Help me win an Argument

L

LasciviousXXX

Lucifer
Ok,
My fiance' works in computers for the health department and recently the health dept has been passing around flyers concerning the dangers of smoking. Now I know we've all heard all the BS that comes with lighting up a cigar and we've all had to explain many times that we enjoy it and blah blah blah.

Well now the health dept is starting to target cigar smokers because they say its become trendy among teens to smoke stuff like Acid Cigars and Helix and all the other marketing driven cigars. Well that's all fine and dandy but in the flyer it says that smoking 1 cigar is equal to smoking 8 or 10 cigarettes. :confused: WHA??? That's not right!! That can't be right!! Right???

Anyway we have been discussing the health issues regarding smoking cigars and I just can't believe that 1 cigar is equal to 10 cigarettes. Can anyone out there load me up with some ammunition against these claims.

(PS - These claims could be true but I just don't want to believe that) :D
 
I would say that if you inhale, 1 cigar is probably worth at least 10 cigarettes. But, like Bill, I don't inhale (much). :w
 
Yes you are! Can't help you much, but cigars are obviously harmful. I personally deal with it on a daily basis as I'm in the healthcare field. The vast array of pathologies that could arise from tobbaco use are mind-numbing. Are they more harmful then cigarettes? Dunno but, even if you don't inhale we still are at risk for oral cancer, esophageal ulcers, and all sorts of gastrointestinal problems. That's why I'm a firm believer that if I'm going to smoke something that could probably kill me I will only smoke a really good cigar. No time to smoke cheap, dog rockets.
 
You know usually I don't have a problem defending my hobby because I enjoy it so much. But its hard to argue with her when she's holding facts in front of me. It usually ends up being....... "Honey, I know they're bad for me but......... Its an ISOM, you can't say no to an ISOM :D "
 
LasciviousXXX said:
Oh Crap!!! I'm F***ed :(
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I never inhale. You are going to get some passive smoke by the act of having a cigar. I know people that inhale but would not recommend it...As far as teens smoking Acids and whatnot I don't buy it, its just more of the tobacco zealots finding a way to demonize cigars and they always use kids to get their message across..Besides there are not a lot of kids that can afford to buy upscale cigars...

Jerry in Minnesota.
 
Nicotine content may be the same but the health damage is not. If you look at light-moderate cigarette and light-moderate cigar smoking, cigars smoking is associated with lower health effects. I don't have the data at hand to define "moderate" here.
 
Benhamou, S, et al., 1986

This study was performed to evaluate the role of different types of tobacco on lung cancer. The results showed that out of 1529 cases of lung cancer, 36 (2.3%) were non smokers, 1298 (85%) were cigarette smokers, 9 (0.6%) were cigar only smokers, and 5 (0.3%) were pipe only smokers. Relative risks for the development of lung cancer were 13.3 for cigarette smokers, 5.6 for cigar only smokers, (3.9 if the cigar smoke was not inhaled,) and 1.6 for pipe only smokers. The relative risk was higher for cigar only smokers that inhaled.

The conclusion of the study was that the above results were consistent with those reported in the literature: "in relation to rates for non-smokers, lung cancer risks for lifetime cigar and lifetime pipe smokers were increased, but to levels below those seen for lifetime cigarette smokers."

Jay H. Lublin, et al., 1984

The purpose of this study was to analyze in detail the risks of lung cancer associated with cigar and pipe use. Because previous studies failed to have large case numbers, it was felt that this study would present more accurate information due to the large numbers of patients surveyed.

Out of 6,919 cases of lung cancer studied, 190 (2.7%) never smoked, 6,044 (87.3%) smoked cigarettes, 37 (0.5%) smoked cigars only, 29 (0.4%) smoked pipes only, 23 (0.3%) smoked cigars and pipes, 308 (4.5%) smoked cigarettes and pipes, 180 (2.6%) smoked cigarettes and cigars, and 98 (1.4%) smoked all three. Among cigar only smokers, the risk of lung cancer increased with years of use and usual number of cigars smoked per day.

Conclusions from this study were that although the tobacco smoke of cigars and pipes has carcinogenic activity resembling that of cigarettes, it is generally believed that cigar and pipe users inhale less because of the irritable properties of alkaline smoke. The risk of lung cancer among pure cigar and/or pipe smokers rose "convincingly" and proportionately with years of use and number smoked per day. Relative risks for the development of lung cancer compared with the non-smoking population were:

Never smoked: 1
Cigarettes only: 9.03
Cigars only: 2.9
Pipes only: 2.54
Cigarettes + cigars: 6.87
Cigarettes + pipes: 8.05
All three: 7.47

It was found that the relative risk of developing cancer in the cigar categories increased if the patient inhaled deeply and frequently, and/or smoked for a greater numbers of years.
In addition, it was also found that, "lung cancer patients who were exclusively cigar or pipe smokers were more likely to have squamous cell carcinoma than adenocarcinoma. Indeed, the histologic distribution of lung cancer among cigar-only and/or pipe-only smokers closely resembled that among cigarette-only smokers, further supporting a causal relationship between cigar and/or pipe use and lung cancer."
 
XXX, cigar smoking is VERY dangerous! If I were you, I'd quit right now and send your smokes to someone who is willing to take the risk. I'll volunteer to take those DANGEROUS things off your hands and burn them for you :D

Seriously though, inhaling cigar smoke is pretty hard on the old lungs. I don't know any guys that inhale. I do like to take a little smoke in through the nose to get a bit more of the flavor, but don't inhale the vast majority of the smoke.

GoatLocker :w
 
All I can do for ya is remind ya that George Burns lived a helluva long time and smoked between 8-10 cigars a day for the better part of the last 70 years of his life.

They were machine made too. hehe. (he said the premiums always went out on him when he was doing his stage acts.)

Also, I think Arturo Fuente lived to be 83.




I'd also like to point out that cigar smoke isn't loaded down with chemicals and other impurities that cigarette manufacturers like to stick in their tobacco's to keep them fresh and stop the tobacco from drying out.

That's gotta be bad for a person.

:p

I've only met a few people in my life who didn't have some kind of vice or another, and they were all jerks.
 
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Opus, thanx for the info. I appreciate it.

Goat, I'm aware of the dangers I guess I just don't care but I want to reassure my fiance'. Wow, I must be one of the only people I know that inhales cigar smoke. I knew that a good number of people don't inhale but I never guessed it was the vast majority. No wonder some of those stogies knock me on my ass.
 
Jokieman said:
All I can do for ya is remind ya that George Burns lived a helluva long time and smoked between 8-10 cigars a day for the better part of the last 70 years of his life.

They were machine made too. hehe. (he said the premiums always went out on him when he was doing his stage acts.)

Also, I think Arturo Fuente lived to be 83.


:p

I've only met a few people in my life who didn't have some kind of vice or another, and they were all jerks.
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Sir Winston Churchill chain-smoked Romeo y Julieta Churchills and drank a lot of alcohol (at least a bottle of Pol Roger (champagne) every day!)... and he became 91... (1874-1965)
 
El Rey del Mundo said:
Sir Winston Churchill chain-smoked Romeo y Julieta Churchills and drank a lot of alcohol (at least a bottle of Pol Roger (champagne) every day!)... and he became 91... (1874-1965)
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I think that's the big secret, consuming cigars and alcohol together in mass quantities leads to a long and happy life!
 
Not a whole lot more I can add here.

Yup, OpusEx is right, the statistical facts for cigarettes/pipes/cigars ARE DIFFERENT. Yes, tobacco use has inherent dangers, but the dangers differ depending on the method of use.

Keep in mind that the health dept. wants something to do, even if it's to raise a scare. That's their job, and while smoking of any kind is so much more out of vogue than it used to be, they have a lot more momentum.

There are many things to do that can statistically lower your risks if you're a cigar smoker, including watching your weight, maintaining a moderate level of activity, avoiding prolonged stressors, taking nutritional supplements (especially anti-oxidants). The health department never mentions those things.

Most of the younger smokers I know in this community (they like to get together on Sunday evenings at a local park) like to smoke White Owls and such. I doubt they'd know what an Acid brand is.

And I'm also with Nely. I like to smoke in moderation but make my smoking moments count.

:D :D
 
Like GOATLOCKER, I take a bit through my nose to enhance the flavor, but don't inhale.

My Dr. told me I should quit smoking cigars & I said, "Doc, if I quit smoking cigars I won't live longer, but it sure will seem like it."

He laughed & admitted that they were not nearly the risk that cigarettes were.
 
MoTheMan said:
There are many things to do that can statistically lower your risks if you're a cigar smoker, including watching your weight, maintaining a moderate level of activity, avoiding prolonged stressors, taking nutritional supplements (especially anti-oxidants).
:D :D
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Could you elaborate on the anti-oxidants..

Jerry in Minnesota.
 
I try to never inhale and I can't imagine smoking a whole cigar like that. Occasionally I've inhaled a little puff by mistake, and it hurts!
 
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