There is a misconception that shisha smoking can be used as supporting factor in the treatment of smokers, beacause it is less toxic than cigarettes.
Shisha smoking, also called narghile, water pipe, hookah, or hubble bubble smoking, originates from the Middle East and certain areas of Asia but has recently become more popular in the UK, especially with young people.
Hookah, shisha, or waterpipe is a singleor multi-stemmed instrument for heating or vaporizing and then smoking either tobacco, flavored tobacco, or sometimes cannabis, hashish, and opium. The smoke is passed through a water basin often glass-based before inhalation. These days the modernized form of Hookah is being used for ice drug smoking.
Crystal meth (ice) is short for crystal methamphetamine that is just one form of the drug methamphetamine. Methamphetamine is a white crystalline drug that people take by snorting it (inhaling through the nose), smoking it, or injecting it with a needle.
Some even take it orally, but all develop a strong desire to continue using it because the drug creates a false sense of happiness and wellbeing—a rush (strong feeling) of confidence, hyperactiveness, and energy. One also experiences decreased appetite. These drug effects generally last from six to eight hours but can last up to twenty-four hours.
Reasons of shisha smoking popularity
There is no single reason why people use crystal methamphetamine several things act in combination. Regardless of why someone starts to use ice or shisha, there is a risk of it becoming a problem. Common reasons for using stimulant drugs such as ice include:
- To fit in/feel part of a social group
- To reduce inhibitions and increase confidence
- Out of curiosity or to experiment
- To escape reality
- Out of boredom
- To manage mental health issues (e.g. low mood, anxiety, depression ) and the impacts of trauma
- To forget or help cope with problems (e.g. unemployment, unstable housing, financial difficulties, lack of social support, stress)
- To enhance work performance
- To enhance sexual experiences and intimacy.
- Social networks and activities can also play a role in facilitating ice use. People who use ice often have friends, family, or partners who use the same drugs and frequently spend time in places where these types of drugs are accessible and normalized (e.g. parties and nightclubs). These drugs are mostly used by young people and wealthy students Use as supporting treatment.
Another misconceptionis that shisha can be used as supporting factor in the treatment of smokers, beacause it is less toxic than cigarettes. Due to this patient instead of recovery get addicted to shisha or ice.
Loads of meth found at schools
Crystal meth, if consumed consistently, can be “a more addictive stimulant than others, its users become risky, violent, prone to anger and being hostile,” Naila Aziz, Lahore-based clinical psychologist, told the media.
“It’s unfortunate that this is more common among the educated classes,” Aziz, who works with treating drug addiction, added.
Peer pressure is the biggest factor contributing to the addiction and has become a big concern for members of the middle and upper classes of the country, she told.
Citing official figures, Aziz said the vast majority of crystal meth seized by narcotics forces in 2018 was found at educational institutions.
Meth dealers are well connected, said Lubna Sajid, an Islamabad-based psychologist. Some dealers get new addicts admitted into educational institutions so they can peddle drugs to students, she added.
Health hazards of shisha smoking
Those who consume ice can quickly become addicted. One report estimates that 80% of consumers become addicted. It is common for meth addicts to lose their ability to care for themselves, children, or others for whom they are responsible.
The chemical itself is corrosive and harmful. Consumption can cause inflammation of the heart and can severely damage teeth, requiring complete replacement with prosthetics.
Methamphetamine users may hallucinate that insects are crawling under their skin and crawling to try to get them out, resulting in injuries to the face or other parts of their bodies. Consuming methamphetamine can also damage blood vessels, due to its stimulating effect that increases blood pressure and body temperature.This can contribute to strokes.
A methamphetamine is someone who is addicted is regularly distrustful and may, with weighty use, experience the ill effects of maniacal scenes. This can certainly lead to a person getting in trouble with the law. The drug can also cause tremors, seizures, aand ggressive or violent behavior.
Crystal methamphetamine use is associated with numerous serious physical problems. The drug can cause rapid heart rate, increased blood pressure, and damage to the small blood vessels in the brain, which can lead to stroke. Chronic use of the drug can result in inflammation of the heart lining. Overdoses can cause hyperthermia (elevated body temperature), convulsions, and death.
Individuals who use crystal methamphetamine also may have episodes of violent behavior, paranoia, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia. The drug can produce psychotic symptoms that persist for months or years after an individual has stopped using the drug.
Affects of shisha smoking on brain
Meth is a highly addictive drug with potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant properties. Those who smoke or inject it report a brief, intense sensation, or rush. Oral ingestion or snorting produces a long-lasting high instead of a rush, which reportedly can continue for as long as half a day. Both the rush and the high are believed to result from the release of very high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine into areas of the brain that regulate feelings of pleasure.
Long-term meth use results in many damaging effects, including addiction. Chronic meth users can exhibit violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, insomnia, and psychotic features including paranoia, aggression, visual and auditory hallucinations, mood disturbances, and delusions – such as the sensation of insects creeping on or under the skin.
Such paranoia can result in homicidal or suicidal thoughts. Researchers have reported that as much as 50 percent of the dopamine producing cells in the brain can be damaged after prolonged exposure to relatively low levels of meth. Some studies suggested that the use of methamphetamine may also result in serotonergic neurotoxicity.
Affect of shisha smoking on body
Taking even small amounts of meth can result in increased wakefulness, increased physical activity, decreased appetite, rapid breathing and heart rate, imegular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and hyperthermia (overheating).
High doses can elevate body temperature to dangerous, sometimes lethal, levels, and cause convulsions and even cardiovascular collapse and death. Meth use may also cause extreme anorexia, memory loss, and severe dental problems.
Overdose effects of shisha smoking
High doses may result in death from stroke, heart attack, or multiple organ problems caused by overheating, drugs with similar effects like cocaine and potent stimulant pharmaceuticals, such as amphetamines and methylphenidate, produce similar effects.
How to get ride of addiction
Since hookah smoking is a habit, try replacing one habit for a healthier one. Find a hobby or new activity to take up your time and distract you from your desire to smoke hookah. Try taking a class, like a painting class or a cooking class, read a book or go to the park.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) — a variety of formulations of nicotine NRTs are available over the counter including the transdermal patch, spray, gum, and lozenges and are equally effective for cessation.
Conclusion and recommendations
The study concluded that ice drugs are very dangerous for health. In the start, it gives pleasure to consumers while latter on panic shock feel in their body and make them lazy. Every time feel disturbance and they ready for fighting and black circles are also seen around the eyelid of the eyes and sometime facing vomiting and stomach disorder facing to them which always disturb their mood in daily life.
Majority doctors told that the drug when is smoked by someone then dopamine hormone speed more than 1000 times which speed up the energy of the body and the body is ready for long run activities.
Majority students use ice drug for long run study which makes their life۔unfavorable in future. The drugs smuggled from Afghanistan, China and Iran into Pakistan while then distributed in the whole country. Everywhere, now this business is in a full swing, in Pakistan. Police department and Anti Narcotics force try for controlling ice drugs while still did not succeed in their mission. High courts judges have directed to police department and government to play great role for its controlling.
The main reason for spreadness of this drug is government carelessness and parent supervision are considered the big factor while the parent never care their children and not ask about them what are they doing outside the home? And why did they come late to home? And why did attend the big parties out of the permission of Parent. The parent mostly supervise at school level while at university level they cannot supervised to their children and because of this they adopted this type of business at university level and use the ice drugs there.
Majority doctor told that its treatment is possible while it take 12 to 18 months. Love failure, bad societies are also the big factors which expedite the drugs ice or shisha smoking in Pakistan.
On the basis of problems the study recommend that to control the borders for stopping smugling of the ice drug; strict punishment shall be awarded to drug dealers and consumers; shisha addiction awareness programs should be launched in all educational and non educational institutions in the country; teacher shall create a positive change in the student behavior and give lecture on drug abused in the class; parental care and supervision is also required for their children in the home as well as outside.
Medical test and medical evidence must be considered for suspecious users; testing laboratories should be multiplied in the country on free basis for Ice drugs checking; hostel warden check on the student is necessary; police department should be empowered to control ice drugs.
The author is from Faculty of Pharmacy, Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan