Toxic habits and work stress: a combination that requires intervention at work, not just in the individual

For decades, we have treated smoking, alcohol consumption, and other unhealthy habits as individual decisions. In occupational health, this approach falls short. Evidence indicates that work stress—expressed in models such as demand-control or effort-reward—not only impairs mental and cardiovascular health, but it also leads to unhealthy coping behaviors and makes them difficult to quit. This editorial does not aim to exhaust the topic, but rather to propose an agenda: if we want to reduce toxic habits, we must redesign work. Handing out flyers to quit smoking is not enough.