Cigar Asylum Cigar Forum - The Nicotine Sickness Action Plan

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The Nicotine Sickness Action Plan

When I first started smoking cigars and a while thereafter, I struggled with what smokers call "Nicotine Sickness". Most people have experienced it in one form or another, and unfortunately it can quickly turn a would-be cigar enthusiast off to the whole hobby. Here I will share some information to help cope with and avoid this unfortunate side-effect of a wonderful hobby. This is not intended to be a fool-proof plan and it will take some tweaking depending on your body size and tolerance, but I hope the tips help keep you enjoying cigars instead of regretting them.

1) Be mindful of the cigars you choose to smoke.

You wouldn't give a glass of cask-strength whisky to a 100 pound woman, so why would you let a new or low-tolerance smoker have a Camacho? It is true that different cigars can have vastly different levels of nicotine, and you should pick your cigar accordingly. I know someone who got sick from a Drew Estate Java Maduro.

Ask your local tobacconist or a knowledgeable friend for recommendations on a smoke with less nicotine. Don't be fooled by color - darker smokes don't necessarily have more nicotine, nor do Maduros. Also - don't mistake body for nicotine content. There are some light bodied cigars out there that have a ton of nicotine, and some medium to full bodied smokes that wouldn't hurt a fly. I have included a partial list of smokes at the bottom that a new smoker should generally stay away from, but rely on the advice of friends to select a stick suited to your particular tolerance.

2) Water

It has been said over and over that you should drink something sweet if you are starting to experience nicotine sickness, but I have never see this to actually work.

The best thing I have found to curb the effects of nicotine sickness, which are nausea, 'the shakes', dizziness, and pale color (among others), is water. As soon as you start to experience the symptoms of nicotine sickness, you would do well to drink (chug) ten to twelve ounces of water. Nicotine, as any other drug, circulates in your blood and the fastest way to decrease the side-effects is to dilute the drug with water. Water will absorb into your system much faster than a sugary drink and get to work in a matter of minutes.

2.5) Eat Something!

I can't believe I forgot this one! (Thanks RX2010)

Having something in your stomach will help buffer the effects. Doesn't necessarily matter what it is, but get a good meal in your belly before lighting up that stogie.

3) Don't nose smoke

Indeed pushing some of the cigar's smoke out through your nose allows you to taste many more facets of the smoke, but the nicotine you get from a cigar is absorbed through your mouth's mucous membranes. These are pretty thick when compared to your nose's mucous membranes, and when you put smoke through your nose you are not only letting it pass over the extremely thin and blood filled membrane of your septum, but you are giving the smoke much more surface area through which to absorb. Its tempting, but don't do it!

4) Smoke outside

Enjoy your cigar somewhere outside where you won't be sitting in the smoke and inhaling it constantly. Your lungs allow for nicotine to pass directly into your blood stream, which is why inhaling cigar smoke is such a bad idea for someone who does not have an insane nicotine tolerance. Just because a chain-smoking cigarette smoker can inhale a cigar doesn't mean you can or should.

5) Spit

Gross, maybe, but spitting may be your best ally. There is nicotine dissolved in your spit, so before sipping water after every puff (which is advised) to cleanse your palate, hawk a little loogie on ground so you don't swallow your spit with the water and thus absorb the nicotine in your stomach.

6) Stop Smoking

Finally, and probably most importantly, as soon as you start to feel sick, put your cigar down. I know that it is a shame to let a great cigar go to waste, but it certainly is better than huddling over the toilet and vomiting because you didn't want to let a great cigar go to waste. Nicotine takes a few minutes to absorb into your system through your mucous membranes and as such it will get worse before it gets better. This being the case - as soon as you feel woozy or nauseated, put the stick down. I would also suggest standing up every five minutes or so while you smoke to see if you are getting dizzy, which is hard to gauge sitting down.

I hope this information is helpful and allows you to enjoy this fine hobby without regretting any part of it!

-Mark

Cigars to stay away from if you have a low nicotine tolerance:

Anything by Camacho, Tatuaje, or Illusione
Arturo Fuente Añejo, Opus X, and Hemingway, Don Carlos
Joya De Nicaragua Antañjo and Celebracion
5 Vegas Black and Miami