Which is healthier: Hookahs or cigarettes?
Where I live, Hookah bars are lined up out the door on a Friday or Saturday night. The Indian practice of smoking from a Hookah is really trendy recently, and though I'm not a smoker, I can see the appeal -- hanging out in a Middle Eastern-themed cafe is at least something different from the usual bar scene here. Besides, it's not like sitting in a smoky bar; at a Hookah bar, the smoke smells nicer, and it's less invasive. Fitsugar recently did a post on which is more detrimental to your health -- smoking from a hookah or smoking cigarettes. The surprising answer? Hookahs are worse for you, because not only does the smoke have the same amount of chemicals and nicotine, but those who smoke it are likely to smoke much more -- up to the equivalent of 400 cigarettes in one night. Good grief!
So the moral of the story? Don't get too into the Hookah scene -- it can be harmful to your health. And even though you're not smoking cigarettes, you're still doing yourself just as much harm with the Hookah.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
11-02-2007 @ 10:36AM
Romina said...
Thank you for the tip! I live in Calgary, and there are at least 4 hookah bars that I know of, and I was under the impression that it wasn't quite as bad as smoking. I'll make sure to head somewhere else when I want to hang out with friends!
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11-02-2007 @ 10:40AM
Martha Edwards said...
Hey Romina -- I live in Calgary too so you and I are probably thinking of the same hookah bars. But yeah, It's pretty big out here so I was surprised too!
Thanks for your comment
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11-05-2007 @ 2:09PM
Blly said...
They also aid in the spreading of communicable diseases. Not a good idea especially with flu season right around the corner.
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11-05-2007 @ 2:13PM
critterlover said...
What kind of silly people out there use hookahs for TABACCO?????
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11-05-2007 @ 2:42PM
Nick said...
It really depends on what you put in the hookah.
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11-05-2007 @ 3:00PM
Lisa said...
I need to get out more ...
I never heard of this in my life .
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11-05-2007 @ 3:00PM
Zaphod said...
What idiot puts tobaco in a Hookah
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11-05-2007 @ 3:00PM
Vivi said...
I'm with you Lisa, as I have never heard of this either. I guess we find other things to do more appealing.
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11-05-2007 @ 3:00PM
Joe said...
ANYTHING you smoke is BAD BAD BAD for your health! ANYTHING!!! Smoke = bad. Der.
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11-05-2007 @ 3:02PM
your_mom_has_gap_teeth said...
man u put dat purp in da hookah then i follow up wit dat dro, yahh meeaaann????
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11-05-2007 @ 3:31PM
dan said...
People people people lets cut the garbage here. Apples and oranges does not make a good comparison. Where's the facts an figures and studies to back this up???? Hookahs use water to filter the smoke, cigarettes do not. I do not personally do either but 400 times a cigarette??? come on how do you justify this? Where's the numbers? Sounds like a personal vendetta or agenda to me rather than based on fact. Stop spreading lies and produce facts. Ill put money on it....puff per puff hookahs with tobacco are no worse than cigarettes and if I had to guess they would be cleaner do to the better filtration. So unless you can show where you get your data or at the very least reference it.....STOP the b/s.
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11-05-2007 @ 3:43PM
phuckinshit said...
What type of silly person doesn't know how to spell tobacco?
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11-05-2007 @ 3:44PM
j said...
This is where the person gets the type of info:
According to the World Health Organization, a hookah user who partakes for one hour typically inhales as much smoke as he or she would get from 100 to 200 cigarettes.
That line is included in here, and I've read it numerous places: http://www.mywire.com/pubs/PhiladelphiaInquirer/2006/02/22/1238796?&pbl=15
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11-05-2007 @ 3:46PM
nathaniel said...
I use a hookah except the tobacco i have has almost no nicotine or tar. 0% tar, 0.05% nicotine. I bought it in the UAE (its called shisha there) because in Islam things that are harmful to your health is not Halal, they created this kind which is free of most of the harmful substances
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11-05-2007 @ 3:49PM
Blly said...
How about everyone stop smoking period and you wouldn't have to worry about which one was "healthier". They're BOTH bad for your health!
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11-05-2007 @ 3:50PM
Devlyn said...
your suppose to smoke tobacco in them hmmmmmmm I have been useing them all wrong but I bet I had a better time
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11-05-2007 @ 3:51PM
kmg2859 said...
I'm not surprised by this article. It should be fairly obvious by now that everything you eat, drink, or smoke can and will eventually kill you. Personally, a big ball of Nepalese would hit the spot, hookah-wise.
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11-05-2007 @ 3:58PM
Jake said...
How much more irresponsible could you be, inferring that cigarette smoking less harmful than ingesting nicotine in a somewhat different way. Knowing what we do today about the effects of nicotine, anyone who chooses to smoke is a moron.
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11-05-2007 @ 3:59PM
lilith925 said...
Hookahs in bars have disposable mouth pieces. You were in more danger of catching something in a high school band brass section. Most of the chemicals are filtered through water, and remain there. You couldn't get enough tobacco into a hookah in a night to equal that many cigarettes.
And last, But not least... (Wait for it)
WHEN WAS THE LAST M***** F***ING TIME ANYONE WENT INTO A BAR TO GET HEALTHY?!?!?
DOI!!!!!
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11-05-2007 @ 4:06PM
larry said...
SMOKE YOU DIE>>DON'T SMOKE YOU DIE> EAT THIS OR THAT YOU DIE>GO OUSIDE YOU DIE STAY INSIDE YOU DIE>
STOP ENJOY THE MOMENT AND DIE !!!!!!!!!!
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