So How Do You Educate People About Hookahs?

[mushrat]

So I know we've all had to deal with people's misconceptions of what we smoke in our hookahs. The biggest problem I've ru into is that people DO use their hookahs for NHT (non hookah tobacco) and that gives the rest of us a bad name. To be honest, hookahs and NH (non-hookahs) are pretty much the same things in different forms.

Feel free to post your stories and solutions.

PLEASE use NHT and NH as I did to keep the search engines off our backs. Violators will be hammered. The filters are NOT active here so please type it right.

[gaia.plateau]

Solution 1
Social cleansing.

Solution 2
Sit back and let the rapidly growing popularity of hookah propagate awareness as it naturally will.

Solution 3
Cease to care about the misconceptions of closed minded people.

Do I win a kewpie doll?

[Ralleac]

When someone asks about NHT, I tell them I don't smoke anything of the sort. I never have, and probably never will. There are hookah bars all over Portland that are 100% legal, which wouldn't be the case if NHT were the only (or primary) use for a hookah. If they're in my home I can always show them my closet filled w/ hookah supplies and shisha tobacco, as well as the smoke shop where you can legally purchase everything you need to smoke hookah legally.

If they don't take my word for it, I don't really care that much.

[ZenSilk]

It's getting better though. There was a recent article in U.S. News about Hookahs, it was just saying how bad they are for you of course. But it clearly stated that the hookah is used for Tobacco.

[r1v3th3ad]

All my friends back home used to beg me to use my hookah for NHT and it always went like this:
"cmon man, lemme pack some NHT in that...it would be killer".
I say "maybe, but I dont do that anymore and youd ruin my hookah, plus bring a bad name to people who use them properly. You wanna do that, buy your own."
They reply "Fuck no, I aint wastin my money when I can just buy a lil glass piece cheap."
Me "There ya go, leave me alone and let that thought slip outta your head."

That was a long time ago and they havent had the thought cross their minds since then.

[Canon]

I dont think one is wrong to assume that there is NHT in a hookah. here me out

my fiance was at a party and she saw someone smoking out of a hookah, since she owns 2 hookahs she figured there was nothing in there so she started smoking it. a few minutes later she didnt taste/feel something right, she asked if the bowl was cashed and he signaled to her that there was some NHT in the bowl. she stopped after that.

even though i smoke hookah cleanly and use shisha only. i dont know anyone else. if i see someone smoking out of a hookah i will want to know if theres NHT in there or not. not because thats what hookahs are used for. because people do that. i know most hookahs enthusiasts only use shisha in their hookah, but 2% of a population can make the whole population look bad. thats what we are dealing with. because no matter how much hookah smokers try there will always be people smoking NHT out of it.

now saying that. when i smoke my hookah in public places i make sure people know theres no NHT in my hookah, most people believe me but there are some that dont. one time when i was in dennys smoking my hookah like i always do this one family was looking at us smoking and taking pictures with their cell phones of us. we explained to them that it was flavored tobacco but they didnt believe us. they complained to the waitress saying that it stinks and was smelling up the place. (hookah smoke smelling up a smoking restraunt but cigarette smoke not?) long story short the manager comes up to us and tells us to put our NHP up because it was causing people to complain about the smell and that 10 customers already left. (we only saw 4 and that was because they were never served.. that dennys has slow slow service)

well the complaining couple end up leaving, they move us to a more "discreet" location to smoke and we enjoy 2 more hours of smoking with no problems.

sorry bout the long post... i dont usually do this, i prefer to spam

[zeppyrkr]

yeah i had a similar thing happen a few weeks ago really pissed me off but ive learned to keep my hobby a little secret until its more accepted by everyone ...

[r1v3th3ad]

My buddy that lives right up the street from me, here at IUP, only uses his for NHT...once in a while he bums some double apple from me to blend with it.
I'm just glad he doesn't advertise to all his NHT activist friends

[gaia.plateau]

I'm all about nondualism, which is to say, never assuming any position is the "right one"... so I'm going to play Devil's advocate.

I know the vast majority of this forum does not use hookahs for NHT, myself included. But who are we to say that our way is "right" and "proper"? In many parts of the world, NHT is legal, and indeed hookahs were originally designed for NHT.

Why can't we just be happy to personally use hookah for baccy, tolerate others using it for NHT, and let the general populace make up their own minds? Edited February 2, 2008 by gaia.plateau

[ZenSilk]

The Hookah gave birth to one of the devices used for NHT, it's relatively the same thing. The hookah is juts more traditonal, and you'd have to buy a serperate bowl to use NHT (unless you add it to the shisha...).

Hookah Companies that make and sell these bowls are in no way helping our cause. They are perfectly OK with the hookah being used for NHT, and they create stuff and sell stuff in order to use it in that way. It's sickening.

I went ot a Cugar shop a little ways from my house, the lady thought the Expensive Glass Hookah heads were just that... but when she got them they ended up having mini bowls, but the entire bowl was the size of a normal Head. She tried to send them back, they refused.

[shisha fan]

In many parts of the world, NHT is legal

thats right, i can buy it over the counter here.

[r1v3th3ad]

I'm all about nondualism, which is to say, never assuming any position is the "right one"... so I'm going to play Devil's advocate.

I know the vast majority of this forum does not use hookahs for NHT, myself included. But who are we to say that our way is "right" and "proper"? In many parts of the world, NHT is legal, and indeed hookahs were originally designed for NHT.

Why can't we just be happy to personally use hookah for baccy, tolerate others using it for NHT, and let the general populace make up their own minds?

The reason why people are against it is a good one, IMO.
The big reason is that if people are using it for NHT, and one person gets caught, everyone hears about it. The more and more it happens, the more likely people are to vote it down and make them illegal. Like in Pa, tommy chong got busted selling the bubbly type of NHT pipe.
I know my extended family was like "wtf?!?!". I showed them the tobacco and extensively explained things and my knowledge of...it took them that long. Only one didnt change on it. She says "keep it away from my kids..."
But yet she doesn't care if I smoke cigs with them.

[Ralleac]

Why can't we just be happy to personally use hookah for baccy, tolerate others using it for NHT, and let the general populace make up their own minds?

I don't think it's necessarily about who is right or wrong. In the U.S. most forms of NHT are illegal. This can cause a lot of trouble for smoke shops and hookah lounges if authorities automatically link the two together all the time. Heck, I had the fire dept. over for a CO scare like half a year ago and I wound up being questioned about NHT the entire time after they saw my hookah on the counter while they barely bothered to check for CO leaks until they found a detectable concentration of it in my bathroom. Edited February 2, 2008 by Ralleac

[zeppyrkr]

Neal from Devils Playground, told me one of his customers was pulled over with a hookah and tobacco and they were still going to arrest him, luckily the other cop was smart enough to know what a hookah was and let him go?

Thats why i care if people are educated, every time i drive with mine i think if i get pulled over im screwed, he could easily take it away and there would be nothing i could do.

[Johnny_D]

I'm no expert...

But I allways felt that using hookah's for NHT was kinda pointless. I was under the impression one had to actually burn NHT to release the 'goodies'

It's all about image. Tobacco is not exactly loved at the moment anyways, and people will look to anything to help ban tobacco products.

Kinda like busting Al Capone for mail fraud and putting him behind bars for 50 years instead of actually finding him guilty on multiple counts of murder?

Anything to help muddy the waters. That is why we should all do everything we can to ensure people understand exactly what hookah is all about.

JD

[shisha fan]

But I allways felt that using hookah's for NHT was kinda pointless. I was under the impression one had to actually burn NHT to release the 'goodies'

its not pointless, there are products called "vaporizers" that heat nht substances so that the active components vaporise in the air and are inhalable. so it works in the same way as "cooking" hookah tobacco. but i guess i can`t go into detail here on how-to use nht substances in a hookah.

[ZenSilk]

You can't put a stopper on a human's curiosity.

[EvansLight]

Most of the time when i run into people with misconceptions its while im smoking. For the most part i just let the smell it, and then talk with them about it. Whats nice is i find that once you inform one person they tend to spread it about in there little circle. Especially if you get someone interested in trying it once they smell the smoke.

The only time ive had to deal with the police was when i got my first one. I was only allowed to smoke outside and i was sitting on the front porch enjoying some Layalina Mint and a cop pulled up. One of my neighbors called the police thinking i was sitting out smoking NHT. I showed the cop what i was smoking, let him take a puff, and even took him to a bar a week later. Never seen him again but if how much he liked it is any indication hes probably smoked more since then

I dont blame most people for having misconceptions, most people see it as an over glorified NH, and tend to treat it as such. I bet one way to fix this would be just an addition in history class that talks about hookahs or at least mentions them, but that will never happen

[ZenSilk]

Most of the time when i run into people with misconceptions its while im smoking. For the most part i just let the smell it, and then talk with them about it. Whats nice is i find that once you inform one person they tend to spread it about in there little circle. Especially if you get someone interested in trying it once they smell the smoke.

The only time ive had to deal with the police was when i got my first one. I was only allowed to smoke outside and i was sitting on the front porch enjoying some Layalina Mint and a cop pulled up. One of my neighbors called the police thinking i was sitting out smoking NHT. I showed the cop what i was smoking, let him take a puff, and even took him to a bar a week later. Never seen him again but if how much he liked it is any indication hes probably smoked more since then

I dont blame most people for having misconceptions, most people see it as an over glorified NH, and tend to treat it as such. I bet one way to fix this would be just an addition in history class that talks about hookahs or at least mentions them, but that will never happen

Same thing happened to me. Do they seriously think anyone would be that stupid? Honestly.. That should be the first clue. Damn *prominent religion in Utah*.

But yes, they do talk around in their circles. That's what helps around me. People used to bring NHT kinds of stuff to my house to be "nice", thinking that's what a hookah was for. Then i explained to them what was actually going on, and showed them a cloud or 2...They were turned.

A Little conversation or a Nice Essay go a long way... Edited February 2, 2008 by ZenSilk

[zeppyrkr]

and as much as i hate the "uneducated" ones, what did you guys think a hookah was before you got into it? i know i thought exactly like everyone else, especially next to other items intended for bad use.

[Canon]

first few times i was smoking hookah all i was really talking about is NHT. though i have never tried NHT.

[r1v3th3ad]

I thought, honestly, that it was for a NHT product of the middle east that the people of China were addicted to and had wars over....
hows that for specifics...
also led me to this was Alice in Wonderland.

[Elky]

heres one for you guys. My girlfriend got me a new hookah for Christmas and I was proud of it so I was showing it off. My dad saw it and was wondering why I only got a one hosed pipe. Upon hearing that he knew somehitng about hookah I asked him If he had smoked them before. He said 'Oh yeah! Me and my buddies used to have a big 4 hose spinning one, we'd put a bunch of NHT in there and have ourselves a good time." I had to laugh at that but I always knew my dad was a NHT smoker. Then when we went to Maine together for skiing, I showed him how it was supposed to be done. Needless to say, he was impressed.

[Unrelenting]

Honesty, the first time I ever saw/heard of a hookah was about 2 years ago, then I thought they smoked NHT with it, I did a little research and said "hey cool, it's actually 100% legal, interesting background"

Now, I jsut bought my first one, I can't wait untill it comes. Some people will just never learn.

[Bulldog_916]

I didnt even see a hookah and know what it was till I went to a bar the first time. First thing I thought of was middle eastern lamps. Then my dad brought up NHs when I went to buy mine. My mom thought NHT was the stuff that I would be smoking out of it. Then she took a few hits and now she likes it. What sucks is that the restaurant next door to the bar, little middle eastern spot, closes before the hookah bar opens. I could smell the residual food from the place when they opened the doors to clean it. OMG, fantastic smell.