While cigarette smoking is decreasing, other forms of nicotine and tobacco smoking are increasing. A recent survey found that 1 in 5 high school seniors reported smoking from a hookah in the past year and more than a third of those were regular users. Others were using forms of e-cigarettes like the VooPoo Drag 2, but hookah use surpassed cigarette smoking for the first time in history this year. But, is smoking from a hookah better or worse than cigarettes?
The Study:
Researchers from a new study reviewed 54 scientific articles related to hookah and cigarette smoking. Afterwards, they analyzed the results from the 17 studies with the most robust data in a meta analysis. The results were not good for hookah users. The researchers found that one hookah session delivers approximately 125 times the amount of smoke, 25 times the tar, 2.5 times the nicotine and 10 times the carbon monoxide. The dizzy feeling users experience after smoking a hookah could actually be mild carbon monoxide poisoning according to another study.
As to which is worse for you, 1 hookah session is clearly worse than one cigarette. However, we can’t conclude from this study whether 1 hookah session a day is worse than a pack of cigarettes a day, for example. Suffice it to say that both are really bad for you. The study didn’t look into the use of vaporizers which could still be better for you than both of them, more research will have to be done and concluded, if you’re wanting to quit the cigarettes and switch to vaping, start off by buying a vape battery kit from sites like https://ojivape.com/category/batteries/.
Conclusion:
Using a hookah is not a healthy alternative to cigarette smoking. This study indicates that it might be even worse. This is a reason why so many people have decided to move from cigarettes to vape pens purchased from a vape shop as it is one of the few legitimate alternatives that may not have quite as severe effects as cigarettes, which of course is appealing. You might not end up looking like Jaba the Hutt, but smoking from a hookah certainly isn’t going to do you any favors. So if you’re looking to quit, you would be far better off looking at different vape pens, vape kits with pods, nicorette patches or nicorette chewing gum. Overall, smoking in general is just not great for your health, so make sure you do something about it.
Citation:
Ashurst, John V., Megan Urquhart, and Matthew D. Cook. “Carbon monoxide poisoning secondary to hookah smoking.” The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association 112.10 (2012): 686-688.