Counting the Quitting Costs

There is no way around it; smoking is expensive, especially now that state and federal taxes on tobacco products are so high. While smoking is certainly expensive, there are things you’ll lose when you quit. So what could quitting cost you?

• Friends – Yes, unfortunately quitting a habit may lose you some friends, but most likely these folks were not friends in the truest sense. They were more likely cohorts in crime and may actually encourage you to start again. This is not to say that you will lose friendship with all the people you smoked with. In fact some may be encouraged by your success story, so by all means share it with them. They may soon join you.
• Money – Everything costs money. When you quit, you may eat more, your doctor may recommend nicotine replacement drugs, such as nicotine gum costing about 50 dollars a pack, or you may choose therapies running into hundreds of dollars per session. But keep in mind that this is only a fraction of what you would pay in cigarettes and doctor bills.
• Lighter – This one was hard for me, I never was without my lighter and never knew how many times I needed one till I quit.
• Coughing fits – This and lung pain, excess phlegm , asthma attacks and cancer risk.
• Smelly clothes – Yes, you will no longer smell like an ashtray.
• Stinky breath – When you lose this you may actually gain a kiss or two.

So are you ready to give all this up? Trust me, life is so much better without this stuff!