Cost of smoking

Provided by: Healthwise
50% of users found this article helpful.

Over time, the costs of using tobacco start to add up.

  • The cost of cigarettes has risen over the past few years. Have you ever added up how much you spend each year on cigarettes?
  • People who smoke have more health problems. In the United States, people who smoke spend about $50 billion each year for smoking-related illnesses.1 Insurance companies, even those owned by tobacco companies, charge people who smoke nearly twice as much for term life insurance as they charge people who do not smoke.

Not only will quitting smoking save you money, you may also use fewer sick days at work, which may give you more vacation days.

The method you choose to quit smoking may cost little or no money at all. For example, the daily cost of most medicines is about the same as the cost of smoking. Think of the money you spend to quit smoking as an investment in yourself.

References

Citations

  1. Fiore MC, et al. (2000). Clinical Practice Guideline: Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Also available online: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/tobacco/treating_tobacco_use.pdf.

Credits

Author Debby Golonka, MPH
Author Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Editor Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA
Associate Editor Michele Cronen
Primary Medical Reviewer Kathleen Romito, MD
- Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer John Hughes, MD
- Psychiatry
Last Updated July 24, 2007
Author:Debby Golonka, MPH
Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Last Updated: 07/24/2007

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This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information. For more information, click here. Privacy Policy. How this information was developed.

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