Hookah consumption was one of the devil's strongest chains

Hookah consumption was one of the devil's strongest chains

Nicotine is a chemical substance that causes addiction, and it’s found in the tobacco plant. Using it leads to serious health problems like hardening of the arteries, heart attacks, and high blood pressure.
Products that contain tobacco include hookah tobacco, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and cigars. When someone uses nicotine, it raises the levels of endorphins and dopamine in their body to some extent. This mainly happens in the beginning, since the human body naturally produces these chemicals. But when they start getting nicotine from outside, they feel like it brings them joy.
Eventually, the body can’t make its own acetylcholine anymore, and the person becomes prone to addiction. They feel like they have to keep using it to experience that seemingly enjoyable feeling again. The cycle of nicotine use and the lack of it in the body is very much like drug addiction. When we bring in nicotine from outside, our body stops making it on its own.
In Congress 60, we’ve all come to understand the problem of addiction really well. The human body has neurotransmitters that help us live in balance. When someone doesn’t use drugs, they can sleep easily. But when they start using drugs, at first it might feel like they’re using some kind of magical substance that gives them energy. However, that energetic feeling doesn’t last long. Over time, they lose the natural internal substances their body used to produce. Eventually, they can’t feel that high anymore. And when they stop using, they experience pain, seizures, and withdrawal.
The same thing happens with nicotine. In the beginning, just one puff of a cigarette or hookah might give them headaches or dizziness. But in the end, they’re smoking two packs a day or having multiple hookah sessions. When nicotine enters the bloodstream, it makes the adrenal glands release adrenaline. That hormone stimulates the nervous system and increases blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing.
The worst kind of nicotine comes from cigarettes, especially imported ones. The older cigarettes were more expensive, but unfortunately, cheaper foreign brands entered the market. People believed that imported cigarettes had smoother, gentler smoke, but that’s completely false. If you don’t puff on a foreign cigarette, it goes out. But if you light a modern one and put it in a dark room, you’ll see it keeps burning and sparks keep flying off. That’s because these cigarettes are laced with gunpowder and flammable chemicals. When you smoke them, these dangerous materials go straight into your lungs—and they aren’t even part of the nicotine.
This was some information about nicotine and the serious dangers it brings! You might wonder why God—or the Higher Power—created harmful things like opium, tobacco, or the cannabis plant. Cannabis is a shrub or plant from which substances like hashish, bhang, chars, marijuana and weed are made. The main compound in it is THC, which was once used as a painkiller and anesthetic. In fact, many medicines were made from opium.
Nothing in the universe is created for no reason. God gave humans the power of reason and free will so they can judge what to use and what to avoid. The purpose of the Creator in making evil—or Satan—was to test humanity. So its existence is necessary for growth and progress.
My years in the darkness of addiction had turned me into someone weak and helpless. But that very darkness became a driving force for me. From the first moment I joined Congress 60, I realized I was in worse shape than my traveler. After starting the lessons, I learned that the universe is based on opposites, and that to reach growth and light, we must go through the dark. One day, I woke up and realized I’d been using hookah for twenty years. When I came to Congress 60, I first tried to quit cold turkey—but I didn’t feel well at all. Once I learned about the root of addiction, I understood that I needed real treatment.
Thanks to the pure teachings of Mr. Dezhakam and the efforts of the instructors and guides in Congress 60, it’s possible to overcome any kind of chain or darkness—if you have a strong will to change. For years, I had wrapped myself in tight chains of negative thoughts, fear, and hopelessness. Hookah was one of the devil’s strongest chains—a destructive habit that, if I hadn’t broken free from it in this life using knowledge and awareness, would’ve followed me into the next. I’m deeply grateful that, through the DST method and the support of my guide, companion Sahar, I was able to break free. I hope everyone who truly wants to heal can find liberation and peace.

Transcribed by: Zahra, Bonyan Branch, Mashhad
Translated by: Companion Banafshe

Revised by: Companion Marjan

June 17, 2025

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