How many smokers do the sums of what smoking costs them in a year?
I’m talking only of the financial costs. There’s the direct price of the cigarettes themselves – say 20 a day at €10.50 works out at €73.50 a week or the guts of €4,000 a year. Then there’re the smaller costs of the gum and the breath fresheners, the extra bar of chocolate, lucozade, coffee, paper or magazine that gets picked up on the cigarette run. The cost of the extra bit of petrol and so on.
Not to get too Scrooge like about expenditure – but it does all add up.
I remember talking with my mam about how she stopped smoking more than 30 years ago. On a particularly cold day the oil for the range ran out. Their budget couldn’t stretch to an immediate re-fill and during the few weeks until they got more oil she done the maths. She could keep the range going all the time – for the whole winter – on what she (and granny at the time) were spending on cigarettes. She absolutely hates being cold so that was the deciding point for her. She gave up the fags for heat. And by the time summer arrived she was feeling the benefits of being smoke free that she never went back on them.
There are the yearly medical costs. Smokers tend to get more chest infections, ear infections and colds. Sometimes these involve trips to the doctor – at €50-70 a go. And then there’re the antibiotics, inhalers, lozenges and ointments to buy.
Unfortunately if there has been enough damage done the smoker is into significant medical costs and will also incur the costs that surround hospital treatment. Costs of surgery (transplants, bi-passes, limb amputations, lump removal) and chemo may be covered by insurance but the nights over, travel and eating costs that surround treatment times commonly aren’t.
As smokers are at a greater risk of ill health they are penalised on the price of health insurance and it goes up – at a time it’s most likely to be needed.
And again I’m just focused on the financial pain – the physical and emotional pain of diagnosis and treatment is obviously horrible in its own right.
The cost – financial and other – is not an easy thing for a smoker to contemplate.
I don’t wish to scare anyone but the sooner a smoker stops smoking the better. It was better for my mam and gran – for their health and happiness – and ours as kids at the time. It’s better financially, better physically and better emotionally. It’s empowering getting off the fags. It’s an achievement. And it’s possible, even for the most ardent of smokers.
One session is all that’s required to quit for good so feel free to get in touch.
You can reach me at 01 207 9615 or drop me a line to
Info@DublinMindTraining.com
Have a great week,
Ailish