Why do you smoke?

[NERV]

Perhaps not as serious or impactful as the other threads in this
section, but still something worth discussing. Why smoke? In this
modern world of nicotine, lung cancer, and the overall public view,
what keeps you on the hookah?

For me, it started out socially, and as something to do while watching
movies. But now, it's my way to relax and just let the stress billow
out. Since I hate alcohol, and I don't like doing nothing to relax (hot
bath, nap, I consider these a waste of time), I have the hookah. I can
fill a bowl and put on a movie, go on the computer, read, do homework;
So, by the time I'm done, I've unwound and accomplished something along
with it. What about lung cancer? Meh, I would rather live a happy 50
year life than a mediocre 100 year one, and my hookah is one of the
tihngs that makes me happy.

I am particularly interested in Mathazar's response to this. I can't
comprehend a consistent 10 bowls a day. Along with sleep, that's more
than half of the day gone.

[cypress]

I do it for pleasure rather than adiction. Sometimes its a good way for
me to wind down after a long 12 hour day at work.   There are alot
of things that people do that are bad and still do it. Drinking , fried
foods, cigarette smoking, high sodium foods ect.

In my early college years I would smoke menthols, Malboro Reds, cloves
and black & milds.  That started to get old and painful. Then
I move to Lights and while that was not as bad but I would still hack
the next day. Then age 27 came along and I had to cut back quite a bit
cause I was starting to feel crappy and cigs just didn't tase good. 3
months ago I was introduced to the hookah at a Mediteranean restaurant.
Since then I smoke at least once a week but no more than twice a day.

[Ghaleon]

This is a great place for this post.  you should check out a book
called 'cigarrettes are sublime' by Richard Klein.  He basically
poses the same question:  why the hell do people smoke?  He's
mainly talking about cigarettes.  I think that cigarette smoking
and hookah smoking are probably pretty different issues as far as the
natures of their respected addictions are concerned...

But why smoke? It's utterly counter-intuitive.  The things kill
you.  No one, who has smoked cigarretes for more than a month can
deny that.  You don't need to see those stupid commercials to know
that cigarettes are bad for you.

What he ends up concluding is that cigarettes are, in fact,
sublime.  That is, they are a mystery that derive their beauty
from their destructive nature.

My favorite observation in the book is in the chapter where he argues
that , if cigarettes were healthy, people would not smoke
them....something to think about.

I smoked cigs for about a year and then quit becuase my girlfriend at
the time also smoked and I was worried about her health so I got her to
quit with me.  I guess i'd probabaly still be smoking if it werent
for her...and I suppose that I'll probably start again if it dosen't
work out; I still miss the things

I still enjoy the hookah pretty frequently (about twice a week). 
But it's very weird; it's not hard at  all for me to go for weeks
without the hookah...I don't even think about it.  But I still
think about cigarettes.  I'm not really sure how their different,
any ideas?

[NERV]

while i have heard that people get addicted to hookah, the frequency of
addicted people seems to be much less than with cigarettes, i assume
it's due the chemical addatives and additional nicotine put in
cigarettes, along with the fact that in tune with the modern lifestyle,
cigarettes are faster, easier, cheaper, and u can smoke em almost
anywhere, so aside from the physical addiciton, people also get a
mental addiction, when they suddenly have nothing to do theyll reach
for one, if theres an akward paus ein a conversation, light one up.
whereas with the hookah you have to devote time and energy to it, i
consider it more of a hobby than a habit, especially since the
enjoyability of your smoke is directly related to how much care you put
into the preperation and being careful usually means working slower, i
probly devote a good 15 minutes to preparing mine, seperating every
single leaflet, filling the bowl is now more of a puzzle, i look for
pieces of the right size and shape to fit where i can fit the most
tobacco without actually packing, i have experimented the ideal hole
pattern down to a precise number and arrangement, since my bowl is
somewhat lopsided i compensate by slightly indenting the foil on the
higher side so the srea the coal rests on is flat, and then i reap what
i sow. where as a cigarette can be pulled out any time for any reason
and be sucked down to the filte rin a minute for instant gratification.
the whole hookah experience is much more rewarding, even the
preperations are a way to relax

[lickirish]

I highly agree with Nerv, well said . I smoke multiple times a day. I have smoked about 5 bowls today. I love to smoke, and I smoke half for the social aspect, and half for the relaxing aspect. The social aspect, to me, breaks down any kind of social barriers. It doesn't matter how much money you have, or what kind of car you drive, who your significant other is, everyone is equal when they smoke the hookah (except, or course, those of us who purchase and prepare the hookah without anyone elses help ). I started about a year ago, with an experience at Oasis Cafe, and then across the street at King Tut's in Tempe, AZ. It was marginal, and kind of unclean. Nice people though. This is one of my favorite quotes about hookah, and I think it is from Sacred Nargile or something like that.
"In short, the aim - should there really have to be one - is not to smoke in order to appease an addiction or get rid of anxiety, as with cigarettes, but to take the time to chat and listen and share, one by one, by passing the suction tube around in a brotherly, ritual and symbolic manner. "

[afrdzak]

5 times a day? Wow, you have some time on your hands, heh.
I do it because I just like the feeling of flavored smoke through my lips, tounge and throat.  It's somewhat soothing, and is more of a past-time for me.  Furthermore, it's definately a small hobby since I always get new flavors, hoses, bowls, coals to test out.

[Om'McCoy]

When I am by myself smoking Hookah helps me to relieve stress or just as a pleasent way to pass the time.  When I am smoking socially, it is a great way to break the ice, or just warm up to other people.  When smoking with friends it is a way to better enjoy the company of friends.

[mikem]

I smoke because i enjoy it,  and its relaxing.  Im nowhere near addicted so it is not a problem for me. Its also a great social "activity" for lack of a better word.

[afrdzak]

I'm just going to cite one of my favorite quotes:
Eh, too lazy to type it all out... top of this page:
[url="http://home.san.rr.com/mastertofu/"]http://home.san.rr.com/mastertofu/[/url]

[wyteboy]

I was first introduced to hookah as you know by now at Rama Geni Cafe and fell in love with a few things.  But first and foremost, the relaxing, amazingly social, non-barrier filled time I had.  I stayed til like 3am sitting outside with my best friend and my sister, just having incredible conversation over an amazing tasting bowl of hookah.  Some of the best conversations in my life have been over the hookah.
It has become a real hobby of mine lately, trying out all the new flavors from different brand and what not.  Once i get settled on a few, I will smoke for the relaxation after a long day of work, to relax with my close friends,  or outside on my balcony to enhance the nice-weather experience and if I can convince my gf to like it, to share some relaxing times with her.
I do not find the hookah addidcting at all.  In the midst of trying to try all of these flavors quickly, I have often smoked 2-3 bowls a day for several days in a row and then taken a break for a week or so without even really thinking about the hookah, except to want to try a new flavor I have sitting around.

[wyteboy]

also that is a great quote!

[msuspartan2k7]

quote: lickirish
"In short, the aim - should there really
have to be one - is not to smoke in order to appease an addiction or
get rid of anxiety, as with cigarettes, but to take the time to chat
and listen and share, one by one, by passing the suction tube around in
a brotherly, ritual and symbolic manner. "




I love that.  What a great quote.... so true

Peace!
MSU spartan

[Markymark]

Why I smoke?Like most people its a past time, somehting to look forward to when the work day ends, I also like inviting firneds and family that have never heard of them and letting them try it, it certainley opens a new world to them and you learn so much more about people, you have 30 - 3 hours of smoking, so thats 30 - 3 hours of good chatting, relaxing and having fun, rather than just sitting doing nothing or smoke a fag which is now a very unsociable thing and last 3 min's max, the taste and the aroma after wards realy lets me slip into a world of my own, its something different, something more of a social than single person 'thing' in my eyes, but me and my girlfriend have maby 3 sheeshas a night.I am not adicted to it, I choose when I want to smoke and when I dont.Not sure what else to say, I certainly dont think its a bad thing.
 
Regards - Mark

[HookahCaterpillar]

I smoked alot of shisha at one time but never considered myself
addicted to the hookah(although all my friends considered me addicted)
It was a way for me to relax. I loved the concept of shisha the social
side. Sitting around passing the hookah around exchanging conversation
listening to good music. Get off of work after  a stressful day
drive home and thinking of what flavor i will sit down and relax to
when i get home. I pack a hookah, put on some good music and puff on my
shisha. No matter what you do in life is dangerous. Lets face it we are
all going to die at some point. The person who took all the
precautions..didnt smoke, drink, do drugs, take any risks, eat healthy
foods, the whole 9 he may live a little bit longer but then again he
may get hit by a bus crossing the street. I dont regret that thick
juicy medium rare steak and baked potato with butter and sour cream i
ate the other night and I dont regret smoking shisha. Life is too short
to live with regrets and life is too short to not do what you want to
do or eat what you want to eat. I will die happy and have lived a fun
life. Ask the guy who goes jumping out of planes or goes white water
rafting, or climbs mountains if he regrets taking that risk to his
life? I gurantee you he will say no and they had the best time in there
life. All in all you gotta do what you enjoy and not let things such as
health hold you back from enjoying your short time here on earth. 

[Spentkustard]

[quote name='HookahCaterpillar']I smoked alot of shisha at one time but never considered myself
addicted to the hookah(although all my friends considered me addicted)
It was a way for me to relax. I loved the concept of shisha the social
side. Sitting around passing the hookah around exchanging conversation
listening to good music. Get off of work after  a stressful day
drive home and thinking of what flavor i will sit down and relax to
when i get home. I pack a hookah, put on some good music and puff on my
shisha. No matter what you do in life is dangerous. Lets face it we are
all going to die at some point. The person who took all the
precautions..didnt smoke, drink, do drugs, take any risks, eat healthy
foods, the whole 9 he may live a little bit longer but then again he
may get hit by a bus crossing the street. I dont regret that thick
juicy medium rare steak and baked potato with butter and sour cream i
ate the other night and I dont regret smoking shisha. Life is too short
to live with regrets and life is too short to not do what you want to
do or eat what you want to eat. I will die happy and have lived a fun
life. Ask the guy who goes jumping out of planes or goes white water
rafting, or climbs mountains if he regrets taking that risk to his
life? I gurantee you he will say no and they had the best time in there
life. All in all you gotta do what you enjoy and not let things such as
health hold you back from enjoying your short time here on earth. [/quote]

As a great band from Long beach once said "Life is too short so love the one you got cause you might get runover or you might get shot"-Sublime

[surfpico]

I used to be anti-everything except for alcohol (which is
very hypocritical considering alcohol is just as bad as any other drug) and to
a certain extent I still am. I have not and never will touch drugs (i.e.:
marijuana, coke, etc.), nor will I ever smoke anything other than hookah. And
that I would have never done that either if I didn’t just try it. My friends
convinced me to go out to a hookah bar this past November and for like 30
minutes I sat there and finally decided to try it. Not because they pressured
me into it, no, I've been through 8 years of the whole peer pressure thing to
resist without even blinking my eye... But instead because everyone was so
mellow and calm and sociable - and the thing was not everyone knew each other
and that made it even better.

So, after a few sessions (2 at hookah bars, one at a friend’s house) I decided
I needed to get a Hookah - in part to actually smoke and in part just for
decoration. So I searched for a good deal on EBay and picked one up along with
some shisha. I still of course have only used it a handful of times, but I most
certainly use it when groups of people are in my company - especially groups
that barely know each other, because it's an awesome icebreaker in itself.

So I guess my whole big reason for having it, like others, is for the social
aspect of it. Would I use it more than once, maybe twice a week? Nah, probably
not. But would I use it in a social setting? Of course.

Hookah is great. And some of the nicest people (those on this forum) smoke it.
So I guess that just makes it even better and even more enjoyable.



Thanks for all the advice fellow hookah lovers!

-Heather

[Sonthert]

That sounds like this friend of mine, she started at UCSD as this completely straight, uncorrupted chickee, she never used profanity. She drank occasionally and swore she would never do drugs or smoke. Then we got her to smoke a hookah (Nahkla Mixed Fruit ) and then she was smoking hookah, she loved it. She kind of drifted around and I didn't see her much, but a year later she completely lost it at a party because she mixed drugs that shouldn't be mixed. After that, at a bowling alley, she was falling down and slurring her speech and so were three other guys, they proceeded to make asses of themselves and one of the other guys had to go to the hospital because of an overdose of GHB (They were all "G" ed up). She kept saying "I can drink all the G I want and I won't gain weight." After we both graduated I never heard too much about her, except she had been fired, in and out of rehab a couple of times, her boyfriend who got her into the drugs in the first place, had dumped her. I can remember one of the last times we hung out before she spun out. She was wearing a dark blue sweatshirt and she looked like she was freezing even though it wasn't cold. On reflection now, she was still coming down from the night before, at 6pm. Her eyes looked glassy and unreal, like a stuffed animal. Her voice was soft and indistinct, like she was half-asleep and after that night, she was gone. She had no use for people that weren't supporting, supplying, contributing to or participating in her drug abuse. She had no use for me, even though I never talked with her about it, challenged her or anything. I was happy to turn a blind eye to a problem that I didn't have really clear understanding of.Moral of the story:drug abuse is, to many people, not a physical issue, its a social issue. If you hang out with a group (or even one person) that likes to do drugs, more and more use and abuse starts. Why do most people who rehab/go to jail, etc. end up going back? "I started hanging out with my old friends." That's why its a condition of parole not to consort with other criminals. My friend couldn't be hanging around me because it brought her back to reality briefly and she couldn't do that anymore, it hurt too much. I know this sounds backwards, but if you have an anti-attitude to things, it sets you up. I've seen it more than once. Avoid drugie people at all costs. I'm pro-everything, I don't mind hanging out while people are doing drugs, but I don't participate. Some people can't do that, it bothers them to have someone who isn't on board!Actually I'm not pro-everything; I'm anti-gambling. What a waste, money leaves the economy and what do we get in return? The twelfth 10000-room hotel in a row that is never full. No wonder our economy is jacked. The government could save some money by just sending all of the old people's Social Security Checks directly to the casinos. This post is in the flavor of the thread and its not directed at anyone. Just some things that I think about.

[xgracegalex]

I smoke cigars because I just like them! I haven't tried hookah but my first is on the way.

[Alqoshnia]

Im on the same boat as most of you, that smoking nargilah just helps soothe the end of the day and helps break barriers. To me I think nargilah is more of a respected smoke such as maybe cigars or pipes as opposed to cigs etc. I dunno maybe its just me, but I hate these little kids that smoke it for weed or coke or stupid sh*t like that. I understand that the orginal nargilahs were made for opium and such but even then they had a more respect to it than these kids that smoke it nowadays and treat it like a bong. BUT like I said maybe its just me.

[shimshamsam]

its calming, a great way to meet interesting people, good for just chillin out with friends, tastes good.

[steve07]

I agree with all of you but the main reson I do it as a closure of the day to relax and just think of the days events.

[Lugia]

Simply put: pure relaxation. And that goes for a good cigar as well as a bowl of ma'assel as well as the little Indonesian klobots I enjoy so much. As wound up as the world is today, it's good that there's still such wonderfully effective antidotes to the bad craziness out there...despite the efforts of short-sighted types that would like to see this sort of thing stamped out.

[DizzyGuy]

Relaxation.  Nothing better than sittin back with a good bowl of shisha and just chillin or talking with friends or watchin tv or what ever.

[DownZero]

It's a great way to relax and just chill w/ friends & shisha is the only thing I smoke.. I hate the taste/smell of cigarettes and am firm believer of being drug free. 

[alice]

I agree that smoking is relaxing and a great way to just hang out and talk with friends. Once my friend justified her smoking cigarettes by saying how it's nice to just have a moment to pause and reflect. I agree, though I don't like cigarettes. Often I like to do this without smoking anything. But smoking flavored tobacco tastes good I've noticed--and maybe it's just me --that sometimes it ends up being awkward just sitting around in a group of friends in silence with nothing to do, but with a hookah people don't mind letting their thoughts wander and start a serious discussion. We're all much less tense and it's a great way to catch up, [i]really[/i] catch up with what's going on in the lives and minds of others. And sometimes we don't really talk and just think to ourselves and enjoy being together.