Someone tell me about Hookah?

Question

Is hookah a health hazard?

Is it worse than cigaretts?

Does it make you high?

Does it give you the "relaxed" feeling that ciggs do?

Answer 1

Well. I can actually answer a bit of this. Hookah was fairly popular where I was an undergrad and I took a look into it.

It is a health hazard. The actual smoke that comes from it is a fair bit better than that of most other smoking sources, however the duration of the session, you get more smoke, longer, and it's easier to take in, offset this somewhat. It's unclear exactly 'how bad' it is due to a lot of conflicting cultural elements in studying it, and a lack of consistency.

It's not particularly worse than cigarettes, however there's a difference in how they are smoked that plays an important role. From a wide perspective it's probably not as bad.

It doesn't particularly make you high - just a bit of a nicotine flush. I've never smoked cigarettes so I can't compare, and it's been several years since I was an undergraduate.

Not necessarily something you should start, but something that's kinda involved in certain cultures.

Answer 2

A hookah, or hubbly-bubbly, is a smoking device used mostly in the middle east.  Smoke from burning tobacco is drawn through water, which removes some of the noxious compunds in the smoke.  Smoke from any tobacco product is hazardous.