Social media and smoking

It can be difficult to avoid the racket of social media when it comes to quitting smoking, trying to lose weight, taking up a new exercise or generally just looking for some sort of self-improvement.

Around January, it’s common to see plenty of committed gym-goers slating people who have joined just after Christmas and any alcohol or smoking free month gets plentiful of comments from people rebelling against their own health.

It’s a strange concept that people are set on destroying their health because really, it’s as though they believe they’re invincible. Why else would they carry on smoking, drinking and eating to excess when thousands of people die each year from the effects? Over 700 people die each hour across the globe because of tobacco addiction, another few hundred are diagnosed with life-changing results from doctors, and hundreds more will never speak again after having throat operations to avoid a very aggressive form of oral cancer spreading. So individuals calling people out for being ‘a fanny’ for not quitting are essentially signing death warrants.

When it comes to quitting smoking, you may look to social media for reassurance from friends and family to keep you going. However, if you think you’re going to be too reliant on this, it may be best to quit social media altogether while you quit smoking. Consider whether you’re one of those people who lets your day rely on how many likes you get or whether you don’t really care, if you’re the latter, you need to quit because the anxiety will only make you reach for the cigarettes.