'Fridge cigarettes' are the hilarious new nickname for everyone's favourite drink

Gen Z seems to be a particularly health-conscious generation. Along with the rise in gym memberships leading to a new peak at 11.5 million in the UK, Gen Zers are reportedly drinking less and smoking less than previous generations.

So, how do these health-conscious young adults find excuses to leave their desks for a quick natter? Are there any vices they’ll allow themselves.

Per Bloomberg, it’s doing a lot of damage in the booze and tobacco industries, with ailing sales resulting in damaged tax revenues for respective governments too.

If anyone needs me, I'll be by the fridge (aire images/Getty Images)

While we cry a river for the vice pedlars, it turns out that there’s a particular trend kicking in across Gen Z that’s replacing the much-maligned cigarette break. It’s lovingly named the ‘fridge cigarette’, and while it’s hardly a health fad it’s considerably less damaging for your health than the occasional cig.

Spreading via TikTok as all modern trends to, the fridge cigarette is a cold can of Diet Coke.

“Overheard someone call Diet Coke a ‘fridge cigarette’ and nothing’s been more true to me since,” TikToker Rachel Reno (@reallyrachelreno) penned over her video on the trend that’s drawn over four million views at the time of writing.

Joking about how one might ween themselves off a Diet Coke habit, one user replied that ‘flavoured sparkling water is fridge Nicorette’.

Acknowledging the health implications of consuming a lot of Diet Coke, Reno said caffeine-free Diet Coke is ‘just a hand-rolled cigarette’, perhaps referring to the tendency for a cheeky rolly to have less tobacco in it than a manufactured cigarette.

The New York Times followed up with Reno, who told the outlet that ‘the crack of the can is like the spark of a lighter’ and that a sip of the stuff makes ‘all the worries and cares in the world go away’.

“I feel like it’s one of those things that doesn’t need a lot of explanation,” she said.

It’s a good excuse to get away from the desk for a chat with pals too, which is perhaps a cigarette’s greatest quality.

Also speaking with the New York Times, After School newsletter founder and writer Casey Lewis said the fridge cigarette is a way to take the edge off.

Casey Lewis, founder and writer of the internet-culture newsletter After School, described it.

A decent sub for a classic 20-deck (Kevin Carter / Contributor/Getty Images)

Or, as some social media users have put it: something to take the edge off.

“When I was young and working in an office, I didn’t smoke, but then I didn’t take any breaks, and I don’t think I am alone in that,” she said.

“But Gen Z are more likely to value their work-life balance and believe that an afternoon break is something they deserve.”