OMr_duckO
2009-01-02, 01:19
So one day I was bored and amped up so i decided to write a few retrospective exp. reports for erowid.
In this overview I will try to cover all of the aspects of using tobacco for mind alteration and social purposes. Nicotinia americum is the most commonly used tobacco strain among commercial cigarettes. It is often treated with many carcinogenic, radioactive, and toxic substances. Smoking any plant material will produce tar. Nicotine is the primary psychoactive alkaloid. Theirs is also traces of harmaline which is a MonoAO inhibitor, but theirs significantly more in nicotinia rustica.
Pharmacology:
Nicotine is a very unique drug pharmacologically. It is a cholinergic. It binds to most nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and causes release of epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, vasopressin, and in higher dosages serotonin and beta-endorphin. The adrenergic (epinephrine) effect may be much stronger when tobacco is smoked, because it enters your bloodstream faster than any other ROA for it, causing the adrenaline rush.
Effects:
The first effect of smoking tobacco are an immediate adrenaline rush. If you do not have a tolerance than it may be very sudden and powerful, sometimes overwhelming. For a seasoned smoked it comes on gradually after several puffs or even cigarettes. After the adrenaline rush fades theirs is a sense of physical energy, and may be an urge to run and jump around, an increased sensitivity to stimuli, and blood racing. Then the user may experience a warm body feel, increase in cognitive function, increase in motivation and alertness, maybe some queasiness and decreased appetite. Their may also be a feeling of aggression during the transition to this phase. At higher doses the user may experience calmness, and a warm pain relieving effect similar to a runners high or an opiate. Nicotine is generally well-tolerate in combination with other drugs in moderation and can be a good compliment by boosting euphoria.
Too much nicotine - This can be extremely unpleasant, and has happened to me many times. It feels like you're poisoned with some industrial toxin or something. The worst part is the nausea, probably caused by dopamine overload in a certain part of the brain. Mild overdose nausea can be easily reversed with a little marijuana, though it loses it's effectiveness after bigger OD's of nicotine. Stronger overdoses can best be reversed with an anti-cholinergic. Diphenhydramine, an OTC medication, is probably the best option. Brands include Sominex, Unisom, and benadryl. 50-100mg's should effectively counter the nicotine’s effects.
Etiquette:
Someone offers you a cigarette. Simply pull one out from the box with your thumb and index finger. It can be held any way you want. I like to hold it between my index and middle finger, sometimes also using my thumb for extra support.
Now you must light the cigarette. Matches can usually be obtained free at a gas station but are the most impractical. The slightest gust of wind can blow them out and you have to strike another one. Cheap gas-station lighters don't work very well and they break easily. Bic lighters are very good. They are durable, long-lasting, and easy to use. Zippo lighters look cool and are easily refillable, but they have very little wind-resistance. Torch lighters are very wind-resistant, and often stylish, but they eat up fluid very fast and can sometimes burn right through a cigarette or set it on fire.
To light the cigarette, hold the flame to the tip of it and suck on the butt as you do it. With large cigar's you have to rotate the tip over the flame so it will burn evenly. Usually I will blow some oxygen on the tip of the cigarette before I start inhaling, because it tends to burn mostly the paper the first time or burn weakly.
Then you simply inhale the smoke deeply into your lungs and exhale just as quickly, like a normal breathe. With a cigar you don't want to inhale, just get it into your mouth and savor the flavor and aroma. One way to know that you've inhaled properly- the smoke can involuntarily be exhaled through your nose. You can exhale through your nose or your mouth. I find it most refreshing to exhale through your nose with menthol cigarettes. It is also important to take a long deep breath in between hits, to minimize oxygen deprivation which can cause lightheadedness and headaches, and reduce the less desirable adrenergic effects.
You may want to tamp the cigarette every once in a while with your index, into an ashtray or somewhere suitable, if the ash gets too long. Otherwise it may fall on your shirt or shoes or brand new carpet. With a cigar, it's a bit different. You have to push the ash off into a surface.
If you're a noob you have to be careful how much you're getting. If you start to feel fucked up or legs feel like jello, you may want to put it out and save it for next time you feel like having a smoke. Though theirs a thing even to this. If you just jam it out then it will stink. You need to gently knock off the cherry (burnt part). Then the tip should be of loose tobacco rather than nasty black tar and ash.
When I’m done with a cigarette I like to flick it off somewhere. Though be careful when you're doing this in public. You may hit someone in the face and get in an unpleasant situation. In public it's better to just drop it on the ground and put it out with your foot. I wouldn't worry too much about starting a fire with the new fire-safety cigarettes, but I’ve once seen a trash can on fire at a gas station because someone dropped a lit cigarette in their. So it's best to put it out, especially in natural environments.
Choosing the right cigarette:
Cigarettes come in many brands, strengths, sizes, colours, flavors, etc.
If you're a noob you may want to start with something weak like Marlboro ultra lights. When I had my first one, even these gave me a crazy head rush and fucked up drunk feeling. If those fail to give you a buzz then you can move on to super lites, lites, mediums, regulars, or unfiltered cigarettes.
Sonoma's are the cheapest cigarettes in the US to my knowledge, though prices may vary from state to state. These are also very poor quality. Like smoking dried up newspaper. Though if you want to save on tobacco spending, then it's best to get a rolling machine, filter papers, and cigarette tobacco and just make your own. The downside to this is it can be time consuming, so it's best to roll a great amount when you're bored or have nothing else to do.
Uniltered cigarettes give a mean buzz and robust flavor. But the tobacco gets in your mouth sometimes which is nasty and it may discolor your teeth more than filtered cigs.
Menthols have a far better flavor than normal cig's in my opinion. They give a cool refreshing feeling in your lungs and wherever else the smoke passes through. Newport’s are a good brand of menthol cig's. Camel crush and camel frosts are also very good menthols. Camel crush's have an interesting thing were you have to crush up these mint flavor crystals in the butt, so it tastes nice and fresh. I suspect that the menthol may give an extra relaxing effect to the buzz.
American spirits - This cigarette brand claims to be free of any additives. These may be a good option for those with health concerns. These also take longer to smoke, similiar to clove cigarettes which I will talk about next.
Clove cigarettes - Clove cigarettes contain cloves other than tobacco. The cloves numb your throat and mouth so the smoke isn't as harsh. Djarum blacks are indubitably the best clove cigarettes. They contain 60% cloves and 40% tobacco. They are black unlike most cigarettes, which attracts attention. Though sometimes unwanted attention, because people will want to mooch them from you. They taste very sweet like candy. I like to lick my lips after putting the butt in my mouth, to taste the sugary goodness. The filler is very densely packed so it burns very slowly almost like a cigar. They also crackle when they burn, which is kind of cool. Though the one downside to these is that they are much more harmful to your health, containing more tar, and additives than most cigarettes. You also get sick of these after a while. Some clove cigarettes are actually more harsh, probably the ones with a higher tobacco to clove ratio, and it feels like you're inhaling a swarm of angry wasps.
Sizes - Normally a cigarette is about the size of your middle finger. 100's may be an inch longer. Girth may also vary with the brand. Capri brand cigarettes have a very small girth and are only socially acceptable for females.
Health
It is a well known fact that using tobacco is detrimental to health. Here are some precautions to minimize health risks:
- Buy cigarettes with the least amount or no additives such as American Spirits. Also be conscious of the tar content.
- Smokers break down Vitamin C about twice as fast as nonsmokers. This can deprive the body of adequate amounts of one the most powerful and versatile antioxidants at our disposal. Other vitamins like B vitamins are depleted as well. Therefore, supplementation with Vitamin C and Vitamin B Complex 50 are essential for this formula to replenish what is lost by the damaging effects of smoking. Milk Thistle Extract is also used as a powerful antioxidant that protects against cell damage.
- It is also important to take a long deep breath in between hits, to minimize oxygen deprivation which can cause lightheadedness and headaches, and this may also reduce the less desirable adrenergic effects.
In this overview I will try to cover all of the aspects of using tobacco for mind alteration and social purposes. Nicotinia americum is the most commonly used tobacco strain among commercial cigarettes. It is often treated with many carcinogenic, radioactive, and toxic substances. Smoking any plant material will produce tar. Nicotine is the primary psychoactive alkaloid. Theirs is also traces of harmaline which is a MonoAO inhibitor, but theirs significantly more in nicotinia rustica.
Pharmacology:
Nicotine is a very unique drug pharmacologically. It is a cholinergic. It binds to most nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and causes release of epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, vasopressin, and in higher dosages serotonin and beta-endorphin. The adrenergic (epinephrine) effect may be much stronger when tobacco is smoked, because it enters your bloodstream faster than any other ROA for it, causing the adrenaline rush.
Effects:
The first effect of smoking tobacco are an immediate adrenaline rush. If you do not have a tolerance than it may be very sudden and powerful, sometimes overwhelming. For a seasoned smoked it comes on gradually after several puffs or even cigarettes. After the adrenaline rush fades theirs is a sense of physical energy, and may be an urge to run and jump around, an increased sensitivity to stimuli, and blood racing. Then the user may experience a warm body feel, increase in cognitive function, increase in motivation and alertness, maybe some queasiness and decreased appetite. Their may also be a feeling of aggression during the transition to this phase. At higher doses the user may experience calmness, and a warm pain relieving effect similar to a runners high or an opiate. Nicotine is generally well-tolerate in combination with other drugs in moderation and can be a good compliment by boosting euphoria.
Too much nicotine - This can be extremely unpleasant, and has happened to me many times. It feels like you're poisoned with some industrial toxin or something. The worst part is the nausea, probably caused by dopamine overload in a certain part of the brain. Mild overdose nausea can be easily reversed with a little marijuana, though it loses it's effectiveness after bigger OD's of nicotine. Stronger overdoses can best be reversed with an anti-cholinergic. Diphenhydramine, an OTC medication, is probably the best option. Brands include Sominex, Unisom, and benadryl. 50-100mg's should effectively counter the nicotine’s effects.
Etiquette:
Someone offers you a cigarette. Simply pull one out from the box with your thumb and index finger. It can be held any way you want. I like to hold it between my index and middle finger, sometimes also using my thumb for extra support.
Now you must light the cigarette. Matches can usually be obtained free at a gas station but are the most impractical. The slightest gust of wind can blow them out and you have to strike another one. Cheap gas-station lighters don't work very well and they break easily. Bic lighters are very good. They are durable, long-lasting, and easy to use. Zippo lighters look cool and are easily refillable, but they have very little wind-resistance. Torch lighters are very wind-resistant, and often stylish, but they eat up fluid very fast and can sometimes burn right through a cigarette or set it on fire.
To light the cigarette, hold the flame to the tip of it and suck on the butt as you do it. With large cigar's you have to rotate the tip over the flame so it will burn evenly. Usually I will blow some oxygen on the tip of the cigarette before I start inhaling, because it tends to burn mostly the paper the first time or burn weakly.
Then you simply inhale the smoke deeply into your lungs and exhale just as quickly, like a normal breathe. With a cigar you don't want to inhale, just get it into your mouth and savor the flavor and aroma. One way to know that you've inhaled properly- the smoke can involuntarily be exhaled through your nose. You can exhale through your nose or your mouth. I find it most refreshing to exhale through your nose with menthol cigarettes. It is also important to take a long deep breath in between hits, to minimize oxygen deprivation which can cause lightheadedness and headaches, and reduce the less desirable adrenergic effects.
You may want to tamp the cigarette every once in a while with your index, into an ashtray or somewhere suitable, if the ash gets too long. Otherwise it may fall on your shirt or shoes or brand new carpet. With a cigar, it's a bit different. You have to push the ash off into a surface.
If you're a noob you have to be careful how much you're getting. If you start to feel fucked up or legs feel like jello, you may want to put it out and save it for next time you feel like having a smoke. Though theirs a thing even to this. If you just jam it out then it will stink. You need to gently knock off the cherry (burnt part). Then the tip should be of loose tobacco rather than nasty black tar and ash.
When I’m done with a cigarette I like to flick it off somewhere. Though be careful when you're doing this in public. You may hit someone in the face and get in an unpleasant situation. In public it's better to just drop it on the ground and put it out with your foot. I wouldn't worry too much about starting a fire with the new fire-safety cigarettes, but I’ve once seen a trash can on fire at a gas station because someone dropped a lit cigarette in their. So it's best to put it out, especially in natural environments.
Choosing the right cigarette:
Cigarettes come in many brands, strengths, sizes, colours, flavors, etc.
If you're a noob you may want to start with something weak like Marlboro ultra lights. When I had my first one, even these gave me a crazy head rush and fucked up drunk feeling. If those fail to give you a buzz then you can move on to super lites, lites, mediums, regulars, or unfiltered cigarettes.
Sonoma's are the cheapest cigarettes in the US to my knowledge, though prices may vary from state to state. These are also very poor quality. Like smoking dried up newspaper. Though if you want to save on tobacco spending, then it's best to get a rolling machine, filter papers, and cigarette tobacco and just make your own. The downside to this is it can be time consuming, so it's best to roll a great amount when you're bored or have nothing else to do.
Uniltered cigarettes give a mean buzz and robust flavor. But the tobacco gets in your mouth sometimes which is nasty and it may discolor your teeth more than filtered cigs.
Menthols have a far better flavor than normal cig's in my opinion. They give a cool refreshing feeling in your lungs and wherever else the smoke passes through. Newport’s are a good brand of menthol cig's. Camel crush and camel frosts are also very good menthols. Camel crush's have an interesting thing were you have to crush up these mint flavor crystals in the butt, so it tastes nice and fresh. I suspect that the menthol may give an extra relaxing effect to the buzz.
American spirits - This cigarette brand claims to be free of any additives. These may be a good option for those with health concerns. These also take longer to smoke, similiar to clove cigarettes which I will talk about next.
Clove cigarettes - Clove cigarettes contain cloves other than tobacco. The cloves numb your throat and mouth so the smoke isn't as harsh. Djarum blacks are indubitably the best clove cigarettes. They contain 60% cloves and 40% tobacco. They are black unlike most cigarettes, which attracts attention. Though sometimes unwanted attention, because people will want to mooch them from you. They taste very sweet like candy. I like to lick my lips after putting the butt in my mouth, to taste the sugary goodness. The filler is very densely packed so it burns very slowly almost like a cigar. They also crackle when they burn, which is kind of cool. Though the one downside to these is that they are much more harmful to your health, containing more tar, and additives than most cigarettes. You also get sick of these after a while. Some clove cigarettes are actually more harsh, probably the ones with a higher tobacco to clove ratio, and it feels like you're inhaling a swarm of angry wasps.
Sizes - Normally a cigarette is about the size of your middle finger. 100's may be an inch longer. Girth may also vary with the brand. Capri brand cigarettes have a very small girth and are only socially acceptable for females.
Health
It is a well known fact that using tobacco is detrimental to health. Here are some precautions to minimize health risks:
- Buy cigarettes with the least amount or no additives such as American Spirits. Also be conscious of the tar content.
- Smokers break down Vitamin C about twice as fast as nonsmokers. This can deprive the body of adequate amounts of one the most powerful and versatile antioxidants at our disposal. Other vitamins like B vitamins are depleted as well. Therefore, supplementation with Vitamin C and Vitamin B Complex 50 are essential for this formula to replenish what is lost by the damaging effects of smoking. Milk Thistle Extract is also used as a powerful antioxidant that protects against cell damage.
- It is also important to take a long deep breath in between hits, to minimize oxygen deprivation which can cause lightheadedness and headaches, and this may also reduce the less desirable adrenergic effects.