DOSE:		buccal	Tobacco
		buccal	Tobacco

BODY WEIGHT:

150 lb

After trying tobacco in several different forms, I have found that not all tobacco is created equal. I first tried tobacco chew, twice stuffing my bottom lip very full. The chew was oddly tangy and sweet. I quickly became lightheaded and felt a buzz similar to that brought on by caffeine. The chew was messy and my gums burned. I became nauseous and spit the chew out.

Later that same night, I tried cigars for the first time. I found smoking them to be quite enjoyable. They were flavorfully fruity, while still having a full-bodied taste. They also made me a bit jumpy. I smoked about six. After the initial nerves, I became very relaxed, but light-headedly giddy at the same time. The taste remained in my mouth, but the smell and taste of the cigars were calming to me. I developed a more controlled flow in puffing the cigars which helped reduce some of the less pleasant potential side effects, such as the burned-mouth sensation and nausea.

I took up smoking more regularly after this experience, trying several variations on the cigar. Some were more sweet, some more strong and full-bodied. I did not smoke as many at one time again. The cigars relaxed me and gave me a feeling of calm. For a few months after my first experience I averaged about one cigar for every two weeks. Oftentimes after smoking, the smell would cling to my clothes. I found this after smell more noticeable and less enjoyable than that given while smoking. After three months in this routine, I stopped smoking cigars altogether for another consecutive three months. During this time period I tried smoking hookah with friends on two occasions. This was even more pleasurable to me. With cigars, the after smells and tastes were annoying, and the smoke was irritating to my eyes and mouth. The hookah shishas were more flavorful, and the smoke was almost like breathing in air. The draws were smooth, and the smoke was cleaner. There were no after smells, the after tastes were less bothersome, and no irritation. I found I could take much longer and deeper hits without discomfort.

The first time I smoked with two others, and felt little effect other than a bodily relaxation. The second session was shared with only one other person, and this time I became a little more lightheaded and felt fatigued. A mild headache set on. With both the cigars and the hookah, it was usually within a dozen or so minutes that I would begin to feel the effects. I recently smoked a cigar again. After a long period without cigars, the experience was awful. First off, the cigar was too strongly flavored for my tastes. Secondly, I inhaled much too deeply and quickly. I had also had a robust meal shortly before smoking, and the resulting stomachache made my discomfort worse. I became nauseous near the end of the cigar, and this nausea remained for hours into the night, one which was without rest. The smell and taste following the cigar seemed the least tolerable they had ever been to me, and my mouth burned.

After this experience, the fact that the manner and circumstances in which the tobacco is taken (and the type of tobacco itself) make all the difference was very clear to me.

Exp Year: 2008	ExpID: 73845
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Jun 29, 2020	Views: 774
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Tobacco (47) : Retrospective / Summary (11), Various (28)