Day 8

Today is the eighth day since I have started to refrain from smoking my pipes and pipe tobacco.  From my perspective it feels like it has been a great deal longer, months perhaps.  And, even though in the greater scheme of things, it is really only a minor inconvenience and nothing serious at all... to me, it has been difficult and challenging.  So, as I write more today and probably into the future, please keep in mind that my thoughts and feelings are admittedly inconsequential in comparison to so many real world problems that are faced.... and I know this.  But, at the individual, personal level, my writing and expressing my thoughts, ideas and emotions as I try to take this journey are a real reflection of what I do feel in my own mind and in my own body.  Again, I *do* know that compared to so many things that are of far, far greater importance, my own qualms, discomforts, and emotions about this are wholly forgettable and insignificant.  But, my writing about them, I believe, helps me.  And, perhaps my writing about these thoughts will help me to persevere in this effort. 

Comments from friends in my Day 6 post gave me some suggestions on ways in which I may better cope with the emotional aspects of my "love affair" with the pipe and pipe tobacco.  And, interestingly enough, I had done exactly what had been suggested.... before I started this journey, I carefully cleaned thoroughly one of my favorite pipes, and used ample pipe cleaners through its stem and bowl, and have carried it around with me as I started this journey.  I did this for exactly the reasons suggested to me in the comments... to have a way to attempt to reduce the sense of detachment at the emotional level from this hobby/habit that I have willingly and joyfully participated in for many, many decades.  As could be predicted.... having the clean pipe with me does offer some modest emotional comfort, but as also could be predicted, it is incomplete.  But, as I keep it with me and even sometimes clench the stem between my teeth, it is perhaps helping me to gradually work thorough some of these thoughts and feelings that I have.

The unpleasant nicotine lozenges and equally unpleasant "e-device" have also been a part of my effort.  As I wrote a few days ago, I decided that the lozenges/"e-device" were things I would have as options during this effort if needed, but my thought was to utilize them in a way that at maximum would  be used during the four most "critical" times in a day when I have reached commonly for the friendship of my pipe.... early morning, arriving home from work, in the evening at the start of relaxing, and prior to sleep.  In thinking about my pipe hobby/habit, those were the four times I found myself MOST finding enjoyment and pleasure in the hobby/habit.... with the arriving home from work being the MOST consistent and looked forward to, and the just prior to bed being the second most consistently looked forward to. 

So, I have used the lozenge or an "e-device" at those occasions on some of the days thus far.  I had presumed the nicotine would fill the physical/physiological/biochemical/psychoactive aspects of my pipe hobby/habit.  And, it seems they SHOULD do so if nicotine is the only actual biochemical/psychoactive component of this hobby/habit.  Thus far I have found the lozenge and e-device will quiet a bit some of the physical aspects, but it is by no means a complete substitution.  It makes me still wonder if there are other biochemical/psychoactive components in pipe tobacco that my mind is more attuned to and have been the factors that I have so enjoyed and have been what gave me the far greater sense of pleasure than these substitutes provide.  My searching on-line has yielded no clues or suggestions as to what this may be. 

PipeTobacco