Hookah and future lung disease or cancer

[eyechick924]

Hey I'm a 24 year old female. I have been dealing with anxiety since my teens and health anxiety specifically for a couple of months. Taking a medical pathology class for my optometry progarm is my main trigger.

I used to smoke hookah in college for a couple of years. I recently learned that hookah is way way worse than cigarettes and am now scared. I used to be so proud of myself because I have never smoked a cigarette, but now I feel so guilty because hookah is the equivalent of many many cigarettes. I smoked several times a week at my worst. I have no symptoms of lung problems however I am very concerned about my carcinogen exposure. Is it possible for my lungs to heal since I quit?

I am also concerned about my boyfriend. He is 23 and has been smoking about a pack a day for about 5 years. He occasionally smoked hookah in college. He still smokes cigarettes and I am trying to get him to quit. I am very very concerned about his future risk of lung disease and cancer.

What do you think of my future risk of lung disease? I never plan on exposing myself to smoking again. And what do you think about my boyfriend's risks if he does quit?

[ServerError]

You'll be fine. You gave up at a very young age. You have nothing to worry about.

It would definitely be advisable for your boyfriend to quit. The thing with smoking is that there's nothing good about it whatsoever. I appreciate giving up is challenging, but he too could completely recover good health by giving up while he's young.

[eyechick924]

Thank you I think I really needed to hear that. I'm trying my best to get him to quit he knows he should but I think he uses it to cope with stress. It's hard watching someone you want to spend your life with hurt themselves.