Tasting Wine and Snoring: The Non-smoking Edition

Two months into nicotine sobriety I can report that among the side effects that come with a cigarette free existence is a palate with heightened sensitivity. However, I can't say how heightened my sensitivity is to a wine's attributes and  characteristics. I can only say that it is heightened.

Perhaps without a layer of smoke and tar covering the inside of my mouth I am 40% more sensitive to taste, smell and texture. Perhaps it is only 20%.

The big question, however, is this: Do I enjoy wine more than I did when I accompanied each sip with a shellacking of smoky goodness?

This is an important question to me. I do like wine. I have since I was legally too young to drink it. But the moment in time when I liked wine the most, when I enjoyed the drinking experience most, was when I was tasting things I'd never tasted before, learning the fundamentals of wine's history and its component parts and when each wine I tasted helped fill up my vessel of wine experience and knowledge that was relatively empty.

Today, much less mystery exists for me where wine is concerned. And, importantly, the degree of sensitivity that has returned since stopping smoking is not so much that the drinking experiences I've recently had have been too much more enjoyable than those that came just prior to quitting that nasty, life-sucking, habitat-glazing practice of smoking.

It seems to me that the degree of joy we take from an experience is not so much only connected to our ability to use our five senses,  but rather from the actionable knowledge (of it or ourselves) that we gain from the experience. Proving once again that deflating the sensual characteristics of a 1945 Petrus by smoking cigarettes while consuming it may not lesson the real pleasure it can deliver much at all as long as the experience or knowledge connected to its consumption is primarily taken from the context in which it is consumed.

That said, for anyone wondering, since stopping for only 2 months I have indeed acquired a heightened sense of taste and smell; a greater lung capacity; an increased sense of what I'm capable of achieving and accomplishing; I've saved approximately $360; I smell better; And I'm told I don't snore quite as much.


11 Responses

  1. Risque Sommelier - December 19, 2009

    Risque says congratulations! May you swirl with greater olfactory pleasure.

  2. Chef E - December 22, 2009

    A tiny bit off subject- I drink scotch and have been told by my peers in the food industry that I am numbing taste buds before I eat their work of art, but that is so not true. I also have heightened taste buds, and find that scotch enhances in certain dishes, like beef, and bourbon with pork.
    Kudos to this blog, and how can I get on your feed?

  3. Sleep Apnea Symptoms - January 11, 2010

    Your blog is awe-inspiring. I have found many new things. Your way of staging is also fascinating. You have elected very incredible topic. I appreciated it.

  4. Natural Treatment for Sleep Apnea - February 26, 2010

    Snoring is a very critical issue. I like that your blog is ready to lend a hand in increasing awareness. I find your blog suitable to put forward my point. To stop snoring drinking alcohol should be stop those who drink and a proper treatment should be start.

  5. Samuel Wyse - July 28, 2010

    Snoring can indeed be annoying, but it also can be a health risk. Please make sure to rule out apnea with a sleep test. http://www.stopsnoringdevicestips.com

  6. snore books - September 4, 2010

    for me the number 1 caused of snoring is obesity..i witness it already..base on my uncle experienced

  7. milk chocolates - September 17, 2010

    I am torn between the Kindle and Canon EOS SLR. My dad’s a bookworm so I’m sure he’ll love the Kindle but then he’s also into photography! A new set of camera and lenses will make him happy. Well, I still have a few weeks to decide… Thanks for posting!

  8. SandyHatesSnoring - November 10, 2010

    Snoring can be dangerous if the air is cut off for more than ten seconds. Your heart has to pump harder because your blood oxygen level is too low. A quick search online will reveal all kinds of stop snoring remedies to try.

  9. crystal does not like snoring - November 11, 2010

    J have a snoring problem and don’t wish that on anyone. The natural remedies I have been told to stop snoring include losing weight, smoking cessation, and discontinuing the use of alcohol before bed. Sounds like you found out your reason. Now I need to work on mine.

  10. Doris Pender - March 20, 2011

    Oh, good thing you were able to quit it. My husband used to smoke A LOT. But when our dentist in Memphis, TN found out about his snoring while doing some work on his teeth and hubby fell asleep, he suspected that he has sleep apnea. It’s about his breathing, actually. We were both alarmed so the doc did some tests on him.
    Here are the major signs of the disorder, as far as I can recall:
    * Loud and chronic snoring
    * Choking, snorting, or gasping during sleep
    * Long pauses in breathing
    * Daytime sleepiness, no matter how much
    Anyway, I love your blog. My husband and I love wines. We try different kinds whenever we travel and there are plenty of bottles in our basement now. Hehe!

  11. how can i stop snoring - July 9, 2011

    Alcohol can cause snoring. By partaking of a drink or two you can be setting yourself up to snore. So, the best and easiest way to remedy snoring that is caused by alcohol consumption is to either drink less or in some cases, not drink liquor at all. If this isn’t an acceptable option another alternative might be to switch to another type of drink.


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