To Hookah or Not?

Have you ever had the experience where you hear about something for the first time, whether it is an event, a food, a musician, or any multitude of topics, and suddenly it continues to repeatedly crop up in conversation, newspapers, or any number of communications? This was my experience with hookah bars a few years back. While they were by no means a new concept, the popularity of hookah was on the rise.

If you are not familiar with a hookah bar, it is essentially a very social event where friends gather together to enjoy flavored tobaccos from a communal hookah, a water pipe. It is especially popular in cities and college towns, attracting young adults.

My curiosity grew and I wondered how intelligent college students were justifying inhaling smoke from a hookah when they were vehemently opposed to smoking cigarettes. I was led to wrongly believe that the risks were not as significant when inhaling from a hookah. The hookah bar may be a fun social experience, but don't let it fool you, the risks may actually be greater than smoking cigarettes. For further information, read Hookah smoking: Is it safer than cigarettes? This article by pulmonologist Edward Rosenow, M.D., on the Mayo Clinic website, will clear up any misconceptions and alert you to thinking twice before you consider smoking from a hookah.