Am I a smoker?

[craig]

If you smoke inside, then, even if you don't directly inhale, you're typically the same or worse than a cigarette smoker for all-cause mortality, as the quantity of second-hand or slipstream cigar smoke is much higher than typical quantities of cigarette smoke (and you inhale that second-hand smoke. One corona-sized cigar has more smoke than a pack of cigarettes). The idea that "no inhaling" doesn't affect lung cancer rates only applies if you smoke outside or in an extremely well-ventilated area. (A/C or flitration/smoke-eaters don't count, unfortunately. Think big noisy box fans exhausting outside.) YMMV - search Medline and learn for yourself.

[ggiese]

If you smoke inside, then, even if you don't directly inhale, you're typically the same or worse than a cigarette smoker for all-cause mortality, as the quantity of second-hand or slipstream cigar smoke is much higher than typical quantities of cigarette smoke (and you inhale that second-hand smoke. One corona-sized cigar has more smoke than a pack of cigarettes). The idea that "no inhaling" doesn't affect lung cancer rates only applies if you smoke outside or in an extremely well-ventilated area. (A/C or flitration/smoke-eaters don't count, unfortunately. Think big noisy box fans exhausting outside.) YMMV - search Medline and learn for yourself.

I hear this argument occasionally from various parts of the medical community, but there does not seem to be any studies or correlation between cigar smoke and instances of disease particular to cigar second hand smoke. And there is controversy with the studies on second hand cigarette smoke as being accurate (though I have to admit that I really do enjoy not being "smoked out" of any public place I like to go).

If you review the list of chemicals and other "add-ins" in cigarette smoke and compare that to the list in cigar smoke - I think it is fair to say that cigarette smoke is far more detrimental than cigar smoke. Besides - cigar smoke smells much nicer than cigarette smoke, wouldn't you agree?

Finally - my doctor (I believe) gave me sage advice about smoking cigars. He told me that it is not the act of smoking a cigar that is hazardous to a person, it is the way in which cigar is smoked that is detrimental. His meaning: if a cigar smoker is not "excessive" and only "occasional", with smoking the cigar for the sole purpose of relaxing and reflecting - the health benefits outweigh the risk of disease.