No surprise: the need for employee mental health support remains a top priority for employers in 2023.
But not everyone is using healthy means to cope with today’s unrelenting stress.
Cigarette sales in the U.S. have been higher than expected after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. During the pandemic, 28% of former smokers surveyed relapsed, and 32% of surveyed smokers increased their smoking, according to a Journal of General Internal Medicine study.
Meanwhile, nonprofit North American Quitline Consortium (NAQC) found a steep drop in calls to state quitlines during 2020 and 2021.
Who still smokes anyway?
Depending on what part of the country you live in or the industry you work in, you may be wondering: Who really smokes anymore anyway? Smoke-free laws and restrictive smoking policies have quite literally pushed tobacco users into the back alley, out of sight for many of us.
But about 47 million Americans—that’s 19% of adults 18 and older—still use some form of tobacco. Cigarettes remain the most common tobacco product; however, e-cigarette use is climbing among young adults.
Here are 4 myths and truths about employee mental health and stress smoking that may surprise you.
Ways to improve employee mental health by helping tobacco users quit
The EX Program helps tobacco users build resilience through live chat coaching with expert quit-tobacco specialists. Participants also gain 24/7 peer support from our active online EX Community, personalized texts and emails, up to 8 weeks of quit medication delivered right to their home, and more.
Schedule a time today to see our demo to know how you can offer a proven, quit-tobacco program that helps people live lives free from smoking, vaping, and nicotine.
