About Shisha Addiction: Signs of Addiction

Shisha is a social phenomenon. It’s an exotic-looking, mysterious, ornate, sophisticated apparatus that is quite literally centre of a group of people having a good time. It comes with bright and vivid colors, a mystique pattern and gives smokers the potential to make smoke rings amongst their friends and impress them with this novel method of smoking. Shisha smoking enables groups of friends to sit and ponder deeply about issues they would otherwise not discuss, and all of these factors make shisha socially addictive. So it’s not just the nicotine that get’s you hooked on the hookah.

Some of the experts in shisha research have interviewed people who smoke shisha regularly. They found out 28% wanted to quit smoking shisha, but well over half of them had tried to quit but failed to do so.

A few years later, more research was completed and it showed that some shisha smokers started to have cravings similar to those seen in cigarette smokers. Remember that shisha smoking is frighteningly different to cigarettes, because if you’re getting addicted to shisha you simply take in deeper breaths and more puffs to get your body’s desired levels of nicotine (called “titration”). This makes the smoker unaware of how much nicotine they actually need to satisfy their body’s demands, and it’s hard to measure. However, with cigarettes it is a lot more straightforward – if you need more nicotine, you smoke more cigarettes – so it’s easier to measure how addicted someone is to cigarettes compared to shisha.

Signs of Addiction

Whether you’re addicted to alcohol, cigarettes, shisha, Facebook or computer games, the signs of addiction are generally the same. If you find any of the following habits, then think twice about how addicted you may be:

·         You spend too much time and money on shisha compared to occasional shisha smokers

·         You go out of your way to smoke shisha, especially at unordinary times, such as in the morning

·         You get annoyed if people criticise your shisha smoking habits

·         You lie to people about your shisha smoking habits

·         You smoke shisha on your own

·         You find it hard to quit smoking shisha even though you’ve tried several times

·         Shisha smoking has impacted on your daily routine i.e. you don’t get enough sleep because you smoke shisha late that also makes you late for college or work.

Which is Worse, Shisha or Cigarette?

According to the French anti-tobacco agency (OFT), a report from the French national laboratory revealed that smoking shisha gives off as much carbon monoxide as 15 to 52 cigarettes and as much tar as 27 to 102 cigarettes. Bertrand Dautzenberg, OFT President said, "The report confirms that smoking shisha is a major source of air pollution in closed and covered areas. If comparing the data to regular cigarette smoke, one shisha corresponds to1 an average of around 70 drags on a cigarette."

The tests were conducted by Laboratoire National d'Essais (LNE) on three types of shisha: shisha with self-lighting carbon used in small amounts, self-lighting carbon used in large amounts, and natural carbon shisha used in small volumes. The laboratory used the three parameters that are measured when analyzing smoke on a packet of cigarettes: the amount of tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide.

For 70 liters (16 gallons) of smoke produced by the shisha, the small amount self lighting carbon tar results were measured at 319 milligrams, 32 times the legal European limit for a cigarette, while the large amount self-lighting carbon measured at 266 milligrams, 27 times the cigarette limit, and the natural carbon measured at 1,023 milligrams, a 102 times more than a cigarette.

Carbon monoxide measurements fared badly as well, as tests indicated that the carbon measurements from the three types of shisha came to 17 times the normal cigarette limit, 15 times, and 52 times the limit. The self-lighting carbon in both large and small amounts for nicotine measured about one cigarette per shisha, while the natural carbon was the nicotine equivalent of smoking six cigarettes. 

Hookah-Hookah Shisha Flavors

Hookah-Hookah Shisha Tobacco is produced from a selected blend of flue cured Virginia tobacco. it is the mildest and sweetest of all blending tobaccos resulting in an exceptionally light smoke with a delightful flavor to smokers. Here you can find a list of Hookah-Hookah Premium Shisha flavors:

   

1.       Hookah-Hookah 7-Spice

2.       Hookah-Hookah Supreme Acai

3.       Hookah-Hookah Roasted Almond  

4.       Hookah-Hookah Caramel Banana Foster

5.       Hookah-Hookah Sweet Summer Blackberry

6.       Hookah-Hookah Blueberry Freeze

7.       Hookah-Hookah Butterscotch Satin

8.       Hookah-Hookah Soothing Chai  

9.       Hookah-Hookah Bubbly Champagne

10.   Hookah-Hookah Bursting Cherry

11.   Hookah-Hookah Chocolate Temptation

12.   Hookah-Hookah Cinnful Cinnamon

13.   Hookah-Hookah Exotic Clove

14.   Hookah-Hookah Refreshing Cola

15.   Hookah-Hookah Cranberry Crush  

16.   Hookah-Hookah Delicious Double Apple

17.   Hookah-Hookah Wild Dragon Fruit

18.   Hookah-Hookah Fruit Punch Blast

19.   Hookah-Hookah Buttery Graham Crackers  

20.   Hookah-Hookah Succulent Grape

21.   Hookah-Hookah Tangy Sweet Grapefruit

22.   Hookah-Hookah Crisp Green Apple

23.   Hookah-Hookah Guava Nectar

24.   Hookah-Hookah Hazelnut Heaven

25.   Hookah-Hookah Velvet Irish Cream  

26.   Hookah-Hookah Divine Key Lime Pie

27.   Hookah-Hookah Kiwi Infusion

28.   Hookah-Hookah Ice-Cold Lemonade

29.   Hookah-Hookah Sparkling Gingerale

30.   Hookah-Hookah Mouthwatering Mango

31.   Hookah-Hookah Margarita On The Rocks

32.   Hookah-Hookah Plump Melon

33.   Hookah-Hookah Mocha-Latte Fudge  

34.   Hookah-Hookah Orange Tang

35.   Hookah-Hookah Passion Fruit Pleasure

36.   Hookah-Hookah Raging Peach

37.   Hookah-Hookah Peanut Butter Perfection  

38.   Hookah-Hookah Frozen Pina Colada

39.   Hookah-Hookah Island Pineapple

40.   Hookah-Hookah Pomegranate Passion  

41.   Hookah-Hookah Gourmet Pumpkin Pie  

42.   Hookah-Hookah Ravishing Raspberry  

43.   Hookah-Hookah Robust Root Beer

44.   Hookah-Hookah Pure Mint

45.   Hookah-Hookah Persian Rose  

46.   Hookah-Hookah Simply Spearmint

47.   Hookah-Hookah Spiced Rum

48.   Hookah-Hookah Strawberry Dreams

49.   Hookah-Hookah Tropical Punch

50.   Hookah-Hookah Madagascar Black Vanilla

51.   Hookah-Hookah  Watermelon Burst

52.   Hookah-Hookah Great White Grape  

53.   Hookah-Hookah Fire-Cured Seven Spice

54.   Hookah-Hookah Fire-Cured Double Apple  

55.   Hookah-Hookah Fire-Cured Grape

56.   Hookah-Hookah Fire-Cured Mint

57.   Hookah-Hookah Fire-Cured Strawberry

Facts about Hookah You Must Know

·         A false belief among smokers is that shisha , also called hookah, is less dangerous than that of cigarettes. This is wrong! However since people think this is true, it gives a false sense of security and reduces concerns about true health hazards. Doctors at institutions including the Mayo Clinic have stated that “use of shisha is equally detrimental to a person’s health as smoking cigarettes,” and a study by the World Health Organization (WHO) also confirmed these findings.

·         Shisha smoking may lead to infertility. Yes, you read that correctly.

·         In a one-hour (1 hour) hookah session, users consume around 100 to 200 times the smoke and about 70 times the nicotine as they do in one cigarette.

·         Water pipe smokers are seven times (7 times) more likely than non-smokers to show signs of gum disease and mouth cancer.

·         There are over 250 different kinds of shisha flavors, and that number continues to rise.

·         Each hookah session (commonly referred to as “a sesh”) consists of 50 to 200 inhalations that each range from 0.15 to 0.50 liters of smoke.

·         Shisha smokers may become infected with herpes.

·         Chilling with friends and smoking shisha may seem fun and put you in the “cool group.” However, the reality is 30 minutes of smoking shisha is the same as chain-smoking half a pack of cigarettes.

·         Hookah contains 69 different carcinogens.

·         Hookah use may cause impotence. If you don’t know what this means, then here’s your definition: “Impotence is a common problem among men characterized by the consistent inability to sustain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse or the inability to achieve ejaculation, or both.” – medicinenet.

6 Ways to Quit Shisha Smoking

When you start to quit smoking Shisha for good, you need to know the ways to help you stay smoke free. Sometimes, people may claim that quitting smoking is really not a big deal. They say it when they have stopped smoking for a short while, maybe even just a day. But after several months, or even a day or two, they resume their previous smoking habits. You can prevent that from happening by being informed on how to deal with the struggle of quitting.

To increase your chances of success in becoming Shisha-free, you need to be motivated, have social support, an understanding of what to expect, and a personal quit plan. It is important to learn how to replace your smoking habits, manage your cravings, and join the millions of people who have kicked the habit of smoking Shisha for good. The best way to do so is to implement these 6 rules:

1.       Remember the benefits of quitting Shisha – Review your reasons for quitting and think of all the benefits for your health, your finances, and most importantly your family. The longer time you quit, the longer you will benefit from not smoking. Even not smoking for 20 minutes will cause your blood pressure to return to normal. Your system will cleanse the carbon monoxide eight hours later. Lung capacity increases by 30 percent. Your risk of getting a heart attack reduces by 50 percent and your life expectancy will increase dramatically.

2.       Recognize the temptation – Remind yourself that there is no such thing as just one smoke or even one puff. Even many years after quitting, you must recognize that you will still be tempted to smoke again because you know how great it was to smoke Shisha. The nicotine may be long gone from your body and you may not have a physical addiction to Shisha anymore, but the psychological addiction may remain for many years to come. Therefore, be ready when the temptation comes your way. Knowledge on how to handle this situation increases your chances to stay Shisha-free.

3.       Replace smoking habit with a healthier one – Ride out the desire to smoke Shisha by trying a new habit. If you are worried about weight gain, put some energy into planning a healthy diet and finding ways to exercise and stay active. The desire to smoke just one Shisha session will go away. Since the behavioral habit was once there, you may feel the need to smoke Shisha in certain circumstances. You must recognize this and start taking proper actions to combat this trick of the mind. Be on guard and lead your brain.

4.       Know the cause of relapse – Learning what circumstances drag you to smoke Shisha can assist you in your long-term quest to combat nicotine. For example, if you smoke Shisha due to excessive stress, find an alternative to release your stress. It may be in the form of exercise, meditation, or hobbies. Always find out what causes you to smoke and find an alternative for it. This way you will know what to do the next time it arises.

5.       Get support from family and friends – Resort to the support from family and friends. If you have to, talk to somebody about your journey to quit smoking. If you have failed many times, tell them you are determined to quit smoking Shisha once and for all. Seek guidance from experts or get professional help such as counseling, if you need to.

6.       Think positive – Be positive during this time of your life. Along the journey, you may relapse and pick up smoking again, but do not let this discourage you. There are many people who have only successfully given up the habit after 4 or 5 times of trying to quit. Do not think you have failed; instead think that you need to be stronger next time.