Smoking Hookah (aka nargileh, argeelah, narjile, goza, water pipe, sheesha) has become fashionable among educated professionals and college kids in the United States. Smoking has always been a disease of the poor and uneducated, however, Hookah seems to be transcending these bounds. For some reason, hookah smoking has been able to make it out of the ghettos of uneducated Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt and make it to America's university campii. Why are educated, intelligent young people taking up this habit? Is it peer pressure, mental illness, or just a fad?
It's been estimated that 43% of cigarettes in the US are consumed by people with mental illness. Experts feel that smoking leads to depression, and depression leads to smoking. So are these kids using Hookah to help their mental illness?
A study on young people in the United Arab Emirates found that 69% of hookah smokers had a college education, while 23% had a high school education. Are they just ignoring the facts? Or do they not care? Do they have mental health disease?
Further, the myth about smokers losing weight has been demystified. A recent study has shown that teenagers that smoke are more likely to be obese adults. Probably because if they are making bad choices as teens, they will likely make bad choices as adults. Further, they have an oral addiction. They constantly need to be putting things in their mouth.
Hookah the Horrible: the Haram?
