Cigarettes, vape or hookah: Most harmful form of smoking named
Hookah, vape or cigarettes – which is more harmful to smoke (photo: Getty Images)
Modern times offer a wide variety of cigarettes: from electronic to hookahs. Moreover, there is a belief that smoking an e-cigarette or hookah may be less harmful than regular cigarettes. Whether this is the case was explained in an interview by Ukrainian addiction specialist and psychiatrist Yevhen Skrypnyk.
Everything is harmful, but frequency plays a role, says expert.
If a person smokes cigarettes, they smoke every day, many times a day. If it’s a hookah, they smoke it on weekends. So from this perspective, the harm from hookah is less. But there is one caveat.
If you go to a hookah bar, and the person before you had tuberculosis. The bowl is somehow cleaned. But the hose? How do they clean it? It’s impossible to wash the hose from mycobacteria, so you will still inhale them. This is a proven fact, says the doctor.
As for various kinds of electronic cigarettes, Skrypnyk says they are the same as regular cigarettes. And therefore, the harm from them is identical.
Of course, there is less smoke, less tar, less soot and carbon monoxide, but in all other aspects, they are as harmful as regular cigarettes. So it’s just self-deception and a marketing ploy. People who used to smoke spent money on cigarettes, now they vape and spend money just the same, the expert emphasizes.
How to quit smoking
First of all, it needs to be done abruptly and by looking for other sources of dopamine or relaxation.
This is work, like with other addictions. First of all, we must switch ourselves to other types of activity. If you work somewhere, work more. If you feel like smoking, shift your focus. Do 20 push-ups, talk with loved ones, that is, you need to find something that brings you more pleasure, advises the addiction specialist.
You can also use various patches that work by replacing nicotine in the body.
There are also medications approved by the FDA. Bupropion is a medication used to treat nicotine addiction, the expert explains.
During the first two weeks after quitting nicotine, irritability, anxiety, and sleep disturbances may develop, but this is temporary. The next step is not to give in to temptation.
Two weeks pass, the person has made it and thinks, why not try one or half a cigarette? This is psychological dependence, because for many people, smoking is a form of meditation, tells Skrypnyk about the process of quitting nicotine.
The craving for nicotine may intensify every month, so it is important to stay strong and not relapse. And then, gradually, the body gets used to life without nicotine and no longer needs it.
When the smoking history is shorter, it’s easier to quit. The longer the smoking history, the harder it is to quit. Because we've just gotten used to it. So, quit as early as possible, the sooner the better, urges the expert.
Earlier, we also advised on how to quit smoking and where to start.
This material is for informational purposes only and should not be used for medical diagnosis or self-treatment. Our goal is to provide readers with accurate information about symptoms, causes, and methods of detecting diseases. RBС-Ukraine is not responsible for any diagnoses that readers may make based on materials from the resource. We do not recommend self-treatment and advise consulting a doctor in case of any health concerns.
