Smoking is becoming less and less common, as the younger generations have generally denounced cigarettes as glamorous and are more aware of the health risks that are associated with smoking cigarettes. Recently, however, cigarettes have been replaced with hookahs and hookah pens.
Because the tobacco inhaled through hookah is filtered through water, it is a common misconception that smoking tobacco through a hookah or hookah pen is better for you. Let me make this perfectly clear: Smoking tobacco is smoking tobacco is smoking tobacco. Any way you slice it, or if you filter it with water, it is still bad for you. The water in hookahs does not filter out dangerous chemicals found in tobacco products (including nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide.) You are still exposing yourself to those carcinogens.
Another common misunderstanding about hookah smoking is that you can't get addicted to it like regular cigarette smoking. The fact is, you can absolutely get addicted to smoking hookah, because hookah, just like regular tobacco, contains nicotine. In fact, a hookah smoker may be more exposed to copious amounts of nicotine, for a hookah session generally lasts longer than inhaling just one cigarette. Also, hookah smoke is known to contain higher levels of arsenic, lead, nickel, tar, and carbon monoxide than regular cigarettes. In short, that's a lot of chemicals.
While it is true that hookah smoke does not burn the lungs as much when it is inhaled, you are still breathing in all the carcinogens and chemicals in the smoke when you smoke. The smoke passes through the water before it is inhaled, so it is cooled down before it reaches your throat, but the water does not filter out any of the chemicals in the smoke, as I stated before.
These are some of the most common misconceptions when smoking hookah. This article is in no way trying to deter anyone from smoking hookah: If that is your thing, then by all means, go ahead and do it. I only wish for you to be able to make a factual, informed decision on what you are intaking into your body.
