Doing the Math for Smokers

Smoking and Wealth

As if tar-coated lungs and yellow teeth are not enough to convince smokers to quit, a new study shows the negative effects that smoking can have on your wealth.

The Ohio State University study shows that the net worth of a typical non-smoker is about twice that of a heavy smoker (smokes 2 packs per day, or more). Also, the net worth of a non-smoker is about 50% more than that of a light smoker (smokes less than one pack per day). It also shows that for each year an adult smokes their net worth decreases by about $410.

Obviously, a smoker spends money on their habit, which could certainly contribute to the lower net worth. The study shows that a typical smoker in the United States spends over $700 per year on tobacco products. Using that number, if a person smokes regularly for 20 years, they will spend over $14,000 on cigarettes.

That is $14,000 that a non-smoker would be able to spend in a different way, or put into savings.

While the study admits that causation between heavy smoking and a lower net worth can’t be proved, the correlation between the two is undeniable.

Smoking and Youth

In today’s society, smoking is quickly becoming more and more socially unacceptable. Many states have implemented laws that forbid smoking in public places and some workplaces have also implemented non-smoking policies.

It is also becoming difficult for young people to justify why they start smoking since the health dangers that come along with smoking are very well known. It has also recently been shown that young people are likely to become addicted to cigarettes more quickly than previously thought.

The new study, which was published July 2007 in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, says that within two days of inhaling their first cigarette, some youths can crave nicotine. More specifically, about half of young smokers in the study felt cravings for nicotine when they were smoking only seven cigarettes per month.

This challenges the thought many young people have that they can smoke casually and socially in their youth and then quit before they become addicted.

It also makes it even more important for parents to communicate with their children about the dangers of smoking and the harmful addiction that comes with it.

Time to Quit

Everyone knows that smoking is bad for your health; the surgeon general tells us so. But we now know that smoking can also be bad for your bank account. If a heavy smoker quits smoking they can save about $700 per year. So what are you waiting for?

The above studies can be found online at:

http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/13/4/370

http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/153/9/935