Pipe Smoking?

[Ambauer]

Bertrand Russell once said that pipe smoking saved his life. Just like Russell, there have been many intellectuals that smoked a pipe in their day (e.g. Einstein, Lewis, Tolkien, Twain, etc.). Do you think, as Einstein did, that pipe smoking "contributes to a somewhat calm and objective judgement in all human affairs”? Do you smoke a pipe? Why?

[Hartnoiz]

I would say that the image of an intellectual with a goatee, smoking pipe, wearing a turtleneck and a jacket is quite appealing, but at the same time so goddamn pretentious, ha ha However I have no problem with such people with those kind of attributes, what's worse is when someone thinks they'll pass as an intellectual simply by their appearance!

[YIOSTHEOY]

I have been an athlete all my life, so smoking anything has always been out of the question.

Intellectuals are not known for their athleticism therefore I guess they can smoke if they want.

Pipe tobacco is very aromatic and not normally offensive to anyone.

Cigar smoke reminds me of my grandfather.

Cigarette smoking is fowl and nasty.

Of the 3 (pipe, cigars, and cigarettes) I find pipes to be least offensive and not unpleasant to be in the immediate area of.

I have always wanted to go to Amsterdam and smoke a bong of dope, but have never done it.

Tobacco is addicting because of the nicotine and therefore I do not recommend it.

Alcohol is addicting too but at least it is easier to control for me.

Overall I would conclude that putting smoke into your lungs is foolishness not intellectual.

[Steve3007]

My job involves sitting in front of a computer almost all day and for almost all of that time I have a pen in my mouth which I often chew until I get a mouthful of ink. I can't concentrate without it. If I'm working on a particularly difficult problem I can't start until I've found a pen to chew on.

So I can see Russell's point.

Let's face it, they're all nipple substitutes.

[YIOSTHEOY]

My job involves sitting in front of a computer almost all day and for almost all of that time I have a pen in my mouth which I often chew until I get a mouthful of ink. I can't concentrate without it. If I'm working on a particularly difficult problem I can't start until I've found a pen to chew on.

So I can see Russell's point.

Let's face it, they're all nipple substitutes.

When I used to compete in tennis, I used chewing gum as my nipple substitute.

Nipples are definitely better, but chewing gum helps you to relax under competitive stress like in a tennis tournament.

It is just a nervous habit after all.

In tennis the best thing to think about is your chewing and your breathing. These help you to relax as you wait for the ball to come sizzling over the net and straight at you at about 150 miles per hour.

Now when I play tennis it is just for fun, not for competition. In fun tennis, you hit the ball towards your opponent where he/she can easily hit it back to you. Whereas in competitive tennis you try to hit the ball away from him.

[Steve3007]

Yes, I've tried chewing gum but it just makes my jaw ache after hours of furious chewing so I usually return to pens.

In fun tennis, you hit the ball towards your opponent where he/she can easily hit it back to you. Whereas in competitive tennis you try to hit the ball away from him.

Thanks. That sounds like good advice for any aspiring tennis player.

[LuckyR]

I have smoked cigars but that would be for an occasion, not as a routine.

Pipes make the smoke cooler since it has to travel through the stem, so is easier on the smoker, similarly many if not most pipe tobacco is flavored, so is less harsh than cigars. Both use premium tobacco, cigarettes use the lowest quality tobacco and are essentially a nicotine delivery system, not a smoking system.

[Sy Borg]

Perhaps their inspiration came, not from satisfying their oral fixations as such, but via the contents of their pipes ...?

[Misty]

Let's face it, they're all nipple substitutes.

I can see the nipple substitute for men, but what about the reason women suck or chew on things?

[Kimberlygretchen]

Let's face it, they're all nipple substitutes.

I can see the nipple substitute for men, but what about the reason women suck or chew on things?

The vast majority of us were nursed as infants.

But I tend to discount the "nipple substitute" theory.

Most smokers begin in their teens. So, between infancy and their teens, were they searching for something to stick in their mouth?

[Spiral Out]

I can see the nipple substitute for men, but what about the reason women suck or chew on things?

Penises? Seriously though, don't female babies breast feed as well? I don't think the "nipple substitute" was meant necessarily as a sexual thing.

Many women enjoy sucking on penises so maybe cigars would be something of a substitute.

[Misty]

(Nested quote removed.)



I can see the nipple substitute for men, but what about the reason women suck or chew on things?

The vast majority of us were nursed as infants.

But I tend to discount the "nipple substitute" theory.

Most smokers begin in their teens. So, between infancy and their teens, were they searching for something to stick in their mouth?

I was nursed for 14 months, never had an interest in alcohol or smoking. I think the reason
children/teens get into the nasty habits of drinking/smoking is that it is considered an adult
behavior. It is quite sad that alcohol/smoking/drugs is designated as a marker for adulthood. Society is to blame for this stupid marker.

My husband was not nursed when an infant. He smokes a pipe. When we met he smoked 3-4
packs of cigarettes a day as did his mother, while his dad smoked the pipe. I threw his cigs away and replaced them with a pipe and amphora tobacco. He still smokes a pipe. He chews on the pipe and the pipe is needed when he feels anxious. I hate all smoking but pipe smoke (cherry) smells good, however, I do not appreciate having to breathe it in so I avoid it as much as possible. Cigs and cigars stink so bad, and get into and on everything. I have two
nipples and so far they do not replace my husbands desire for the pipe nipple.

[Steve3007]

Perhaps the link between smoking and nipples isn't a direct one. But I think the natural comfort we get from touching the mouth area does stem from the instinctive comfort that all us mammals get from feeding as babies. Being bottle fed doesn't alter that.

Anyway, I smoked cigarettes from age 15 to just before my first child was born and the main reason I started was the usual one: that smoking is cool, and hard, and clever and it makes girls fancy you because it makes you look sophisticated and a bit dangerous and not remotely like a dawky, spotty teenager. Why inhaling the fumes from burning dried leaves wrapped in paper would do that, I don't know. I don't make the rules. Humphrey Bogart did.

I also started because I was curious to know what it feels like to be addicted to something. I found out.

[Anthony Edgar]

I'm going to start smoking a pipe when I hit 60 ... one of those curvy Sherlock Holmes jobs. It will make me a lot more intelligent and hopefully kill me before I get to 80.

[Sy Borg]

Yes, oral fixation, oral satisfaction has a calming effect.

Perhaps more importantly, if you are addicted to nicotine then smoking is calming because it eases the withdrawal symptoms (eg. insomnia, confusion, vagueness, irritability, anxiety, sadness etc). The speed and strength of withdrawals depends on how quickly one's body converts nicotine to cotinine, which is a harmless metabolite of nicotine. Ironically, those whose bodies convert nicotine to cotinine most efficiently (due to gene CYP2A6) will be most addicted. For those who process nicotine inefficiently, the nicotine stays in their system for a long time and thus they have no urge to "top up".

No doubt Einstein had a busy mind and he may have had issues with organising his ideas without simple multitasking. Some find their thoughts are more settled and organised when they walk or jog. Some use oral "toys", eg. gum, sweets, food, smoking, or they play background music or talk shows to act as background while they work. The principle seems akin to white noise machines that are designed to promote sleep by covering over the distraction of small, inconsistent sounds. In that sense, mouth toys like pipes and gum can swamp distracting "micro thoughts", allowing for greater clarity with more significant/wanted thoughts.