The penchant for smoking shisha in Ghana especially among the youth has been a walk in a park and has within a short while caught the eyes of many and now, it is being recognized among the fun loving guys as the fast becoming first-choice leisure for more and more people.
BACKGROUND
According to research, Shisha smoking traditionally originated from the Middle Eastern or Asian community but become increasingly popular among all groups in cities around the United Kingdom. Shisha also known as hookah, narghlie, waterpipe or Hubble bubble smoking, is a way of smoking tobacco sometimes mixed with fruit or molasses sugar through a bowl, hole or tube. The tube normally ends in a mouthpiece from which the smoker inhales the smoke from substances being burnt into their lungs. Getting this done, wood, Coal or Charcoal is burned in the shisha pipe to heat the tobacco and create a smoke and since there’s the fruit syrup, it makes the tobacco damp.
DANGERS OF SHISHA
It is pretty sad to know that, out of the huge numbers who smoke Shisha, just a hand full of them knows the creeping threats of Shisha to their own lives. Out of the few people who knows about the extreme dangers of smoking cigarette and its effect, it appears smoking shisha is widely considered to be a completely safe and a risk-free practice. Mistakenly, most people think smoking shisha is not addictive since the use of water in the pipe can absorb nicotine but, it’s really absurd to know that, the water only absorbs just a little portion of the nicotine yet, shisha smokers are still exposed to enough nicotine to cause an addiction.
Shisha tobacco contains harmful chemicals like Nicotine, Tar, Carbon Monoxide and heavy metals such as Arsenic and Lead. As a result, Shisha smokers are highly prone to some kinds of diseases like cancer, respiratory disease and problems during pregnancy. It’s difficult to say exactly how much smoke or toxic substances we’re exposed to in a typical shisha session. It is highly imperative to note that, people smoke shisha much longer than they smoke cigarette, and to add, one puff of shisha you inhale is certainly the same amount of smoke you’d get from smoking cigarette. Research has also shown that, the average shisha smoking sessions last for an hour and within this period; one can inhale the same amount of smoke from more than 100 cigarettes.
WHY PEOPLE SMOKE SHISHA
Many people have varied reasons why they enjoy doing what they do and for some, it is not only a matter of fun but rather a lifestyle whilst, others also say, they turn to forget their ordeals and woes anytime they get the shisha on. Surprisingly, a large amount of shisha lovers are also attracted by the numerous flavours, and are never perturbed about its health implications. In recent times, some people have taken advantage of the influx and crave for shisha and have made it work for their good as a form of business.
Under normal relaxed circumstances, shisha never goes amiss along our beaches, recording high patronage especially on holidays or festive seasons. It is estimated that, about 58% of participants is reported to have been first introduced to shisha by friends with 18% having no clue or whatsoever on what shisha is but decided to a firsthand experience.
Well anytime you think or feel for the amazing flavours of shisha, hey just log down, take a little time to reflect on its health effects and then you can maneuver your way out with your own decision.
BY: Nii Lantei Lamptey
