit is the main reason I liked them. The taste is not the best I think.

I'm still kind of experimenting with processing the leaf tobacco.

I feel the smoke is cleaner in the American Spirit tobacco just from personal use compared to regular commercial cigarettes. All the prices of course are only going up.

I suppose I am also looking for a better tasting tobacco and the article just added some incentive to think about it. If you smoke American Spirit or an organic tobacco I think it is far better than many other choices so I would take the negative remarks in the article with a grain of salt so to speak.