The number of hookah smokers, or people smoking tobacco from water pipes, is on the rise. In the US alone, as many as 10 – 20% young women and men are smoking from hookah. Also referred to as the “narghile”, the hookah is actually a smoking apparatus which cools the smoke and filters it by passing through a certain amount of water. People generally use it to smoke “shisha”, a type of flavored blend of tobacco. The instrument has its origins in India, but in the last couple of decades it has also become popular in many other regions of the globe – such as in North America, Europe and the Middle Ease. Young people often wonder does hookah have nicotine, and many also have the misconception that it is less poisonous than cigarettes and there is less nicotine in it due to the water filtering mechanism that it uses. Read on and find out all about the truth.
Does Hookah Contain Nicotine?
Is there nicotine in hookah? People who smoke from hookah tend to expose themselves to the same types of toxic chemicals and gases such as nicotine and carbon monoxide that are produced due to the burning of other tobacco products. It is true that the levels of nicotine in the tobacco of hookah are lower as compared to those of other tobacco products.
How Much Nicotine is consumed through Hookah?
It has been proven that the amount of nicotine that is smoked in per session of hookah use is typically more than a single session of use of cigarettes and other tobacco products. Typically, a hookah is smoked for a long session – generally lasting for around 45 minutes or even longer. Compared to this, a cigarette is smoked for around 10 – 15 minutes. Thus, the amount of smoke and consequently nicotine consumed through hookah is more each and every time.
Is Hookah Smoking Safe or Questionable?
M.D. Richard D. Hurt of the Nicotine Dependence Center holds that smoking a hookah is not safer when compared to smoking of cigarettes. In hookah, the tobacco is prepared in a special way and gets heated inside the smoke chamber. Then the smoke passes through water and is then drawn through the rubber-hose before it finally emerges through the mouthpiece. This is a primate style of smoking, and water is unable to clear out all the toxins from the tobacco smoke. Compared to cigarette smoke, a person can inhale more nicotine through hookah smoke. This is because users typically inhale greater amount of smoke in a single session as compared to cigarettes.
Nicotine Consumption in Hookah Sessions
Now that the question does hookah have nicotine has been answered, you should know that the consumption of nicotine is 1.7 times higher in amount than that of a normal-sized cigarette. Since a single session of smoking hookah can last for around 45 – 60 minutes, you can easily calculate how much nicotine you are consuming in just one session. It has been proven that hookah results in greater addiction than any other type of smoking. This makes smokers more dependent on it and results in stronger withdrawal symptoms when attempts of stoppage are made.
