Also the flavors can make you "like" smoking even if you don't really like the taste of tobacco, instead of those really liking tobacco should enjoy it at its purest. Also real tobacco is strong. That makes you much more absorb the nicotine through your mouth and just sometimes to your lungs. The worst are the "light" cigs, because people suck so hard on them they get a lot more bad stuff down their lungs than if had pipe smoking or smoking a stronger cig. Also, using weaker cigs you not only inhale more often, you inhale deeper. So in case you get cancer it is often the type at the bottom of your lungs and often untreatable.
Also a good pipe can enhance the taste of the tobacco. And it will be a ritual of peace to stuff and smoke your pipe, it is not like popping out in the drizzle or smoking desperately a cig under the kitchen fan just to have it done as soon as possible. You will probably smoke less time a day. And you will enjoy it more. After all if you are going to smoke anyway, why not make the most of it?
My granddad smoked the pipe. The fresh tobacco smelled so nice, almost like English breakfast tea. The place didn't smell so good because he only smoked inside with no windows open. The fresh smoke smelled nice, and I still love the smell, probably because I connect it with my granddad.
People have reported going through withdrawals when switching from cigs to pipe, even if they give themselves unlimited access to pipe tobacco. Tells me there is something added to the cigs to make them much, much worse.
My granddad was addicted but he went several hours between smokes and didn't seem to suffer. My dad smokes cigs and is always craving them. He is also prone to smoke the "lights" and flavored so I don't know how much he likes it, he is just terribly hooked, despite emphysema. My granddad never developed emphysema (I know, just 2 cases), even if he smoked all his life and my dad only smoked now and then in the 60s and picked it up in the 90s again. Since my granddad died from something unrelated in his mid to late 70s and my dad is 71 now there is not much comparison left.
I would be daring to say pipe smoking would not be especially harmful if it was done as it was meant to be, a bidaily time of relaxation, and no other cancerogenic stuff adding up to weakening the DNA, like these days we have a lot of toxins and our food is not as cancer protective. The life we lead today pressures the body into cancer much easier. So if you can stop smoking it would probably be good, both for cancer risk and risk of emphysema or other lung related problems. If you can't, I'm pretty sure pipe smoking is loads better than cigs.
But like I said, don't be surprised if you swap, if you get withdrawals while still getting tobacco, that is the withdrawals from the additives to cigs and the chemicals that make the nicotine hit you stronger.
