Many people within the Handsworth community will be relaxing at the weekend with their family or friends in one the new shisha lounges – the unofficial ‘halal’ nightclubs.
Shisha smoking – also called hookah, narghile, waterpipe, or hubble bubble smoking – is a way of smoking tobacco mixed with fruit or molasses, through a glass-bottomed water pipe.
The tobacco is covered with foil and roasted, the smoke passes through a water chamber and is inhaled deeply and slowly Shisha smoking is traditionally used by people from Middle Eastern or Asian community groups but is becoming increasingly popular among all young people in inner cities around the UK.
There’s a misconception that shisha is not as bad for you as cigarettes, because the tobacco is flavoured and the nicotine passes through water first. Traditionally shisha tobacco contains cigarette tobacco, so it contains carcinogens like tar, arsenic and lead. As a result, shisha smokers are at risk of the same kinds of diseases as cigarette smokers, such as heart disease, cancer, respiratory disease. Similarly, some nicotine does pass through the pipe, hence it is just as addictive as cigarettes, to the point where some shisha smokers feel that they may need it every day or visit a shisha lounge regularly in order to feel a ‘calming euphoria’.
Whether it’s cigarettes or shisha, smoking still remains the number one cause of preventable death in the UK. If you want to quit Stoptober is an England wide campaign to support all smokers to quit smoking, starting on October 1st and lasting for 28 days. The campaign is being supported all over the country by local NHS Stop Smoking Services, Local Authorities, pharmacies, retailers and large employers.
Sign up for support by either:
- Registering for the text and email service, which provides motivational messages offering daily support and encouragement
- Downloading the free Stop Smoking App which is active for 28 days with helpful hints and tips for a successful quit attempt, available on smartphones and online
- Join Stoptober Facebook page where smokers can share their Stoptober experience with others
- Getting free stop smoking pack containing a number of proven quitting support tools and other support information.
- You can access this online on the Stoptober website here or from local partners.
If you live in the Handsworth, Soho and Lozells area, why not join the Soho Stoptober Challenge and access further support and advice with smoking and other health workshops through the Family Fit project, contact Aftab Rehman on info@legacy-wm-org.
Healthier communities are happier communities.
