Hookah, Vaping, E-Cigarettes – Appearing cool while committing suicide

Jul 13, 2025 Features / Columnists, News

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By Dr. Telford Layne Jr. PsyD, MSc. Postgrad, BSc.

Clinical and Developmental Psychologist – Psychoanalyst

Unwrapping Gift -Clinic

Kaieteur News – If you are vaping, using E-Cigarettes – Hookah, where do you see your life 20 years from today? Living a healthy life with your children and grandchildren? Married with a professional career in physically good shape? I want to use the unconscious reality of your vaping lifestyle to show you where you are likely to be short.

Recently, some friends invited me to a social gathering on Sunday evening. While socializing, they bought one Hookah. They all were going down into it; each person had their flavour. One of the females looked dazed to me as if she was in transition. I told her she did not look good, but she said she was. Fifteen minutes later, she asked to sit in my vehicle. I knew something was now beyond bad. I told her to walk in front as I walked behind as backup support if anything happened. At the same time, she was convincing me that I should lead the way. She collapses to the ground. Knock out stone-cold.

They come in “Cherry Crush,” “Snappin’ Apple,” “Chocolate Treat,” coffee, mint, crème caramel, black cherry marshmallow, buttered popcorn, cotton candy, Fruit Loops, and over 7,700 other unique flavours.

Hookah smokers, vaping, E-Cigarettes smokers are at risk for many of the same illnesses as cigarette smokers, such as oral cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer, and esophageal cancer. Hookah use is also associated with decreased lung function and heart disease, and it can hurt fertility. Psychologically, it triggers General Anxiety Disorder—depressive symptoms. Sensation seeking.

Vaping and Its Impact on the Lungs

EVALI

This is a serious lung condition that was first recognized back in 2019. It can even be fatal in some cases. EVALI has mostly been linked to vaping products containing THC and vitamin E acetate, although it has also turned up in people who were only using nicotine vapes. The main symptoms to look out for include shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, fever, and sometimes stomach upset. Essentially, it leads to severe inflammation and damage in the lungs.

Popcorn Lung (Bronchiolitis Obliterans)

This is a rare disease where the tiny airways in your lungs get scarred and narrowed, making breathing harder and harder over time. It’s been connected to certain flavourings used in vape liquids—particularly diacetyl. The good news is many vape makers no longer use diacetyl, but there is still a risk. People with popcorn lung often have a cough, wheezing, and shortness of breath that gradually worsens.

Chronic Bronchitis and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)

Regular vaping can lead to long-term inflammation in the airways. Over time, this can either trigger COPD or make it worse. Typical symptoms include a constant cough, bringing up mucus, and feeling breathless, even with mild activity.

Asthma Flare-Ups and New Asthma Cases

Vaping does not just aggravate existing asthma—it can also cause asthma to develop in people who never had it before. It increases airway sensitivity and inflammation, leading to more frequent attacks.

Cardiovascular Problems:

Increased Heart Rate and Blood Pressure: Nicotine in vapes elevates heart rate and blood pressure, potentially increasing the risk of heart disease.

Impaired Blood Vessel Function: Studies suggest vaping can damage blood vessels, contributing to cardiovascular disease.

Other Long-Term Effects:

Nicotine Dependence: Vaping can lead to nicotine addiction, with potential withdrawal symptoms upon quitting.

Mental Health: Nicotine exposure from vaping can negatively impact mental health, increasing the risk of anxiety and depression.

Increased Risk of Smoking: Vaping may act as a gateway to smoking traditional cigarettes.

Brain Development: In adolescents, nicotine exposure can hinder brain development.

Seizures: Cases of seizures have been reported in both new and experienced vapers.

Secondhand smoke from a hookah is also hazardous. If you’re in the room with a lit hookah water pipe, you’re breathing in cancer-causing toxins, just as with secondhand cigarette smoke. Hookah smoking can also spread illness. Because it is usually smoked in a social setting, with several people sharing the same pipe and sometimes the same mouthpiece, colds and other infections, including oral herpes, can be easily passed along.

Hookah smoking is often mistaken as a healthier alternative to cigarette smoking, primarily due to the sweet smell and taste of hookah tobacco and the social aspect that usually leads to hookah smoking being only an occasional habit. But there’s no such thing as a healthy smoking option, and hookah smoking can be just as—if not more—dangerous as cigarette smoking.

Although vaping is often advertised as a safer alternative to smoking, it’s far from harmless. The long-term effects are still being researched, but there’s already plenty of evidence showing that vaping can do real damage to the lungs and lead to severe disease. Sixty minutes of Hookah is equal to smoking 40- 400 cigarettes. One hour of Hookah exposes the smoker to 100-200x the amount of smoke inhaled from 1 cigarette.

It is a common misconception that smoking from a hookah removes nicotine and other toxins from tobacco. While water-cooled smoke is less harsh on delicate lung tissue, the toxicity of the smoke is unchanged, and this process does not filter out the cancer-causing chemicals present in hookah tobacco. Hookah smoke contains many of the same harmful chemicals as traditional cigarette smoke, including. Carbon monoxide. Tar. Arsenic. Chromium. Cobalt. Cadmium. Nickel. Formaldehyde. Acetaldehyde. Acrolein. Lead—polonium 210, a radioactive isotope.

Some hookah tobacco products claim they don’t contain tar, but that is misleading. No tobacco contains tar until it is burned or, in the case of hookah tobacco, heated. This difference leads some to believe that the toxicity of hookah tar may be less than that of cigarette tar, which is not the case. Additionally, the charcoal that is used to heat the tobacco contains carbon monoxide, metals, and other cancer-causing agents like polyaromatic hydrocarbons. This adds another level of danger to hookah smokers.

Its long-term impact is significant health risks, particularly affecting the lungs and cardiovascular system. Nicotine dependence, mental health issues, and increased risk of transitioning to traditional smoking are also concerning.

If you are unable to stop, you can see me as we seek to address the possibility of addiction or substance dependency.

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• E-Cigarettes, EVALI, Hookah, suicide, Vaping

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