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Pipe Smokers

  • #41
I hate the fish bowl type vaporizer - I gave mine to my dad - they need to be easier to use, more cumbersome than a hookah IMO.
 
  • #42
I started smoking a pipe around last Christmas, as a long held of treat since i owned my finals and had a great gpa that quarter. I've never and wont smoke cigarettes, to me they just admit addiction. I tried not to smoke more than once a week, and i always did socially(whatever difference thats supposed to make). I know addiction runs in my family, so, like alcohol, everytime i partake thats always in the back of my mind. My grandfather died of lung cancer before i ever knew him and he had a pipe. The man I would credit as an idol and mentor, who coincidently exposed me to pipe smoking, recently was diagnosed with cancer(I dont know if it is a specifically smoking related kind, but im sure smoking didnt help). About a month ago or so I lost my pipe (while shamefully drunk). Havn't gotten a new one yet, I miss it but I'm not sure if its cravings as much as i enjoyed it. As a plant bio major i've always had plans to grow my own, for the fun and pride, and to stop funding big tobacco.

I'd say philosophically it should be personal choice, but i think fair and unbiased education is appropriate so potential smokers are aware of the health issues before deciding. In reality though even if one smokes away from second-handers, the impact on healthcare and the economy of the diseases are societal, so perhaps society should have say in the matter.

(off topic)Used to be a big pothead in highschool, gave it up when the anxiety and parinoia set in, but boy do i miss it. I think it is ridiculous to have it illegal, especially schedule 1. The illogic I've heard for not legalizing it is so parallel to abstinence only education in so many ways(even though theyre so different).

Interesting thread,
Chris

(its been so long since i posted here, and its not even a CP topic haha)
 
  • #43
Clint is quite right. Alcohol is classified as a drug. The only difference is somebody decided a long time ago to make it legal so the government could control it and make billions of dollars from selling it. Alcohol is simply a socially accepted, commercially profitable drug. Heroin is not socially accepted. It's highly profitable for criminals.

my father was also an alcoholic and used to beat my mother when I was a kid.

Alcohol is a VERY common factor of physical abuse. This is a prime, but not sole, example of what I meant by "physical suffering" from alcohol abuse. Being a "mean drunk" if often a sign of alcoholism.

I honestly wouldn't consider him an alcoholic, just a really mean drunk.

Whether one is or is not an alcoholic is not exactly up to personal interpretation. Alcoholism has been studied by medical professionals for decades and there is a pretty clear cut definition of what that means. Being an alcoholic does not necessarily mean one binges or drinks every day or even gets drunk every time they drink. An alcoholic isn't a shady, unshaven bum who stays drunk all the time. An alcoholic is your best friend, your pastor, your Senator, your neighbor, your brother, your daughter, your boyfriend. It cuts through race, religion, age, culture. It's insidious. "Functioning alcoholics" can pass under the radar.

but if you're not a weak individual, you just exert some control on yourself.

Another myth about alcoholism-the belief that an alcoholic is just weak and needs to "get a grip." Alcohol is an addictive drug. Weak and strong alike can become addicted. Addiction is not a sign of personal weakness.

Alcohol use has been studied every which way til Sunday over many decades. Studies have proven that alcoholism does have a genetic link. If you have family members who are alcoholics, it doesn't mean you will be one. It does mean you have higher risk factor for alcohol abuse. Studies show that sons of alcoholic fathers have the highest risk and daughters of alcoholic mothers have the lowest risk. Those are only "tendencies" and does not mean its a guarantee either way. If alcoholism is in your family...you should be especially thoughtful of deciding whether to drink or not. Truly, you can live well without it.

Odds are...there are alcoholics on this forum who will read this and think "That's not me. I just like the taste." or "That's not me...I just like to have a good time!"

But...speaking of pipes....I saw a Cops episode where a LEO busted some kids in a car. When they searched the car they found the most awesome glass pipe I've ever seen! It was a HUGE (probably 2-feet around) ornate glass-blown pipe. The officers were all wowing over it and one asked "How much did that set you back?". Kid said $400! $400 for a pipe that could shatter into a thousand pieces. (And it got confiscated). lol I think that was the pipe of all pipes.
 
  • #44
I meant that I do not believe, based on what I have seen and know, that he was every physically dependent or psychologically addicted to alcohol. To me one or both of those are the defining characteristics of alcoholism. He didn't display either of those attributes. Of course if you want to broaden the definition to just being a mean drunk without any physical or psychological dependence, then yes he would be an alcoholic.

You know, I think I have ESP. Would that pipe happen to be a dragon/serpent? I was just thinking of this the last time I posted.
 
  • #45
Alcohol is an addictive drug. Weak and strong alike can become addicted.
I sort of agree to a point...but IMO, if you are a strong individual, you won't let yourself get addicted, and if you're truly strong, you can control it. Speaking of myths, if your parents are alcoholics, that isn't a "genetic link". If your parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and great great grandparents (who you wouldn't be alive to see) are all alcoholics...that's still not a "genetic link". We don't evolve that fast. Period. "Well I saw my grandpa doing it"....that's called cultural learning. Not a genetic link.

Addiction is not a sign of personal weakness.
IMO, it is. Even if you're "genetically predisposed" to it, that doesn't make you any less weak, that means that if you know, you should be on especially protective guard against it, and if you fail, I think that makes you weaker of a person than one that didn't, since you had previous warning. I'm Prussian. So...50% of me was "German"...who drinks beer at breakfast, and the other 50% drank beer nonstop since we lived in a communist country for a couple decades (thanks Russia for killing our people). If anything, I'm MORE genetically predisposed to drinking, but my father hasn't had a drink in 30 years, and I drink sparingly. Like I said, my genes should MAKE me want to drink, but oh wait...I'm not weak, so I can control what I do. Strong of mind, strong of body, and vice versa. Hands down.

Obviously, things like this are open to personal interpretation. I've met probably 30,000 people in my lifetime (if not more) living in various cities on 2 continents. Out of a 30,000 person minimum, I know 4 people that I think are strong enough of mind to not let vices like this control their life. I'm not saying everyone else is weak, but maybe just "normal'. It could be that we few are just strong enough to ward off such addictions.
"Every man is created equal" is a fallacy, at least in the limitations of this discussion. Not every single person is strong enough to ward off such "demons" (at least on their own)....and that's a fact ;)
 
  • #46
PK, I think you are woefully simplify things. Although I agree that personal will plays a big part in resisting addiction I think you have to take into account the circumstances in which someone became addicted. By your standards I know a lot of World War II and Vietnam vets are who you consider weak. My grandfather is included in that as he got addicted to lucky strikes in the army, and this is where I have my point of contention because if you are calling my grandfather weak I have a whole slew of information that begs to differ including his silver star and his service with the British Commandos. I think you need to think carefully about what you are saying there and how you have phrased things.
 
  • #47
I kindof agree with PK. I think a lot of people use "It's a disease"as an excuse. In the end you make a conscience decision to drink or take a drug.

Being a strong person has nothing to do with this. It's all about making the right decisions.
 
  • #48
I mean strong/weak willpower wise. Like Ozzy said, you control if you put the glass/bottle/can/cig to your lips. You control if you don't want to do it, you control if you use a patch or whatever, etc.
 
  • #49
Um, WHY start? I will never smoke but, it seems like the stupidest thing you can do now adays (I know some poeple sarted before we learned about all the health risks) but I am talking about the people that start or started right when they become legal and know the health risks.
 
  • #50
A bit late on the comment here
but the ONLY reason marijuana is illegal is because it can be used for almost anything
which caused major companies that owned tree farms to get angry, gas, etc.
since Hemp can be used for methonal, clothing and other fabrics, pain killers, all for 1/5 of the cost of trees and corn.
1 acre of hemp produces 10 times more paper than 1 acre of trees, and for a quarter of the price and 1/5 of the pollution that the tree processing factories put out.
You can grow an acre of hemp in a few months to harvesting height, and have a constant renewable resource, where we are destroying forests around the world for virtually nothing.
many countries made it a mandatory law to grow marijuana plants for many reasons including those given above. so whats the harm of smoking it a little?
it shows signs of fighting herpes, and various other diseases, why prevent people from the health they diserve?
because the american FDA cares ONLY about the money.
medicines cannot be trademarked or anything UNLESS it contains chemicals, so just what are you taking?
my point is, be it smoking marijuana, or using it for things that we need, that people need to be more open minded and see the truth and not be brought into the propoganda put out by the american government
cracking down so hard on marijuana makes other things like crack and heroin become more easily available than marijuana.
wasting space in jail for a freaking natural plant is just pointless.
UHG i cant wait to get back to Norway...

Also
The original rightups for the declaration of independence: written on hemp paper.
parachutes used in WWII, made from hemp, mind you hemp was made illegal in 1937 and was in fact ordered for some farmers to begin to grow it again for war efforts
WHILE we had crops growing for our military in the phillipines.
 
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  • #51
Ok, blah blah blah

The "tar" in the basic alcohol extraction, is actually just plant matter, It doesnt turn into TAR until you apply exposed heat to it.

THC has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer
http://www.webmd.com/search/search_results/default.aspx?query=THC cancer&sourceType=undefined

No mater what, its bad for you any thing you smoke is bad for you, the absorption of oxygen and other gases is what your lungs were made to do.

ANY ways. Yes I do smoke a pipe, I just bought a nice briar (ive been smoking a cob, but I like the briar allot more) the only gripie I have is the Tenon doesn't line up correctly with the air way, and it causes it to get moisture. I just bought some Prince albert and Blue note. I got a bunch of free samples in the mail too. Really good.

I prefer it to Cigarette smoke. I think its the paper, and the processing it goes through.
 
  • #52
Same difference :) If you were only eating it it really wouldn't matter anyway. Smoking is what makes the health risks, otherwise it's salad goop.

IIRC, doesn't it protect against some nerve condition or something? It does something protective to the brain cells, I know I read that somewhere.

Has anyone seen the clear rolling papers? Looks like saran wrap. Are those better or worse than paper rolling papers? Certainly look cool. Doesn't matter. I can't roll to save my life, and even my nicest abominations always ended up soggy as crap. I can NOT keep them dry and smoke. Just can't do it.
 
  • #53
Yea its just plant cellulose. I can roll ok, but i usually am rolling tobacco. I could see it being esier if you roll it with tobacco. It just depends on how well you can break up the bud.

ANY ways. Has any one tried the mearchum pipes?
 
  • #54
I've got a dragon claw merschaum pipe and velvet case I ordered from Dragon World a decade or more ago. Mine was fragile and the screw on mouthpiece busted off so I had to superglue it, it's fine but cleaning it is not as easy of an activity compared to how it could be. The material is soft and you can easily carve your own if you can get a large blank. It colors nicely with use but mine rarely gets used so it's pretty white yet.
 
  • #55
I might just have to carve one, make it a N. bicularita or something...
 
  • #57
my pipe is just a pyrex glass color changing one.
pretty nice little pipe.
Got it at ozzfest last year for like 10 dollars lol.
my last pipe got broken at that same show. rofl
 
  • #58
2568912947_6c8d70c187.jpg


Pretty basic
 
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