Cigars are really popular in Cuba, after all, they are one of the main exports from the country, so it won’t be a difficult task to get your hands on one if you visit.
However, if you have ever smoked a cigar before, you may have noticed that while or after you’ve smoked it you’ve started to feel a bit of a buzz.
Don’t panic if you get this feeling, it’s just the nicotine that’s causing you to feel this way.
A lot of people can feel almost like they’ve been spiked after their first cigar because that feeling can be so strong. But don’t fret, you’re not high you’re just experiencing a nicotine rush.
You may have a few questions like how or why? Keep reading and I’ll break it all down for you.
Can You Get A Nicotine Buzz From Smoking A Cigar?
Yes. How strong of a rush you’ll get depends on how you smoke your cigar but in most cases, especially if you’re not used to smoking, you will experience a nicotine rush from puffing away on a cigar.
This is because the nicotine levels in a cigar are much higher in cigars than they are in a standard cigarette.
What Is A Nicotine Rush?
Most people are aware of what nicotine is but just in case you don’t, it’s a chemical that is found in plants, mainly tobacco plants, that is highly addictive.
Not only is it highly addictive but it also acts as a stimulant when it’s ingested which can make you experience a bit of a rush.
When you ingest this substance it basically makes the messages that are sent from your brain and your body to move at a much quicker rate.
It can also release chemicals that cause the body pleasure, such as noradrenaline and dopamine.
When all of this is going on, to some people it can feel almost energizing, but more often than not it can make many people feel quite dizzy.
This isn’t the only side effect either it can also cause a tingling sensation in your body and make you feel quite nauseous.
The more nicotine that you ingest, the more severe these negative reactions are likely to be.
Then you’ll also need to take into consideration your tolerance. People who smoke regularly and are used to higher ingestion of nicotine are more likely to be unaffected from the effects of a cigar.
Someone who never smokes, however, is likely to feel quite the buzz after smoking a cigar.
How Long Does The Buzz Last?
There’s no standard answer for this question. Again, it will really all depend on the person because the buzz will last as long as it takes your body to break down the chemicals it’s ingested.
There isn’t massive research on this subject, but from what research there is the half-life of nicotine is approximately 2 hours, so usually within 4 hours most if not all of the effects should have worn off, but of course, this is only in theory, the actual results may differ.
Can Cigars Get You High?
A lot of people are under the misconception that cigars can get you high but that’s not really true. This confusion probably comes from not being able to distinguish the nicotine rush from an actual high.
When you smoke a few cigarettes or a cigar, the buzz that you experience comes solely from the nicotine in the product.
The effects from this are much milder than that of THC for example which can be found in marijuana.
Regardless though, nicotine is still highly addictive and unhealthy for your body, so you should try to limit your nicotine intake where you can.
Because nicotine releases pleasure chemicals in your brain, your body craves it more and more.
However to receive the same feeling again, each time you’ll need a little bit more and a little bit more of the chemical.
So as time goes on you’ll need to keep increasing the amount that you smoke which is why a smoker may jump from just a couple a day to say 10 or 20 per day.
Likewise, someone may jump from milder cigars to much more full-bodied ones.
Factors That Will Effect A Nicotine Buzz
You may want to just keep an eye out for addictive tendencies or perhaps you just want to avoid a nicotine rush because you don’t like the feeling.
But if it’s something you’re hoping to avoid you’ll want to consider the 3 main factors that will impact the effects that you feel.
The Speed In Which You Smoke
If you don’t like the feeling of a nicotine rush, you may want to avoid smoking too quickly. This is because the quicker you smoke, the faster the nicotine enters your bloodstream.
And the faster it enters your bloodstream the more you’ll feel those dizzying effects. If you do plan on smoking a cigar, take it slow, after all, a cigar should be enjoyed and not rushed anyway.
Your Tolerance Levels
If you don’t often smoke and are trying a cigar for the first time, I would definitely advise taking your time and pacing yourself.
This is because your body isn’t yet accustomed to the nicotine and so it’ll be more of a shock to the system which will give you more severe side effects from the nicotine in your bloodstream.
If you are trying out a cigar for the first time, try a small and thin cigar first, as the really big Cuban Cigars are likely to knock you right off your feet.
Inhaling Smoke From Cigars
Smoking a cigarette and smoking a cigar are not the same thing. If you are smoking a cigar you are not meant to inhale the way that you do with a standard cigarette.
And here is another reason why you shouldn’t – it’ll make your nicotine rush worse.
You will still ingest some nicotine and it is likely that you may still experience a nicotine rush, however, it will not be half as bad as it would be if you inhaled the smoke from your cigar.
Final Thoughts
So now you know that the feeling that you get when you smoke a cigar is simply just a nicotine rush. If you smoke a cigarette fast enough, you’ll get the same feeling there too.
The buzz can be a bit of a harder kick than you’ll get with nicotine since there’s so much more of it in a cigar and that can be what leads people to think that cigars can get you high.
But this is just a myth, or perhaps just a mistake that people make since it can leave you feeling a lot different from how you do when you’re sober.
And while I won’t tell you that you can’t enjoy the occasional cigar here and there, I think it’s really important to remind you that just because there are no drugs in cigars and you’re not getting high doesn’t mean that they’re good for you.
They are still filled with nicotine which is a highly addictive substance so you should always smoke responsibly.
Once I got here, I fell in love. The buildings, the beaches, the monuments - I was in awe. I went on a different sightseeing walk every single day and never got bored of the city, which I had found to be a common issue while traveling through other places.
It just made sense for me to stick around in Havana from then on out. I never had the urge to keep backpacking, and I certainly didn’t want to return home to Utah now that I had seen this.
So, if you’re thinking of visiting Havana, stick around and learn more about the city from my website. Who knows, maybe I’ll see you out here!
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