Contrary to popular belief, hookah, whose consumption has increased in recent years and is thought to be less harmful than cigarettes, is as dangerous as cigarettes. Experts point out that the amount of smoke inhaled in an hour of hookah smoking is 50 times more than the amount of smoke inhaled in a cigarette.
Clinical Psychologist Ömer Bayar from Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital drew attention to the harms of hookah use.
Smoking is the most popular method
Stating that tobacco use dates back to ancient times, Ömer Bayar said, "The most common form of consumption of tobacco, which can be used with methods such as chewing, snuff, pipe, cigar, hookah, is cigarettes. One of the main reasons why cigarettes are more popular than other methods is that they are more practical to smoke and easier to inhale."
Cigarettes kill 7 million people every year
Stating that according to the statistics published by the World Health Organization (WHO), over 1 billion people in the world smoke and approximately 7 million people die every year due to smoking, Specialist Clinical Psychologist Ömer Bayar said, "Smoking is one of the leading preventable causes of death. Despite the increasing awareness of the harms of cigarettes in society, the most important reason why it is indispensable and difficult to quit is that it contains many chemicals, especially nicotine, which has addictive properties."
Why is hookah so common?
Stating that another tobacco use method that has become increasingly popular in recent years is hookah, Specialist Clinical Psychologist Ömer Bayar stated that while hookah was initially consumed mostly by middle-aged and elderly people, it has become widespread among young people since the 2000s and said, "Curiosity, the influence of friends, being preferred as an alternative to cigarettes, caring, getting away from stress and work environment are the prominent factors in starting hookah. In studies conducted with young people, it has been observed that the most important factor in the preference of hookah is that it provides the opportunity to socialize. Especially the young population in their 20s stated that they enjoy the environments where they come together with friends such as cafes and tea gardens. In addition to these, it is thought that the desire to smoke hookah is not only based on social reasons, biological factors are also largely effective and research has been conducted on this."
Hookah stimulates the pleasure system in the brain
Expressing that the nicotine substance contained in hookah, as in cigarettes, has an addictive effect, Specialist Clinical Psychologist Ömer Bayar stated that the hookah is designed to stimulate the pleasure system in the brain and said the following:
"Acetaldehyde, a toxic substance that reinforces the addictive effect, and many different toxic chemicals are also found in hookah tobacco. Industrial engineering studies that facilitate the smoking of cigarettes and increase their reinforcing properties have also been used for hookah. In addition to tobacco, it is aimed to stimulate more sensory organs to reinforce addiction. For this purpose, sugar molasses to stimulate the pleasure system in the brain, different fruit flavors that provide taste and smell, and additives that provide easy breathability have been added to hookah tobacco. People who smoke hookah enjoy the pleasant smell and taste more than just the smoke. This is supported by the fact that more than 80% of hookah smokers prefer aromatic tobaccos instead of classic tobacco."
50 times more smoke is inhaled in one hour of use
Stating that the opinion that hookah is less harmful than cigarettes is dominant in the society, Specialist Clinical Psychologist Ömer Bayar said, "It is also observed that many people do not know the harms of hookah. The fact that it has a water-containing system, the marketing of different apparatuses that are claimed to reduce the harm, the provision of disposable or personalized marpuç services, and the fact that it cannot be used as widely and frequently as cigarettes are effective in the formation of this perception. However, there are many different studies showing the harms of hookah. Hookah smoke contains nicotine, tar and heavy metals (arsenic, chromium, lead). It has been found that the amount of smoke inhaled in one hour of hookah smoking is up to 50 times higher than the amount of smoke inhaled in one cigarette. It is also known that the smoke inhaled from a hookah contains much more toxic substances than the smoke inhaled from a cigarette."
There are infectious disease risks
Stating that exposure to cigarette smoke causes about 40 diseases, Ömer Bayar said that cancer, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, especially cancer, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases are the most common fatal diseases caused by smoking and that hookah use leads to similar health problems. Ömer Bayar pointed out that another health problem that can be faced with hookah use is the risk of infectious diseases and pointed out that a study has shown that tuberculosis can be transmitted with hookah use.
Children should be supported to establish healthy social relationships
Stating that it is important to provide trainings in schools, Specialist Clinical Psychologist Ömer Bayar said, "It is important to provide more comprehensive and frequent information about the harms of tobacco products in the media, especially considering that individuals in adolescence and young adulthood carry the greatest risk in terms of habit and addiction. In addition, introducing age restrictions for hookah cafes and increasing the supervision of such places is a necessary step. Families should avoid and discourage the use of these products in order to be role models for their children. In addition, alternative activities, hobbies and sports habits will enable the child to experience the social environment and relationships they need in healthy ways, thus reducing the desire and need for tobacco use."