Assessing Drinking Risks
The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has created a new website called "Rethinking Drinking," designed to help users define their drinking patterns and develop strategies and options for dealing with alcohol-related problems. Please follow the link below for more information.
Drug Screening
This website is a service provided by
Join Together, a national project of the Boston University School of Public Health.
This website does not provide a diagnosis of alcohol/drug abuse or dependence. It cannot tell people for certain whether or not they have a problem. Rather, DrugScreening.org is a self-screening tool to help adults assess their own drug and alcohol use, and find out their likely risk level for experiencing harms to their health or other negative consequences. Through education and referral, it urges those whose drug and alcohol use is likely to be harmful or hazardous to seek further evaluation from a qualified professional.
Drug and alcohol misuse and dependence are major public health problems, resulting in more than 100,000 deaths per year in the United States and costing the healthcare system billions of dollars annually. Drug and alcohol problems are a major cause of injuries, violent crime, lost productivity at work and school, family and social problems, injuries, and disease.
CESAR
FAX
U n i v e r s i t y o f M a r y l a n d , C o l l e g e P a r k
A Weekly FAX from the Center for Substance Abuse Research
June 2, 2008
Vol. 17, Issue 22
What is a waterpipe?
A waterpipe, also known as a hookah, is a long-necked device used to smoke tobacco. The tobacco is indirectly heated in a bowl, often using a quick-lighting charcoal, and the smoke is filtered though water. What are other names for a waterpipe?
Hookah, hubblebubble, nargile, argileh, shisha, boory, and goza(and various spellings of these terms) are all names for a waterpipe. What type of tobacco is smoked in a waterpipe?
The most common waterpipetobacco in the United States is maassel(also spelled mu'essel, mu'assel; sometimes referred to as shisha), a tobacco sweetened with honey or molasses that is available in a variety of flavors, including apple, banana, strawberry, chocolate, mint, coffee, rose, and vanilla. Tobacco-free herbal maasselis also available. One bowl of maasselwill typically last 30-45 minutes when smoked in a waterpipe. Where can you buy a waterpipeor maassel?
Waterpipesand maasselare widely available for purchase on the internet and in certain retail establishments, such as hookah lounges and Middle Eastern markets. The same age restrictions that apply to purchasing other tobacco products (18 or older in most states)also apply to purchasing waterpipesand maassel. Online prices for packaged maasselrange from $7 to $20 for 250g, which will fill approximately 20-30 bowls. Maasselis also sold in single-serve packages ("shots") for less than $1 each. Who uses waterpipes?
Waterpipeusers are primarily young adults between the ages of 18 and 25, particularly college students. Surveys estimate that between 15% and 20% of college freshmen have used waterpipesin the past month. Where are waterpipesused?
Waterpipesare generally used in a group setting, either in a private residence or a public hookah lounge (also called hookah bars or cafes). Hookah lounges are an increasingly popular alternative to bars and clubs, as they may be open later hours (e.g., until 4:00 a.m.) and are open to those who are under 21. Most hookah lounges require customers be of legal adult age, but some establishments that sell herbal maasselmay have a lower minimum age. Several online hookah bar directories are available (e.g., www.hookah-bars.com, www.hookahculture.com), and an informal review found that the cost for the use of a hookah and a bowl of maasselat hookah bars range from $5 to $20. What are the perceptions of the harm of waterpipeuse?
The majority of waterpipesmokers believe that waterpipesmoking is less harmful than cigarette smoking. For example, most beginning waterpipesmokers (90%) believe cigarette smoking is more addictive than waterpipesmoking. Another survey found that 83% of waterpipeusers believed a cigarette smoker who switched to waterpipeuse would experience a small to moderate reduction in health risks. These findings are of concern, since perceptions of low risk are often related to higher prevalence of use. What are the health effects?
The next issue of the CESAR FAXwill review current research on the health effects of waterpipeuse, including misconceptions that may contribute to the growing popularity of hookah smoking.
