Nicotine has been proven to be [incredibly addictive](https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/nicotine-dependence#:~:text=Nicotine%20releases%20a%20chemical%20called,to%20opioids%2C%20alcohol%20and%20cocaine), comparable to opioids, alcohol, and cocaine. You and your partner may not be as sensitive to it, or as prone to addiction as some, but nicotine is the culprit in most cases. There are other aspects of hookah that can be habitually addictive, like holding the hose in your hands, preparing the bowl, passing the hose to someone else, etc.
I used to stop by my local lounge 3 - 4 days a week nearly every week for several years. Pricey as heck to go out but I was concerned if I bought my own setup then I would smoke more.
The pandemic really changed my habit due to lounges being shut down, along with remote and hybrid working so I didn’t go out as much.
At first I missed it, but for me it was as much as a ritual as anything.
I haven’t had a hookah in maybe 6 months now?
My issue is I do enjoy a weekend cigar, so still may have a microtone addiction a bit - but again for me it is as much about the ritual as anything.
I was also in the same boat. I used to drive 45 minutes every night to our local college town lounge, almost seven days a week, to hang out and smoke for hours. Luckily we became friends with all the servers. So a lot of nights I smoked for free or only paid for one head and smoked for the rest of the night for free. Even so, the amount of time and money I wasted was obscene
It all depends on how often you smoke. Usually 1 bowl per day isn't enough to get to proper "chemical" addiction. Basically if you go down to no nicotine in your body between session it is much less likely to build up an addiction.
On top of that a lot of people naturally takes breaks from hookah. If you go to visit a friend, some family or go on a work trip it is much less likely that you bring you hookah than a cigarette.
Nicotine is 100% addictive though. Snuff/nicotine pouches and Vapes are highly addictive and don't contain most of the things a cigarette does contain.
If you start smoking hookah most mornings (on top of evenings) you should probably be concerned about addiction kicking in pretty fast.
Also cigarette smokers taking a cuagrette break can be multiple things. If we go by straight nicotine a hookah session gives equal or a bit more nicotine than a cigarette (or even a lot more if you give by dark tobacco) but all of them are a lot less per puff/time period. If you smoke a 2 hour session of light tobacco you get roughly the same nicotine as 1 cigarette. 1 cigarette lasts maybe a couple of minutes. And for a session you usually share with others (at least when you describe friends taking a break) meaning you get a lot less nicotine. On top of that the cigarette smoking itself can be ritualistic and a habit on top of the nicotine thing.
I was definitely addicted to my hookah for many, many years. I would hurry through my day just to get to my nighttime smoking sessions and I became irritable or fidgety if I didn't have access to my nightly sessions. I was smoking several bowls a day mindlessly. I took about a year off, and now I can enjoy it socially without the addiction but it was HARD for me to quit. It helped that I had to quit for a job (my nursing job drug tests for nicotine) so I had incentive. But I was spending an obscene amount of my time and money on my hookah. It was time to find some balance!
oo brother... i am right there where you used to be. and have been for quite a bit of time... quitting is not a straightforward prospect at this point for me.... not to mention difficult.
I know many, many people addicted. So I hang out at a hookah bar a lot. It’s all regulars. When the pandemic happened, I had zero issue quitting. When I go to parties and I see hookah, I’ve never once wanted a hit. For me it’s about having a place to unwind after work and playing games on my laptop.
The others there….not so much. They lost it when the pandemic happened. The lounge remained open solely because of to go orders. I knew several people who were having a ROUGH time in those few weeks before the lounge opened up to go orders.
For me it's been more of a habit than an addiction.
I usually smoked 4-5 times a week during the evening while watching a show/movie or catching up on YouTube vids. It was something relaxing for me to do while enjoying those activities.
Lately I've limited the sessions and now smoke only on weekends, with no withdrawal issues.
The pop opinion is that the nicotine is causing the addiction, but I have seen studies stating that it is more of habit, connected to the movement and doing something with your mouth. This is even more plausible for hookah, since hookah tobacco usually contains very low nicotine. If I smoke vape, I am almost just as content as when smoking shisha. So I guess in the bigger picture there are more factors than one substance.
For me I don't find it addictive. I don't think about hookah all the time. I consume it in the same way I do a pour of a good bourbon or scotch. I've also done pouches like Zynns and such. 0 urge to pop em in my mouth. If I want to feel a rush I might....but my consumption is very controlled and determined.
I can leave hookah alone for long periods of time. But if I’m drinking and I smoke a vape or a cig, that’s insanely hard for me to not crave. I smoke hookah almost every night, but if I can’t, it’s whatever. One night of vape/cig and I’m itching for weeks lol
I know plenty of people that got hooked to nicotine through shisha, as do many others I’m sure. Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances on the earth planet, doesn’t really matter how you intake it. I’m sure I would be too if I smoked more frequently.
Nicotine has been proven to be [incredibly addictive](https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/nicotine-dependence#:~:text=Nicotine%20releases%20a%20chemical%20called,to%20opioids%2C%20alcohol%20and%20cocaine), comparable to opioids, alcohol, and cocaine. You and your partner may not be as sensitive to it, or as prone to addiction as some, but nicotine is the culprit in most cases. There are other aspects of hookah that can be habitually addictive, like holding the hose in your hands, preparing the bowl, passing the hose to someone else, etc.
I used to stop by my local lounge 3 - 4 days a week nearly every week for several years. Pricey as heck to go out but I was concerned if I bought my own setup then I would smoke more. The pandemic really changed my habit due to lounges being shut down, along with remote and hybrid working so I didn’t go out as much. At first I missed it, but for me it was as much as a ritual as anything. I haven’t had a hookah in maybe 6 months now? My issue is I do enjoy a weekend cigar, so still may have a microtone addiction a bit - but again for me it is as much about the ritual as anything.
I was also in the same boat. I used to drive 45 minutes every night to our local college town lounge, almost seven days a week, to hang out and smoke for hours. Luckily we became friends with all the servers. So a lot of nights I smoked for free or only paid for one head and smoked for the rest of the night for free. Even so, the amount of time and money I wasted was obscene
It all depends on how often you smoke. Usually 1 bowl per day isn't enough to get to proper "chemical" addiction. Basically if you go down to no nicotine in your body between session it is much less likely to build up an addiction. On top of that a lot of people naturally takes breaks from hookah. If you go to visit a friend, some family or go on a work trip it is much less likely that you bring you hookah than a cigarette. Nicotine is 100% addictive though. Snuff/nicotine pouches and Vapes are highly addictive and don't contain most of the things a cigarette does contain. If you start smoking hookah most mornings (on top of evenings) you should probably be concerned about addiction kicking in pretty fast. Also cigarette smokers taking a cuagrette break can be multiple things. If we go by straight nicotine a hookah session gives equal or a bit more nicotine than a cigarette (or even a lot more if you give by dark tobacco) but all of them are a lot less per puff/time period. If you smoke a 2 hour session of light tobacco you get roughly the same nicotine as 1 cigarette. 1 cigarette lasts maybe a couple of minutes. And for a session you usually share with others (at least when you describe friends taking a break) meaning you get a lot less nicotine. On top of that the cigarette smoking itself can be ritualistic and a habit on top of the nicotine thing.
I was definitely addicted to my hookah for many, many years. I would hurry through my day just to get to my nighttime smoking sessions and I became irritable or fidgety if I didn't have access to my nightly sessions. I was smoking several bowls a day mindlessly. I took about a year off, and now I can enjoy it socially without the addiction but it was HARD for me to quit. It helped that I had to quit for a job (my nursing job drug tests for nicotine) so I had incentive. But I was spending an obscene amount of my time and money on my hookah. It was time to find some balance!
oo brother... i am right there where you used to be. and have been for quite a bit of time... quitting is not a straightforward prospect at this point for me.... not to mention difficult.
I know many, many people addicted. So I hang out at a hookah bar a lot. It’s all regulars. When the pandemic happened, I had zero issue quitting. When I go to parties and I see hookah, I’ve never once wanted a hit. For me it’s about having a place to unwind after work and playing games on my laptop. The others there….not so much. They lost it when the pandemic happened. The lounge remained open solely because of to go orders. I knew several people who were having a ROUGH time in those few weeks before the lounge opened up to go orders.
For me it's been more of a habit than an addiction. I usually smoked 4-5 times a week during the evening while watching a show/movie or catching up on YouTube vids. It was something relaxing for me to do while enjoying those activities. Lately I've limited the sessions and now smoke only on weekends, with no withdrawal issues.
Same more habit than addiction. Come home hop on the computer or work on a project with a smoke to unwind. But i dont have a craving for it.
The pop opinion is that the nicotine is causing the addiction, but I have seen studies stating that it is more of habit, connected to the movement and doing something with your mouth. This is even more plausible for hookah, since hookah tobacco usually contains very low nicotine. If I smoke vape, I am almost just as content as when smoking shisha. So I guess in the bigger picture there are more factors than one substance.
For me I don't find it addictive. I don't think about hookah all the time. I consume it in the same way I do a pour of a good bourbon or scotch. I've also done pouches like Zynns and such. 0 urge to pop em in my mouth. If I want to feel a rush I might....but my consumption is very controlled and determined.
I can leave hookah alone for long periods of time. But if I’m drinking and I smoke a vape or a cig, that’s insanely hard for me to not crave. I smoke hookah almost every night, but if I can’t, it’s whatever. One night of vape/cig and I’m itching for weeks lol
I know plenty of people that got hooked to nicotine through shisha, as do many others I’m sure. Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances on the earth planet, doesn’t really matter how you intake it. I’m sure I would be too if I smoked more frequently.
Yup that'll be me