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. 

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.

Psychological Hazards of Shisha Smoking

Youth used to be addicted to it in order to get relief from day to day issues related to them and the societal behavior towards them.

It effects their psychological, mental and physiological growth as well.

They become addicted to it. The large proportion among youth is the one who are neglected by their own families so they have no moral growth or moral values which teach them say no to these evils.

Sitting together with friends and having shisha is their most favorite activities. They do so in order to overcome their aggression, depression, inferiority complex and their socio-psyco problems.

Social Hazards of Shisha

Personal effects of smoking shisha may also be linked to a number of other unique and strange risks that are not associated completely with cigarette smoking. 

 Social personal effects of smoking shisha maybe linked to lung cancers with severe oral cancers, and a number of heart diseases and other strange serious illnesses in human beings who smoke them.

Such people are looked down upon by the society and are not readily accepted by the society as well.

People thing that such youth adopt the bad company and may victimize to other societal evils by the time.

This could also include factors such as peer pressure which means if an Individual belongs to a friends group where they aspire to be like their peers, and if your peer smokes shisha even if u don't want to try it or have tried it you force yourself and have it.