Devised in the Middle East several centuries ago, the hookah is considered very hip among teen smokers in the US. The hookah, also known by different names as the shisha, narghile or the slang term ‘hubble-bubble’, actually consists of a metal cylinder fitted with a vessel containing burning coals on the top, a vessel containing water at the bottom and a hose through which smoke is inhaled.
Hookah smoking requires some preparation. The mixture to be smoked contains tobacco and a mild substance such as honey, molasses or some dried fruit. When the smoker inhales through the hose, a pressure buildup inside the hookah chamber causes the smoke to run into the mouth of the smoker. Before the smoke reaches the hose, it has to pass through the lighted coal and the water. The coal heats up the smoke and the water cools it down.
It is traditionally believed that the water absorbs most of the nicotine and tar from the hookah smoke. Actually, hookah smoking mixtures that are available in the market are labeled as ‘no-tar’ and have less nicotine. But this really depends on how long the hookah-smoker draws a puff. Avid hookah smokers may place the coal right on top of the shisha mixture to get a stronger flavor.
One of the dangers of hookah smoking is the mixture of hydrocarbon gases in the smoke from the burning coal. Coal releases hydrocarbons and even poisonous metals into the smoke. Charcoal, which is a traditional favorite, can release these hydrocarbons in much higher proportions. Also, hookah smoke is not irritating at the onset. As it is also masked with artificial and natural fruit essences, men, women as well as children enjoy smoking the hookah. This gives rise to longer sessions with the hookah. This is a very dangerous situation, as it makes the body more vulnerable to nicotine infections.
Nicotine has been now proven to be a carcinogen. It is also addictive. However, hookah smokers claim that hookah-smoking is not as addictive as smoking other forms of tobacco. Hookah-smoking is also a cultural activity. There are hookahs with several hoses fitted to them, enabling a number of people to smoke the hookah at the same time.
Hookah smoke is actually not very smoky. There are many flavors to it – apple, vanilla, cappuccino, strawberry, pomegranate, orange, etc. These do nothing more than disguise the tobacco flavor. Today hookah-smoking has become a very fashionable thing to do at coffee shops in the US. It is not unusual to see teens puffing away at these hubble-bubbles, as they call them, in coffee shops and even in rave parties. In fact, in a dangerous turn of events, many teens have started adding marijuana and other drugs into the shisha mixture.
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