Myth or reality? Debunking hookah myths
You can find a lot of myths about hookahs on the Internet, just using Google. Today we will analyze 10 popular myths about hookah smoking and refute them. Let’s start?
Hookah myth No. 1. Smoke becomes thicker when milk is used
There is absolutely no difference which liquid is used for smoke: water or milk. Anyway, the liquid in a flask does not affect the smokiness of the hookah. The only thing that milk can affect is the taste. If you add juice or something else you can taste the liquid. However, we do not recommend using any types of liquid except clear water. Sometimes milk can leave sediments.
Hookah myth No. 2. More space in a flask above the water evolves better smoke.
It is necessary to pour water 2 fingers higher from the end of the inner hookah shaft. And the volume of the flask or the size of the hookah does not affect the amount of smoke in any way.
Hookah myth No. 3. If you unscrew the valve something will change.
The valve for purging should be unscrewed only in 2 cases: when you wash your hookah or when a ball is stuck (often happens on old Khalil Mamoon). Unscrewing or twisting this valve does not affect the smoking properties of a hookah. Moreover, in some cases you can even lose the ball due to negligence.
Hookah myth No. 4. More tobacco is better.
Many facts depend on hookah tobacco: strength, smokiness, taste, etc. It is necessary to pack a hookah bowl correctly. We have already written about it here. The amount of tobacco is determined by the method of packing and by the volume of a shisha bowl. A large amount of tobacco does not mean that it will be better. As a result, the top layer will fully burn, but the lower will not be heated enough at the same time. Zero profit, but great expense.
Hookah myth No. 5. Hookah smoking does not cause addiction. Dependence on smoking can be both psychological and physiological. 100% addiction is not a myth, but sometimes it is more about behavior and habits to do something while watching TV or working, as an example.
Hookah myth No. 6. 1 hookah = 100 cigarettes.
It is not right to compare cigarettes and hookah. The cigarette burns, and the syrup evaporates from hookah tobacco. There are a lot of resins in cigarettes, but there are other ingredients in hookah tobacco. Even the cycle of smoking is different from cigarettes.
Hookah myth No. 7. Water cleanses the smoke from hookah and makes it safe.
The myth is partly true and partly false. Smoking any device is harmful to health, but water is an additional filter for hookah smoke.
Hookah myth No. 8. Nicotine-free tobacco for hookah is harmless.
On a nicotine-free basis there is exactly the same syrup as on a tobacco leaf. The body does not receive the big dose of nicotine, but the harmful effect still turns out to be. But it is based on the principle of product burning, not nicotine.
Hookah myth No. 9. Hookah helps to quit smoking.
You can quit smoking only when you completely give up smoking. And if you switch from cigarettes to hookah, then later you will likely say that electronic cigarettes help to quit smoking and so on to infinity.
Hookah myth No. 10. People start smoking cigarettes after smoking shisha.
It is not true. If you have never smoked cigarettes and started smoking hookah, then the probability of switching to cigarettes is very small. Hookah is delicious and not as strong as cigarettes. If you do not have enough nicotine, you can switch to stronger tobacco, and cigarettes will disgust you because of their taste.
There is nothing 100% safe, however, it is not worth exaggerating the problems. It is better to check the facts before you believe the stories about hookahs. We hope there will be 10 fewer misconceptions now.