From Fairbanks staff – Alyssa K.
World No Tobacco Day is on May 31st every year. Since 1987, World No Tobacco Day has been a celebration aimed at shedding light on the dangers and health consequences of tobacco use.
The World Health Organization has identified this years’ theme as “We need food, not tobacco” to raise awareness about alternative crop production and marketing opportunities for tobacco farmers and encourage them to grow sustainable, nutritious crops. It will also aim to expose the tobacco industry’s efforts to interfere with attempts to substitute tobacco growing with sustainable crops, thereby contributing to the global food crisis.
Here are 3 ways we can celebrate World No Tobacco Day this year!
- Share a message on your social media. World No Tobacco Day is first and foremost a day of awareness, share with your friends and followers the message of this years’ event. Maybe you’ll get them thinking!
- Follow social media accounts that share educational content about healthy choices. We consume so much content all the time, and sometimes it can be stressful. If we consciously follow accounts that are positive, promote positive living, and remind us of healthy habits, we may begin to find social media less stressful. A great place to begin, with some excellent images to share about healthy tobacco choices, are accounts for the Alaska Tobacco Quitline and the youth-focused account Not Buying It.
- If you smoke or vape, take an inventory of your use. We all know tobacco use isn’t healthy. Some people are ready to take a plunge into quitting, others aren’t ready. A great way to bring awareness to your own use is to write down how much you DO use, what it costs you, and anything else you can think of.
