Will smoking hookah get me hooked on nicotine again?

November 21, 2010 12:57 PM

How worried should I be about smoking hookah after quitting cigarettes?

Hey mefites! Smoking is bad, I realize, and I've kicked the habit cold turkey. I'm not really looking for a pep talk or a lecture on why never to smoke anything ever... I realize that hookah contains nicotine and is bad for you, but I'm talking occasional use here (like once a month).

So far as my cigarette-quitting is concerned, I'm past the physical withdrawal phase, and while I have the occasional craving, they're becoming rarer and rarer as each day passes. I'd like to whip out my hookah again. Has anyone else done this? Did you find that smoking hookah "erased" the progress you had made re: cigarette cravings and made you want to smoke them again? I've had friends who enjoyed hookah somewhat frequently and never became addicted to nicotine, but since I have been addicted to nicotine in the quite recent past, I suspect it might affect me differently and don't want to erase all the progress I've made.

Thanks all!

posted by libertypie to Health & Fitness (12 answers total)

I've never smoked, but many of my friends are active hookah users so I asked them what they thought. The overwhelming response from these 15+ people was that, for them, hookah was more addictive and more destructive because you're getting a concentrated blast of nicotine + flavoring + fillers. Each person acknowledged to some degree that that has been hugely disruptive in their ability to kick their addiction to cigarettes (and smoking in general). I recognize that for some people this might be very controversial, as the benefits/pitfalls of smoking hookah are widely disputed across international lines, but since you asked, there's at least a few testimonials for you.

Is the desire to smoke hookah stemming from a general desire to smoke, or is it more of an oral fixation sort of thing? Perhaps another activity would provide you with the same satisfaction that you would normally derive from hookah and cigarettes?
posted by patronuscharms at 1:12 PM on November 21, 2010

I don't know about "erasing" all the progress, but a setback for sure.
posted by J. Wilson at 1:37 PM on November 21, 2010

Hookah is lots of tobacco and there's no guarantee you won't want a cigarette after. If you are going to a restaurant will a hookah parlor, go there the first time with no intention to smoke. There will be lots of nicotine in the air already. See how that makes you feel and that will help you make the decision.
posted by parmanparman at 1:38 PM on November 21, 2010

You will erase your progress. Don't touch the hookah. It's just nicotine in a different form.
posted by charlesv at 1:56 PM on November 21, 2010

@patronuscharms Thanks for asking your friends! I just like hookah because I've traveled in the Middle East and enjoy the tradition, plus blowing smoke rings is fun. When I was a heavy smoker, hookah was never an adequate "substitute" for cigarettes- I'd often find myself with a cigarette in one hand and a hose in the other. The two activities felt quite different physically while I was a smoker... I'm wondering if the nuance will disappear now that I'm not.

Just to clarify, I'm not feeling an urge or craving to smoke hookah- I've just smoked it occasionally as a social thing (essentially a glorified cocktail party trick) and am wondering if I should cut it out of my life. Also to clarify, I am aware that there is nicotine in hookah smoke and that it's not any better for you than cigarettes.

Thanks for your input, all!
posted by libertypie at 2:22 PM on November 21, 2010

You've done an amazing thing. Quitting smoking is one hardest tasks one can set oneself.

What is so attractive about hookah use that you would want to risk undermining that accomplishment? What can it give you that is worth your health and your life?
posted by endless_forms at 2:28 PM on November 21, 2010

You may want to try tobacco free nicotine free shisha if you really love hookah. While some people may be addicted to the ritual, the nicotine may have been the main factor in your personal cigarette addiction. I'd still be careful since smoking anything is bad for your lungs, but this might be a good occasional treat for you. I would stay far away from anything containing nicotine, and I am saying this as an ex-smoker who loved hookah. Congratulations on quitting!


Disclaimer: I've never tried it, so it might be TERRIBLE.
posted by 200burritos at 4:48 PM on November 21, 2010

@200burritos Ooh, I had forgotten that stuff existed! I'll be sure to give it a try, that's a great suggestion.

@endless_forms That's a really good way of framing the issue... I mean, it's fun, but that's all it is, and that hardly seems worth the risk of relapsing.
posted by libertypie at 5:16 PM on November 21, 2010

Let's say you haven't had a cigarette in 3 months. Why not wait a good year before trying to introduce some other smoke substitute? So many people never succeed in walking away from nicotine and it would be a shame to throw yourself back into that fire.

Personally, I think you should be worried about trying to smoke hookah as it looks like you're trying to find some way of still smoking without smoking (if you know what I mean). This could very quickly lead you back to cigarettes with a vengeance.
posted by fantasticninety at 5:41 PM on November 21, 2010

I quit smoking after 13 years and have stayed quit since 2002. I had to try seven times, and each time until the last I backslid - mostly when presented with some opportunity that I decided "wouldn't be the same as really smoking." Whether that was smoking a clove cigarette, taking a hit or bumming one from someone else's cigarette, being drunk so it didn't count, or taking a pull on a cigar, in each case it turned out just to lead to relapse. I'm not saying the hookah wouldn't do that for you, because I've never smoked one and I don't know. I do know that kicking cigarettes was the hardest thing I've ever willingly chosen to do, and I never want to have to do it again, so I stay far away from things that resemble tobacco cigarettes, even in sheep's clothing. For eight years, it's worked, and I plan to stick with the plan. I find it intriguing to think about hookah smoking, and other people have told me it won't start my addiction again, but frankly it's just not a chance I'm willing to take. If I were you I'd include the hookah in the class of things I put away when I put cigarettes away.
posted by Miko at 7:13 PM on November 21, 2010

I work at a smoke shop where we sell hookahs and tobacco/nicotine free shisha. It's herbs, fruits and the usual hookah molasses and you can get it in every flavor you'd get the regular stuff in.

Can't remember the brand we sell off-hand, but you should be able to find something like it online. Should at least cut down on your risk of re-addiction to the chemicals anyway, but anything can be habit-forming.
posted by MuChao at 11:12 PM on November 21, 2010

Several years back, I made a pact with myself. I'd smoke cigars as a replacement for the occasional bummed cigarette. I visited cigar shops; read up on brands; tested various types. Pretty soon, my predetermined bimonthly cigar habit became weekly, then biweekly. And, lo and behold, I returned to bumming cigarettes again.

Cigars were a gateway to returning to the tobacco habit.

After nearly two years nicotine-free, I've finally reached the point at which secondhand smoke no longer makes me long for a cigarette. At long last, the odor of burning tobacco makes me nauseous--the way I felt before I began to smoke, many years back.

You've made leagues of progress, so please hang on to it. Avoid all tobacco products--hookahs, pipes, cigars, blunts, everything. Don't ruin this investment of time and discipline.
posted by Gordion Knott at 3:16 AM on November 22, 2010