Hookahs: What’s Your Opinion?
I squeezed my husband’s arm and curtly nodded my head toward a group of teenagers in the corner of my neighbor’s backyard. “Is that a bong?” We had just walked into a neighbor’s graduation party and there were a group of kids sitting around a rather fancy looking bong. “It’s a Hookah,” he calmly stated.
“A Hookah – what the heck is a Hookah?” Apparently, as I learned, a Hookah is a water pipe used to smoke a special type of tobacco, even flavored tobacco. It can be a single pipe for one user, or multi- stemmed where several people can smoke together. The tobacco in a Hookah pipe is just as dangerous as the tobacco in cigarettes. From what I have read, Hookah smoking is becoming more and more popular, especially with college-aged kids and teenagers. Many cities even have Hookah bars.
So help me out here, after all the work we’ve done to discourage kids from smoking, why in the world are we allowing Hookah pipes at graduation parties?
Thanks to YT friend Leah, read what the professionals say about Hookahs. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/18/health/research/18perc.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
sueborison– that website literally gave no facts…. or the reasons why hookah is supposedly worse than cigarettes. it kept claiming it “may” be worse and “may” have more “nicotine and heavy metals.” you need a better website.
I used to work in a Hookah lounge and so can give you the facts from what I know about smoking Hookah.
Hookah tobacco is basically tobacco dipped in flavored molasses. So when you hear the term flavored tobacco, the flavor is coming from the sugar and flavorings, similar to candy.
Here are some facts about Hookah and why you shouldn’t freak out about your kids smoking it:
a) Hookah tobacco doesn’t have the added things like tar and fiberglass like cigarettes do
b) When you smoke Hookah, while there is coal and tin foil involved, the coal does not get hot enough to melt the tin, so you don’t get the dangerous fumes from it
c) There is little to no nicotine in Hookah tobacco so it’s not addictive. As I said, I worked in a Hookah lounge and I smoked almost every day, and no addiction ever formed. If your kids are going to a Hookah lounge a lot its not because they are addicted, it’s because there’s nothing else for them to do. They can’t go to a regular bar because they aren’t of age, and smoking is legal at 18.
d) The water filters out the bad stuff. That’s why it’s there.
e) I am a runner, I run all the time, and I could go to work and smoke all night and then go for a run and be fine.
f) Hookah makes you a little light headed, so if you’re bored, a teenager, have nothing else to do and don’t want to break the law, it’s the best possible alternative activity for a night out.
g) The cultural exposure you get from going to Hookah lounges is great. You meet a lot of people from different backgrounds and, if you get to talking to them, can get a lot of different perspectives on life. Hookah has been around the Middle East and Europe for a long time now, there’s no reason to get all worried because it looks funny.
I know I’m no expert, but I hope this helps some of you. Chances are you’re kids will grow out of this once they are legally allowed to do other things, and then you’ll wish they were smoking Hookah again.