Is Hookah Worse Than Cigarettes?
Some professors believe that smoking shisha, the tobacco used in hookahs, is much worse than cigarettes. They say that because there is more cubic volume of smoke inhaled in a tobacco, that smoking hookah is worse. Also, they mention that there is considerably more tar than cigarettes. I am not saying that smoking a hookah healthy or good for you, because it isn’t. I am here to make a point that it is better off to smoke a hookah than a cigarette.
Let me first make a note that shisha is the tobacco that you smoke, and a hookah is what you smoke the shisha with. Shisha is a tobacco leaf with either glycerine or honey added, along with the flavoring (i.e. apple, kiwi, or orange). Shisha has no additives like cigarettes do. Some brands of shisha actually wash the tobacco, so there is a reduced amount of nicotine! Cigarette companies are the ones who ADD nicotine into their cigarettes to make them as addictive as possible.
For the topic of Tar in shisha, there is no Tar. Zero. I am unaware how the people researching the affects of smoking shisha in a hookah, but they must be doing something wrong to conclude that there is more tar in hookah smoke. Unlike cigarettes or cigars, shisha is a wet tobacco. It is covered in a molasses or glycerine and flavoring. Cigarettes are dry, and they BURN. Shisha is baked at around 300 degrees from the coals. There are more carcinogens in cigarettes because of this drastic difference in temperature.
I am not advocating that smoking hookah is healthy. Like many things in life, if you take in moderation it will not affect or harm you. Alcohol for example can ruin lives. Over consumption can cause ill effects, and even death. There are a lot of people who drive under the influence every day. Yet, it is said that having a glass of wine a night is healthy. Over consumption of fast food can lead to clogged arteries and obesity. Cigarettes have additives in them, and cases of people not being able to successfully quit are a reality.
Over consumption of smoking Shisha in a Hookah is not healthy, but in moderation will not harm you.
Have you ever heard of a person who smoked hookah say that he tried quitting, but he could not because he is addicted to it?