Why does the hookah suck? All the reasons for bad hookah draft and how to avoid it

Hookah - harmful or not

Most smoke lovers have more than once experienced dizziness, nausea, and even serious consequences. The thing is that the effect of hookah has a detrimental effect on many human organs. First of all, on the lungs. By inhaling smoke through the tube of the device, the smoker absorbs 165 times more harmful substances than if he smoked one cigarette! Half an hour of smoking through a mouthpiece gives the same effect as if a person smoked a whole pack of cigarettes in 50 minutes!

Conclusion and tips

Despite the fact that this hobby has both positive and negative sides, it is classified as a bad habit.

To get the maximum benefit from this process and minimize harm, you must follow these simple rules:

1. Use high-quality smoking mixtures.
2. Thoroughly rinse all parts of the hookah.
3. Do not drink alcohol while smoking.
4. Regularly change the liquid inside the hookah. Water, milk or wine must be used once.
5. If several people smoke, each person should have an individual mouthpiece.

You need to remember that you can relax and have a good time in many ways, including those that do not harm your health.

Hookah

(pers. قلیان ‎ -
ghalyân
,
ghalyun
) - a smoking device that allows you to filter and cool inhaled smoke. The role of a filter is played by the hookah shaft, on the cold walls of which various impurities condense, and a vessel with liquid in which up to 38% of the substances contained in the smoke are deposited [1]. A smoking cup (chilim) is inserted into the vessel, connected to a pipe (shaft), the end of which goes under water. Above the water level, another tube extends from the vessel, through which smoke is inhaled. When smoking, a vacuum is created in the hookah vessel, due to which the smoke rises through the liquid and enters the smoker’s lungs through the pipe with the shank.

Hookah was invented [ when?

] in India [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] and spread quite quickly throughout the Muslim world, from Indochina to Morocco. In Europe it gained some popularity in the 19th century.

Hookah poisoning

People who first experienced severe poisoning from hookah smoking did not previously understand how hookah can be harmful to health. When you inhale smoke frequently and strongly through a hookah, oxygen oxide is released and this substance settles very deeply in the lungs. When there is an excess of oxide, they fill up so much that a person becomes ill. Dizziness occurs, the lungs compress (trying to free themselves from heavy, harmful oxide) and breathing stops; if the system cannot cope, fainting occurs. In such cases, emergency ambulance assistance is required.

If people cause such enormous harm to the body by inhaling tobacco smoke, then why smoke hookah? Relax, perhaps. Many people are trying to quit smoking regular cigarettes, some are just trying to follow fashion. But when you imagine that a person’s lungs suffer 150 times more than from regular smoking, many people lose the desire to even try it.

When you inhale hookah smoke, a large amount of carbon monoxide enters your lungs and settles deep in the lower respiratory tract. It is almost impossible to remove it only if you quit smoking the device forever. Because of this, a huge concentration occurs in the respiratory system:

• nicotine;
• chromium;
• resins;
• lead;
• carbon monoxide;
• oxygen oxides;
• arsenic.

Quite an impressive list to understand that smoking hookah is life-threatening. You should not convince yourself that there is a medicinal hookah; not a single aromatherapy is based on flavored tobacco smoke. Tobacco in a hookah first burns, literally for a second, and then smolders, emitting a smell and smoke.

Names and etymology

Depending on the country, hookah may be called differently. In Arabic there are words Shisha

(شيشة),
Nargila
(نرجيلة), or
Argila
(أركيلةأرجيلة), and they are used in all Arab countries.
Nargile
(sometimes pronounced
Argile
or
Argyli
) is most commonly found in Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Israel.
Narghile
comes from the Persian word
nārghile
, meaning coconut.
In turn, the Persian word is a slightly modified Sanskrit word nārikela
(नारिकेला), which suggests that hookahs were first carved from coconut shells [7].

In Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, hookah is called "lula" or "lulava", which means "pipe" in Romanian.

In Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Bulgaria, na[r]gila

(from Turkish
nargail
) refers to a pipe.
The word Shisha
is the name for hookah tobacco. The tube usually ends in one or two mouthpieces. Typically one mouthpiece is used by two smokers. Flavored tobacco is placed over water and covered with foil and charcoal on top. The smoke passes through water, which cools and filters it. Thus, "narguile", [8] is known in Spain, where the hookah is also called "cachimba", [9] although emigrants from Morocco call the hookah "shisha".

Shisha

(شيشة), from the Persian word
shīshe
(شیشه) - glass, a common name for hookah in Egypt, Sudan and the Arab Gulf countries (including Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, UAE and Saudi Arabia), as well as in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia , Somalia and Yemen.

In Iran, as well as in Azerbaijan, hookah is called قلیان “qalyān”. The name of the smoking device, ḡalyān, was apparently borrowed from the Arabic غليان “ġalīān” (boiling, root āġla - to boil). This name is used in Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, where hookah bars are very popular.

In Uzbekistan, hookah is called “chilim”.

The prevalence of the Indian word "hookah" in English-speaking countries is a result of the British colonial regime in India (1858-1947), where a huge number of emigrants first saw hookah. William Hickey, immediately after arriving in Calcutta in 1775, recorded in his Memoirs

:

Dangerous consequences

Passive hookah smoking will also not benefit the body. A person who does not smoke in a hookah room is also at risk. He inhales carbon monoxide and all possible waste that rises to the top of the room and then settles below in the form of harmful substances.

Hookah affects the cardiovascular system, putting a strong strain on the heart and venous system, and vein blockages occur. The risks of heart attacks and strokes cannot be excluded.

Few people perceive salivation when smoking a hookah as a problem or do not think about it at all. But when a group gathers, the device is used by everyone. Saliva enters the mouthpiece, then settles deep in the device and, when inhaling smoke, is transmitted to each other. Increased salivation occurs with frequent inhalation of smoke, and threatens that a person can become infected with serious illnesses:

• hepatitis B;
• infectious diseases;
• ODS, acute respiratory infections, etc.

Manifestations of overdose

Hookah poisoning is also called a “hookah hangover.” It is characterized by a number of symptoms:

• headache (usually in the back of the head);
• dizziness;
• increased heart rate;
• pressing pain in the heart, chest;
• darkness in the eyes;
• loss of orientation in space;
• general weakness, loss of strength,
• nausea, vomiting;
• elevated temperature;
• increased or muffled perception of sounds;
• numbness of the legs;
• impaired coordination of movements;
• in extreme cases, hallucinations.

Choosing a hookah

Prices in restaurants for hookah are extremely high.

Let's calculate: the cost of the mixture for one time is $ 2-5. The cost of one hookah charge, at best, is $8. Even if it’s a “tone” with cognac or champagne, they don’t pour a bottle into it, but only 50-100 grams. So why do they manage to rip off $15-20 from a client in an establishment? For an expensive hood that works in a restaurant? Sometimes they even charge for adding coal or an additional mouthpiece - it’s like paying extra for toothpicks and napkins.

Photo: Depositphotos

But there is a solution: if you love and respect hookah, buy it. A normal device costs $40−50. For $60-70 you can buy yourself such a toy - it’ll look like a Porsche hookah bar! Basically, the price of a hookah depends on its decor, and the main thing when purchasing is to carry out a thorough “technical inspection” without being distracted by details.

Pay attention to the tightness of the device; visually there should be no gaps in it. When disassembled, check for the presence of seals in the places where the shaft is inserted into the flask, where the hose is inserted into the shaft and, finally, where the bowl fits onto the shaft.

If in the chosen sample the flask is screwed onto the shaft, the connection must also be tight. Once assembled, you can conduct a test: remove the cup, close the hole in the shaft and try to inhale through the mouthpiece. If there is no traction, everything is fine. It would be best to smoke a hookah with a height of 70-120 cm. A hookah with a height of up to 50 cm is good if you decide to take it on a picnic, but according to the new tradition, for some reason it is logical to enjoy hookah indoors.

Photo: Anestiev, pixabay.com

Despite the dangers, hookah smoking also has its advantages:

• filtering smoke when using it reduces the nicotine content by 90%, phenols - up to 50%;
• when smoking hookahs, tobacco does not interact with open fire, which makes it possible for it not to contain carcinogens harmful to the body in the smoke;
• no matter how much a smoker smokes, passing through water, the smoke is cleared of those harmful substances (such as acropein, acetaldehyde), which further protects his lungs;
• The aroma of hookah tobacco is much more pleasant than cigarette tobacco;
• hookah can be used for medicinal purposes. To do this, just pour the required medicinal infusion into the flask and inhale it through the tube;
• This device can also be used as a simulator for breathing development.

With light smoke

Nargile, bori, jajir, hugga, hookah, hubbubble, chilim, shisha, huka, gouza - all these words indicate the same object. They “drink” smoke from it. Turkish sultans used a special mixture of opium, flavorings and crushed pearls to smoke hookah. They also argued that what matters is not what you fill the hookah with, but who you are with while smoking.

A purely “Russian” way to smoke a hookah is to pass the mouthpiece around in a circle in a group. And what exactly I like most about a hookah: if friends have quarreled and go to “sort things out” in a hookah bar - one hundred percent, from there they will come out again “unspillable”, the “peace pipe” effect is triggered.

Photo: Depositphotos

Sequence of steps when plugging a hookah.

To begin, fill the flask with water so that the bottom of the shaft drops 1.5-2 cm into the water. Place 3-4 coals on the tile. While the coal is lighting, fill the bowl. Take enough tobacco so that it fits in the bowl and does not fall out of it. Hammer loosely if the bowl has several holes, or tightly if the bowl has one hole. Don't forget to leave a margin of 3-4 mm. Stretch the foil or place the kalaud on the bowl. Place the coal on top, but first make sure it is lit red hot on each side. Wait about 7 minutes and start smoking.

If there is not enough smoke when you first puff, wait a couple more minutes and puff again. Light the hookah every few minutes until there is enough smoke.

To smoke or not?

As for the effect on the body, it has long been believed that smoking tobacco with regular cigarettes causes more harm to health than hookah. They thought so, since it was believed that the main part of the harmful substances settles on the walls of the vessel and dissolves in water, moreover, before entering the lungs, the smoke cools. However, until recently, no detailed studies have been conducted on this matter. Egyptian scientists decided to check how true this information is.

The results of a study on the harms of smoking shocked experts. Despite confirmation that water does “absorb” a significant part of harmful substances, it was found that

Smoking 25 g of tobacco using a hookah is equivalent to smoking 3 packs of cigarettes!

This is explained by the fact that a person makes more effort to draw smoke through a hookah.

So it turns out that in an hour of smoking a hookah, 100 or even 200 times more smoke is inhaled than when smoking a cigarette, and it will penetrate into all parts of the lungs.

Agree, convincing!

Photo: rabedirkwennigsen, pixabay.com

Of course, whether to smoke a hookah or not is everyone’s personal choice! However, you need to think carefully : is it worth exposing yourself to another harmful factor for the sake of pleasure?

Day after day, more and more people are finding hookah smoking as a way to spend their free time. This eastern tradition appeared in our country relatively recently, but many are already captivated by its exoticism and are happy to buy a smoking device for their home. What is the reason for such an increase in the popularity of hookah, and why do they smoke hookah in general? This is what we will try to figure out.

Incorrectly made holes in foil

When using foil to cover a bowl of tobacco, it is important to take into account the number, diameter, and location of holes on the surface, since this is the main factor affecting the draft force of the hookah. You need to make holes over the entire surface of the foil, at equal intervals. In this case, you need to avoid the center of the coating. Holes can be created using an awl with a suitable diameter.

To avoid potential problems with foil, you can use a kalaud instead, an aluminum charcoal holder with a lid that has three adjustable slots.

What is a hookah?

First, let's understand what this device is. A hookah is a smoking device that purifies tobacco smoke through liquid in a flask and passes it through a hose with a mouthpiece and delivers it into the human body. Everything is quite simple, and it is thanks to this purification of tobacco smoke that many assume that hookah smoking is absolutely harmless to the human body.

Too much has already been written about the harm from hookah smoking, but so that smokers do not actually cause any damage to themselves through their favorite pastime, it is necessary to mention this again. Hookah cannot be harmless. It is customary to smoke regular tobacco through it; the only difference is the method of preparation.

How to light a hookah - Important points

As I said at the beginning, there are a couple of points that affect how you smoke a hookah. Smoking is affected by:

1. The liquid you poured in (I advise you the classic version with water)
2. The tobacco you scored (You need to choose a good smoky tobacco)
3. The cleanliness of your hookah (For a good smoke, it must shine)
4. The coals that you heated correctly

Let's talk to you about the last point in more detail. From experience, I am convinced that this moment is the most important in preparing a hookah!

Thanks to these moments, you will learn how to properly smoke a hookah at home

Coal preparation

As I said, choosing quality coal is extremely important. The saying applies here: “the miser pays twice.” Spare no expense and buy reliable coals! (Only not saltpeter ones - they are not very good). The law is simple:

• Good coals - you light a hookah perfectly and smoke it with friends for 40-60 minutes.
• Bad coals - smoking ends when you light the hookah.

Play it safe and don't skimp!

It takes no more than 10 minutes to light good charcoal. Just in time to tune in! When lighting coals, it is best to use a portable burner or gas stove. In the article at this link, I basically described everything in detail, how and what to choose!

Good coals will help you smoke a hookah perfectly at home

So why?

Well, one question remains, why do they smoke hookah? It is clear that everyone has their own answer to this and their own reason for this activity, but there are a number of basic explanations that suit almost everyone.

First of all, when asked why you smoke a hookah, you will hear: “To relax,” and this will be true. The effect of smoking a hookah really has an amazing relaxing effect, and especially after a hard week of work, a great way to relax and not think about anything unnecessary is to simply smoke a tasty and aromatic hookah.

And now we have come to the second option, why do people use hookah, because of the taste. Many people really like this very thing about hookah, enjoying aromatic mixtures, trying new flavors and simply immersing themselves in the culture of hookah smoking.

Another option is to just have a nice time with friends. Smoking a hookah can bring a large group together. Give the opportunity to have a good chat, relax and just enjoy the time spent with friends. And this is probably the main reason for smoking hookah in our society, a way to get closer to friends and be as relaxed and open with them as possible. Interestingly, in the homeland of this amazing device, the owner offered to smoke a hookah with him only to his closest friends and most respected guests, because this meant the highest degree of trust and respect for the person, to share a bowl of tobacco with him.

How to smoke heat-resistant tobacco correctly

Tobacco's resistance to high temperatures is one of the most important qualities of a good product. Therefore, the more heat-resistant the tobacco, the longer it will smoke. But it will take a little longer to smoke it.

Smoking a hookah based on heat-resistant tobacco varieties has some peculiarities. This can best be seen using the example of the famous American hookah tobacco.

To smoke a hookah with heat-resistant tobacco, you need to puff a little longer and more than with regular tobacco.

To smoke heat-resistant tobacco, do the following:

1. Heat and place 4 coals on the bowl (smoking will be a little easier due to the larger number of coals)
2. Cover the coals with a hood or lid
3. Do 10-12 slow, smooth weights with a break of 10-15 seconds
4. Wait until there is thick, pleasant smoke.

Prominent representatives of heat-resistant tobacco varieties are:

• Fumari
• Darkseid
• Tange
• Nakhla
• StarBuzz

Tange is a strong tobacco that needs to be smoked for a long time and smoothly.

Features of filling different types of hookahs.

Light hookah.

To fill a light smoky hookah, you will need light tobacco (for example, Cobra Select, Adalya, Fumari, Daily Hookah).

Don't squeeze it, just cut it a little. Pour the tobacco into a silicone bowl with an indentation of 3-4 mm, put the kalaud with 3 coals to prevent overheating. Wait about 7 minutes, and the hookah can be smoked.

Strong hookah.

Choose a strong tobacco (eg Darkside, Must Have, Black Burn).

Use a clay bowl with several holes for driving. Place the tobacco into the bowl in an airy, loose manner. Don't forget to indent. Place 4 coals to heat the bowl, then you can remove one. Wait about 7 minutes and you can smoke.

Hookah on foil.

Foil filling is intended for those tobaccos that have high heat resistance. It is best to use Al Fakher, Adalya from a light strength, Nakhla, Afzal from a medium strength and Darkside, Northern from a heavy strength.

Hammer the bowl loosely, airily, stretch the foil folded in at least 4 layers, make holes with an awl or needle, place 3-4 coals closer to the edges of the bowl. You can smoke the hookah on the foil after 5 minutes; if there is still not enough smoke, then wait a couple of minutes and puff again.

Orange/grapefruit hookah.

One of the exotic types of smoking is smoking on fruit bowls. You are guaranteed to impress your friends, increase your smoking time and discover new flavors. There is nothing difficult in making a fruit bowl: for beginners, not very ripe and juicy citrus, for example, orange or grapefruit, is best suited. The fruit should be firm and of the correct shape - this will make it easier for you to work with it.

To begin with, we need to make a semblance of a classic bowl from the fruit: using a sharp knife, cut off the top part so that the kalaud stands up straight, without losing traction through its holes. After which we cut out a cone at an angle of 45 degrees—later the tobacco mixture will be placed into this cavity. We remove excess juices with a napkin, and use a coring knife to make a hole for the shaft connector. Next, using toothpicks or a metal mesh, we make the bottom of our bowl, we don’t want all the Tobacco to fall down the shaft into the flask. But don’t be overzealous, the draft should not be disturbed!

We place the tobacco mixture in our bowl, put the kalaud with 4 coals (yes, there should be a lot of heat), the fruit itself, unlike its clay counterparts, will not heat up, so do not hesitate to heat it for about 10 minutes. Light it up and enjoy a long and comfortable smoking with notes of baked fruit!

Hookah with milk.

My advice to you. Don't make hookah with milk. You will only dirty the flask and you will have to wash it. They say that milk improves the taste of hookah, softens it, and there is more smoke, but all this was invented by hookah bars in order to scam people out of money.