Smokers Turning to Social Media for Help Kicking Habit

"I’m on my 800th quit attempt," Justin Randolph, 28, announced recently on a Facebook page created by the New York City Department of Public Health to help smokers become ex-smokers.

Despite Randolph’s weary tone, the 800th time seems to be the charm—so far. Randolph, who started smoking after his senior year of high school, hasn’t had a cigarette in a month. "It feels like a year some days," the New York City-based actor says. "This is actually the longest I have been able to quit smoking out of all my previous attempts."

The support he’s received from the Facebook group has been a major factor in his success this time around, Randolph says. "I really enjoy reading about other ex-smokers, and seeing that they have stopped for long periods of time is very encouraging," he says. "Sometimes, when you first quit, you feel all alone, and the online reinforcement is very comforting."

Twenty years ago, smokers who wanted moral support while quitting had relatively few options. They could try to find a support group or smoking-cessation clinic in their area, but that was about it. These resources still exist, but now smokers—and ex-smokers fearful of falling off the wagon—can also turn to websites, Facebook pages, and even Twitter accounts dedicated to helping people kick the habit. The Web enables quitters to access smoking-cessation tools anywhere, anytime, and provides a platform for sharing information, videos, and personal stories with other smokers.

As social media sites like Facebook have exploded in popularity, the number of smokers seeking help online seems to be growing as well. One year after its launch in the spring of 2009, the New York City Facebook page—known as NYC Quits Smoking/I Quit Because—now has more than 5,000 fans. Qwitter, a Twitter-based smoking-cessation aid run by the Florida Department of Health, has more than 400 followers.

Social media may counter the strong social element that often keeps people from kicking the habit. Smokers tend to gather—and bond—in designated smoking areas, and potential quitters can be bombarded daily with the question "Want to grab a smoke?" It can be difficult to step out of that social network, and that’s where a smoke-free online network may help.

Other online resources, ranging from the National Cancer Institute’s Smokefree.gov to for-profit sites such as QuitNet and Habitchanger.com, offer a comprehensive suite of services to help you quit. These sites typically have several features that users can navigate through: step-by-step guides to quitting, expert advice, tools to help people identify their smoking triggers or tally up how much money they’re wasting on cigarettes, and forums or chat rooms in which people can share information and tips.