What Is "mild" Smoking?

[jskhosa]

So I cant find data on what is considered to be mild smoking, meaning smoking once in awhile. I smoke 2 times a week. I consider it to be mild use of a hookah, and I base this on the fact that extreme use of hookah in a study i read suggested was smoking hookah for about 4-6 hours a day every day.

I am doing it at such a low rate that I am significantly reducing the harm to my body? I also am very heathly in all other aspects in my life, work out and extremely active, hit the steam room 2 times a week, vegetarian and completely drug free and no alcohol either.

Thoughts?

[mushrat]

My thoughts are that since you live a healthy lifestyle for the most part, why fixate on smoking hookah 2 times a week. Is it still bad for you? Sure it is. But the question isn't a scientific one, its a personal one, do you thhink the damage you are going to do is worth the enjoyment. Only you can answer that question really.

[Bawhee]

I figure if you worry about it enough to be asking about it and looking for reassurance you should probably just stop and give yourself peace of mind. I dont mean to be a dick or anything, just saying that when youre in doubt about something just dont do it, I personally know smoking isnt good for me, drinking isnt good for me etc. but when Im enjoying something throughly I find the good outweighs the bad for me... What Im saying is, be aware that smoking hookah is most probably bad for your health, and decide if you wanna do it anyways.

[jskhosa]

My true objective is to determine what is considered to be regular hookah use, high use and low use. There is no suggestions on this where as for alcohol there is plenty.

[Pavo21]

There is not low mild or high use. like mush and bawhee said its just on you. if you think youre smoking to much hookah then thats what you should base it off. Its not like alcohol or drugs. It is all based on you. I smoke 8+ hrs a day some say its to much some say its what they smoke also. just depends on you and what you want to do.

[thehelios]

"Mild" smoking is a purely subjective term based on a person-to-person basis. Same thing with drinking. I can smoke once or twice a day but I eat healthy (healthily?) and work out at least 4 times a week and I think that's fine as I've seen no negative impact on my daily life. I also have the alcohol tolerance of an 8 year old and can get tipsy on a single pint of beer which would be considered insanely light for most people. For me personally, drinking heavily is 4 beers/mixed drinks.

The main factor to figure out is what works out best for you.

[jskhosa]

Is it really that subjective? I'm sure someone has some data or definitions

[Fouda]

Why do you care so much? If you're so concerned with how much time your spending smoking maybe it's not right for you?
Just my .02

[Bawhee]

I agree with that, if youre worrying so much its got the opposite effect on you that its supposed to have, I find myself enjoying my sessions a lot, the entire process of preparing a pipe is like a little ritual to me that I do pretty much daily just to relax and chill a bit...

[colbz13]

i think you guys are missing the point. the OP is asking if there is a scale with definitions.

the answer to that is no there is not. because there are too many variables. how long your session lasts, what coals you use, how much carbon monoxide your coals put off, how much vaporizing vs how much burning is being done in the bowl, how many hits you take, how deep you inhale, how long you hold the smoke in your lungs, as well as countless other factors (those i listed are just the ones that are obvious variables to me) which change how toxic a session is to your body. and then that is all multiplied by how many sessions you smoke. its really just too variable. its not a matter of subjectivity or relativity to your lifestyle. i mean yes it is relative to your lifestyle, i mean if you sit on your ass and eat shit food and have HIV, you probably shouldnt be smoking, especially not with other people. thats the relativity aspect of it. but theres just so many variables going on in a single session to calculate what the OP is asking.

i know that wont bring you any closure, but atleast maybe it will enable you to stop analyzing it and just do what makes you happy. life is short. do what makes you happy.

[Pavo21]

Every person is different so that is why its so subjective

[Chreees]

And this is also why there are hardly any real studies on the harmful effects of hookah. The many variables just come into play too much. For example, a study done using the black tobacco stuff with no foil and quicklight coals directly on the tobacco is going to show much higher harmful effects than say a study done using flavored tobacco with foil and natural coals. Obviously. The studies that are out there don't really show what variables are used, but the few that do, it's really funny and discredits the whole thing. Pair this with the fact that majority of folks don't even understand all the variables involved, so they're just going to take these studies as fact and not think twice about it... As many people do when they are fed "facts." Most people simply do not take the time to do additional research/fact checking.

[mustang67n]

i agree with everything said..

Ultimately it's up to you. I smoke 1-2 hours a day as of late, and sometimes i smoke 5+ hours in a day. I don't think I smoke "too much" but some people do. It's entirely up to you and you're own perception on it all.


to answer your question, i would say your 1-2 times a week is mild smoking. daily may be normal to me, but MOST people who smoke hookah (not including those of us who consider the hookah ritual a part of our daily lives) only smoke a couple times a week if that.

[â€On]

Can't really add much else to this, it's all been covered already. I understand what OP is asking for, but it simply doesn't exist (and probably will never exist). If you smoke, regardless of how much, or what method, or what equipment you use, it ultimately comes down to how you personally feel after smoking. If you don't enjoy it, don't do it. If you do, accept that it is probably not bad for you and do it anyways or quit. Light, heavy, whatever. It doesn't matter.

[skeetsak]

[quote name='Bawhee' timestamp='1356963775' post='566802']
I figure if you worry about it enough to be asking about it and looking for reassurance you should probably just stop and give yourself peace of mind. I dont mean to be a dick or anything, just saying that when youre in doubt about something just dont do it, I personally know smoking isnt good for me, drinking isnt good for me etc. but when Im enjoying something throughly I find the good outweighs the bad for me... What Im saying is, be aware that smoking hookah is most probably bad for your health, and decide if you wanna do it anyways.
[/quote]

this is a good answer

[jskhosa]

There we go finally an attempt to give me a scientific reason why there are definitions, im not too concerned about me smoking, i just wanted to know what my habits would be defined as...and now i know there are just too many variables. But this may lead me to do some experiments. Stating my lifestyle was just to add variables that might change the defintion of mild for example 11,000 calories for a person is way too much, but if a person is professional swimmer, then it is not. thanks everyone for their opinions.