When I first started smoking cigars and a while thereafter, I struggled with what smokers call "Nicotine Sickness". Most people have experienced it in one form or another, and unfortunately it can quickly turn a would-be cigar enthusiast off to the whole hobby. Here I will share some information to help cope with and avoid this unfortunate side-effect of a wonderful hobby. This is not intended to be a fool-proof plan and it will take some tweaking depending on your body size and tolerance, but I hope the tips help keep you enjoying cigars instead of regretting them.

1) Be mindful of the cigars you choose to smoke.

You wouldn't give a glass of cask-strength whisky to a 100 pound woman, so why would you let a new or low-tolerance smoker have a Camacho? It is true that different cigars can have vastly different levels of nicotine, and you should pick your cigar accordingly. I know someone who got sick from a Drew Estate Java Maduro.

Ask your local tobacconist or a knowledgeable friend for recommendations on a smoke with less nicotine. Don't be fooled by color - darker smokes don't necessarily have more nicotine, nor do Maduros. Also - don't mistake body for nicotine content. There are some light bodied cigars out there that have a ton of nicotine, and some medium to full bodied smokes that wouldn't hurt a fly. I have included a partial list of smokes at the bottom that a new smoker should generally stay away from, but rely on the advice of friends to select a stick suited to your particular tolerance.

2) Water

It has been said over and over that you should drink something sweet if you are starting to experience nicotine sickness, but I have never see this to actually work.

The best thing I have found to curb the effects of nicotine sickness, which are nausea, 'the shakes', dizziness, and pale color (among others), is water. As soon as you start to experience the symptoms of nicotine sickness, you would do well to drink (chug) ten to twelve ounces of water. Nicotine, as any other drug, circulates in your blood and the fastest way to decrease the side-effects is to dilute the drug with water. Water will absorb into your system much faster than a sugary drink and get to work in a matter of minutes.

2.5) Eat Something!

I can't believe I forgot this one! (Thanks RX2010)

Having something in your stomach will help buffer the effects. Doesn't necessarily matter what it is, but get a good meal in your belly before lighting up that stogie.


3) Don't nose smoke

Indeed pushing some of the cigar's smoke out through your nose allows you to taste many more facets of the smoke, but the nicotine you get from a cigar is absorbed through your mouth's mucous membranes. These are pretty thick when compared to your nose's mucous membranes, and when you put smoke through your nose you are not only letting it pass over the extremely thin and blood filled membrane of your septum, but you are giving the smoke much more surface area through which to absorb. Its tempting, but don't do it!

4) Smoke outside

Enjoy your cigar somewhere outside where you won't be sitting in the smoke and inhaling it constantly. Your lungs allow for nicotine to pass directly into your blood stream, which is why inhaling cigar smoke is such a bad idea for someone who does not have an insane nicotine tolerance. Just because a chain-smoking cigarette smoker can inhale a cigar doesn't mean you can or should.

5) Spit

Gross, maybe, but spitting may be your best ally. There is nicotine dissolved in your spit, so before sipping water after every puff (which is advised) to cleanse your palate, hawk a little loogie on ground so you don't swallow your spit with the water and thus absorb the nicotine in your stomach.

6) Stop Smoking

Finally, and probably most importantly, as soon as you start to feel sick, put your cigar down. I know that it is a shame to let a great cigar go to waste, but it certainly is better than huddling over the toilet and vomiting because you didn't want to let a great cigar go to waste. Nicotine takes a few minutes to absorb into your system through your mucous membranes and as such it will get worse before it gets better. This being the case - as soon as you feel woozy or nauseated, put the stick down. I would also suggest standing up every five minutes or so while you smoke to see if you are getting dizzy, which is hard to gauge sitting down.

I hope this information is helpful and allows you to enjoy this fine hobby without regretting any part of it!

-Mark

Cigars to stay away from if you have a low nicotine tolerance:

Anything by Camacho, Tatuaje, or Illusione
Arturo Fuente Aņejo, Opus X, and Hemingway, Don Carlos
Joya De Nicaragua Antaņjo and Celebracion
5 Vegas Black and Miami
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Adding to that list is the Don Carlos Edicion de Anivarsario
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don't forget, EAT SOMETHING!

before, after, during. Food will help to quell the sickness
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I like your advice... but sometime you just have to push through it!!!:-)

The first time it happened to me, Bobarian said "Now that you finished your 6X60 Camacho Triple Maduro you need something mild to smoke!!!":-)
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Cant believe I forgot that! I had so many things floating around in my head I forgot that one! Thanks!
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I found that taking a teaspoon of sugar helps or drink root beer as it has loads of sugar. Food in the tummy is the best way to help fend off the over buzz.
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heh, no problem, I've just been there many times as I don't get to smoke too frequently
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If you start to get the feeling of Nicotine sickness, plain sugar is the quickest cure. Candy is ok, but a couple of spoons of straight sugar will get into the bloodstream quicker and will reduce the effects.

There are a couple of other smokes to stay away from on an empty stomach:
LFD Double Ligero
El Cobre
Litto Gomez Diez-IMHO the strongest stick out there, particularly the Chisel.
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BostonMark, I think this thread would be helpful for people to know the culprits that seem to get many of us. You listed a few and here are a few more:
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2752
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I have to agree with the Litto Gomez. Wow those things are strong.
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the 5 vegas miami has done me in before...
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:-)

An LGD Small Batch number 2 almost killed me and a sugar packet saved my life.
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This needs to be a sticky. Funny, the SECOND Opus X I had had me a bit dizzy and as much as I hated to stop smoking it, I only managed to get thru 1/2 of it before I put it down for good. No point in making yourself sick, no matter how much the stogie costs. My 1st Opus didn't bother me. I guess it should be added, then, that you may experience different levels of discomfort(or lack thereof) with the same cigar smoked at different times.
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AWESOME. good post man
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I made it alive through a JdN and a Chisel, and I thought I could make it through an Opus. Boy was I wrong.
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Great post, should be mandatory for newbies to read.
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I got The Sickness last night with a Camacho Corojo Scorpion, and you wouldn't believe how quickly relief came when I dissolved a couple teaspoons of sugar on my tongue. Part of the nicotine sickness is lowered blood sugar, so there's merit to the sugar theory. I was even more relieved when I followed up with a big glass of water. So, for me, two teaspoons of sugar and a big glass of water does the trick, but I'd rather just have a full stomach and not go through all that in the first place :-)
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sugar, sugar, sugar...

Works every time...
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Maybe Mary Poppins was talking about cigars too..... "Just a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down..."
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You know none of those things really seem to influence why I get "nicotine sickness". However, probably the single biggest factor is how I smoke the cigar.

Specifically whether I smoke it fast or slow. The faster I smoke a cigar, the more likely that I'll get sick. For example, I've smoked LGD Chiesel, 601 Green, Tatuaje, etc... without any problems (and I always smoke my "strongest" cigar in the morning before breakfast and just with a cup of coffee) and I snork all my cigars these days.

But the last time I did get sick (to the point where I was really, REALLY close to heaving) was with an Oliva V, which is hardly a heavy weight (medium/full in terms of strength), but because it was so damn tasty, I was puffing away at it. By the time I hit the 1/2 mark, I was feeling it.

So #7 should be: Smoke at a slower pace.
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