Hookahs (Water Pipes)

Hookah (narghile) smoking, which started in the Middle East, involves burning tobacco (called shisha and often mixed with flavors such as molasses or dried fruit) in a water pipe and inhaling the flavored smoke through a long hose. It has become popular in Western countries among younger people in recent years. Hookahs are marketed as being a safe alternative to cigarettes. This claim is false. The water does not filter out many of the toxins, and hookah smoke contains varying amounts of nicotine, carbon monoxide, and other hazardous substances. Several types of cancer, as well as other negative health effects, have been linked to hookah smoking.

 

Here is an email response I sent to a person who was trying to quit smoking and asked if it were safe to smoke hookah:

Your addiction is not to cigarettes-it is to nicotine. This product does indeed contain tobacco and thus has nicotine in it. Smoking it is reintroducing nicotine back into your system and thus is tantamount to a drug relapse. The same comment holds true for any tobacco product as well as any nicotine containing replacement products such as nicotine patches, gums, inhalers, etc.

So will using a tobacco containing product be detrimental to your quit-you bet and it is also going to detrimental to your health and very likely be detrimental to your life. That is the question you need to ask yourself now-how much fun is it using a tobacco product. Is it fun enough to die for? If not, always remember to stay smoke free really means in regards to tobacco products is never administering nicotine again via any source.
 
 Joel