Smoking Between Stages

[goldfieldshooter]

Not a problem in New Zealand. Our socialist run government of a few years back banned smoking in the workplace (can an amateur shooter smoke but a pro can't?)

and all public gatherings. A lot of shooting clubs took this as a guide and banned smoking on ranges and in clubrooms. The non-smoking club members were in the majority by this time so voted it in. If that's democracy 'you can stick it in your pipe and smoke it'!

By the way; I don't smoke now, but I see it as a choice. I know that when I gave up, the hills flattened out real quick.

Coatesy

[Dranoel]

try the gum. It's awesome!

I'm a nurse and I took care of this guy yesterday who quit smoking many years ago...but has been chewing nicorette gum every since! His doc seems to think that chewing nicotene is better than smoking it.

I've heard it said that if you hold your breath during a stage if will affect your vision. I would think that if you could oxygenate better (no smoking) you should be able to see better.

This is where gum, or e-cigs in my case, has the advantage. Nicotine is a neural stimulant. It has a calming effect and at the same time stimulates thought processes. In effect, calms the nerves and helps you think more clearly. It is the addictive drug in tobacco. However, nicotine does NOT inhibit blood oxygenation or affect your breathing. Nor has it been found to be carcinogous. Those symptoms are caused by the tar and carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke. With gum you get the nicotene but nothing enters your lungs to prevent proper breathing. With e-cigs all you are inhaling is distilled water vapor and the nicotine.

[StraightUp_OG]

E-Juice is either propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin not distilled water.

Edited September 10, 2014 by StraightUp_OG

[stuart1336]

Six weeks ago today I went from 30 cigarettes a day to using e-cigarrettes. I shoot practical shotgun in the UK and normally finish in the top 5. I am 45 and have been smoking for 30 years.

Last week and the week before were the last two competitions of the season and I finished second in both. I can't say that stopping the smoking made me shoot any faster but it had a noticeable effect on how I performed towards the end of the day. I just didn't get as tired as I normally do.

I don't do any formal exercise and I pay the price the night after a competition with soreness and cramps. Since stopping the smoking I don't get these problems.

I'm under no illusions that I still need to stop altogether but the e cigarettes I feel are a good start and a "Harm reduction" strategy.

Stopping cigarettes can be really hard and if you are finding it hard give the fake ones a try.

I would advise anyone thinking of doing it to go to a proper shop that sells them. Don't both with the ones that look like cigarettes and are sold at gas stations. Get a proper one and some good liquid (juice) with a high nicotine content. Then start lowering this down after a few weeks.

[Zoomy]

I smoke an occasional cigar but donot smoke during competitions so I cannot give a personal account how it would affect my shooting performance. My dad who was in the Korean War used to tell me that cigarettes where given to to them in their ration packs. He said most smoked especially when anticipating a conflict everyone seemed to chain smoking. He said it helped calm the nerves so they could compete missions more competently.

[mnpfamily]

I've checked numerous times, my BP is actually considerably lower after smoking a cigar than before.

[elguapo]

Smoking cigarettes cannot be compared to smoking fine pipe or cigar tobacco.

Both the quality of what one is smoking and how one smokes it are both completely, radically different.

If time allows, I will ocassionally light up a pipe after shooting a stage. The overwhelming majority of comments from the squad are positive, mostly about how good it smells.

Edited November 23, 2014 by elguapo

[Corey]

I love the smell/taste of a good cigar or pipe. Don't smoke either between stages or when shooting. Maybe at the hotel afterward perhaps.

Can't stand the smell of cigarettes.

[newmexicocrawler]

I was at a match a couple weekends ago and there was a revo guy who shot every stage with a lit CIG hanging out of his mouth

[Nugget]

Awesome! Was he wearing a serape?

[Swanny10]

Nicotine by itself IS (as a general rule) a performance enhancing substance. Like all substances, dosing has to be tailored to the individual. Some people have a higher tolerance than others. And like all substances, the more exposure an individual has the more attenuated he/she becomes. The more attenuated one gets, the higher the dosage has to be to elicit the same response. At a certain point an individual has to dose just to be "normal". The sweet spot is when an individual becomes familiar enough with the stimulant that a dose doesn't cause an acute response that overwhelms the person but not so familiar with the substance that the effects are stunted.

[Youngeyes]

I'll say this once because people won't like it . All types of smoking can cause cancer and are potentially life threatening. I ask that you all rethink your positions.

try the gum. It's awesome!

I'm a nurse and I took care of this guy yesterday who quit smoking many years ago...but has been chewing nicorette gum every since! His doc seems to think that chewing nicotene is better than smoking it.

I've heard it said that if you hold your breath during a stage if will affect your vision. I would think that if you could oxygenate better (no smoking) you should be able to see better.

This is where gum, or e-cigs in my case, has the advantage. Nicotine is a neural stimulant. It has a calming effect and at the same time stimulates thought processes. In effect, calms the nerves and helps you think more clearly. It is the addictive drug in tobacco. However, nicotine does NOT inhibit blood oxygenation or affect your breathing. Nor has it been found to be carcinogous. Those symptoms are caused by the tar and carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke. With gum you get the nicotene but nothing enters your lungs to prevent proper breathing. With e-cigs all you are inhaling is distilled water vapor and the nicotine.

No you're not

Smoking cigarettes cannot be compared to smoking fine pipe or cigar tobacco.

Both the quality of what one is smoking and how one smokes it are both completely, radically different.

If time allows, I will ocassionally light up a pipe after shooting a stage. The overwhelming majority of comments from the squad are positive, mostly about how good it smells.

Yes it can. They all cause cancer

Nicotine by itself IS (as a general rule) a performance enhancing substance. Like all substances, dosing has to be tailored to the individual. Some people have a higher tolerance than others. And like all substances, the more exposure an individual has the more attenuated he/she becomes. The more attenuated one gets, the higher the dosage has to be to elicit the same response. At a certain point an individual has to dose just to be "normal". The sweet spot is when an individual becomes familiar enough with the stimulant that a dose doesn't cause an acute response that overwhelms the person but not so familiar with the substance that the effects are stunted.

Nicotine addiction can be as hard to break as an opiate. There is no "sweet spot " to an addiction

I had to try. Be safe people.

[Swanny10]

Youngeyes-

"Nicotine addiction can be as hard to break as an opiate. There is no "sweet spot " to an addiction"

I never said it was not addictive. Nor did I apply the term "sweet spot" to addiction. My post attempted to address nicotine as a performance enhancer. Which it can be. And like almost every effective acute performance enhancer there can be health consequences if abused. People often confuse health with performance. Many of the things elite athletes include in their prep are counterproductive to long term health. I think we have reached a point in our society where adults know that smoking has the potential to be addictive and unhealthy.

My bad for not clarifying the intent of my post.

[Youngeyes]

Youngeyes-

"Nicotine addiction can be as hard to break as an opiate. There is no "sweet spot " to an addiction"

I never said it was not addictive. Nor did I apply the term "sweet spot" to addiction. My post attempted to address nicotine as a performance enhancer. Which it can be. And like almost every effective acute performance enhancer there can be health consequences if abused. People often confuse health with performance. Many of the things elite athletes include in their prep are counterproductive to long term health. I think we have reached a point in our society where adults know that smoking has the potential to be addictive and unhealthy.

My bad for not clarifying the intent of my post.

No problem Swanny10. Certainly no need to apologize. You are quite correct that nicotine is a stimulant. My point was that there is no sweet spot in performance enhancing drugs. Your body adapts almost immediately and requires a re adjustment of the chemical. My bad for using the term "addiction" .

[Vlad]

Everything is bad for you and eventually we all die.

[Youngeyes]

Everything is bad for you and eventually we all die.

Maybe in New Jersey......

[Lifeislarge]

I quit in December after 30 years and almost instantly noticed a difference in my cardio. I never made the connection between high CO levels and fatigue until I started researching prior to quitting. The CO molecules take the place of oxygen molecules in the blood stream which effectively delivers less oxygen. Who knew??? I'm thoroughly addicted to the gum and tic-tacs but will eventually wean myself off of those as well. At least I've broken the physical habit of lighting up.

As a side note I refuse to become a radical born again smoker. If you want to smoke, smoke. You'll know when it's time to quit (or are forced to). I'm not even sure if I even feel like a non-smoker yet.