After a long five-day workweek, most people look forward to the weekend to kick back and relax with family and friends. I know I do. But if your idea of “kicking back” and “relaxing” involves hookah and vaping you might want to be cautious and reconsider a change in your habit. Although hookah and vaping appear to be harmless fun and the sweet delicious flavors from the vapors seem irresistible and tempting, hookahs and vaping can impact your lungs, bladder, mouth and much more if you continue to use it or be exposed to secondhand hookah smoke.
Some of you may ask what exactly is hookah or vaping and what if I only do it once in a while will it still impact my health?
Hookahs are water pipes used to smoke tobacco products that can come in an assortment of flavors, such as watermelon, cherry, chocolate, apple, cappuccino, etc.
READ: FDA Tells Three Small E-Cigarette Makers to Stop Selling Flavored Products
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Hookahs were commonly used in India and Persia many centuries ago but within recent years hookahs and vaping have gained popularity among the youth, and the super sophisticated professionals within the U.S.
When you go to a hookah bar you can expect to see a trendy, down-to-earth, or suave type of atmosphere with music and possible alcohol.
And if you happen to be alone and want others to join you the hookah lounge can accommodate a group by simply adding additional hookah pipes.
This laidback and fun atmosphere is really geared towards young adults and is selling the image as if this is a safe way to socialize with friends but in actuality, this deadly enclosed space is a misconception that can give you cancer.
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Hookah and vaping usage is on the rise among the
youth and is marketed towards you, the sophisticated and the laid-back.
A recent study conducted by Monitoring the Future in 2018 found “Nearly 1 in every 13 (7.8%) high school students in the United States had used hookahs to smoke tobacco during the previous year.”
In addition, the highest hookah usage was observed in larger cities within the Northeast part of the U.S., where 1 in 6 (15.0%) young adults aged 19-30 years had admitted to smoking hookahs within the previous year.
Participants in another study abstained from all tobacco usage for a week and later spent an evening smoking in a hookah bar. The results revealed that the participants had nicotine levels “as much as 70 times higher than they were before the hookah bar exposure.”
READ: Hookah: Healthy Or Hazardous?
The CDC says, hookah smoking or any electric smoking device is not a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes and there is no safe level of secondhand smoke exposure either; especially if you hang out in a lounge and live in an apartment complex.
Secondhand smoke can slowly drift into your home through various ways such as through the windows, electrical outlets, ac vents, and leave your clothes and furniture to appear as if you are a smoker putting your family’s health at risk.
Here’s what you really need to know about hookah smoking and vaping:
- Studies show that hookah contains the same highly addictive and harmful chemicals found in cigarettes such as nicotine, tar and heavy metals.
- The heat used to burn the hookah tobacco releases carbon monoxide into your atmosphere
- A 1-hour hookah smoking session can cause you to be exposed and inhale 100-200 times the amount of smoke you would inhale from a single cigarette smoke.
- Tobacco-based shisha and “herbal” shisha show that smoke from both preparations contains carbon monoxide and other toxic agents known to increase the risks for smoking-related cancers, heart disease, and lung disease.
- Hookah tobacco and vaping contain several toxic agents known to cause lung, bladder, oral cancers, stomach cancer, cancer of the esophagus, reduced lung function, and decrease fertility.
- Babies born to people who use hookah are also at an increased risk for respiratory diseases
READ: Ready To Quit Smoking? Find A Class To Help You
It doesn’t matter how appeasing hookah and vaping appear to the eye, it is NOT a safe alternative to smoking. Using tobacco products is addictive and inherently dangerous to your health. Long-term usage and exposure to smoking can cause cancer and shorten your life with your loved ones who would want to cherish every moment with you. If you are thinking about quitting and would like help to kick your smoking habit resources are available to you here.
