Good Time to Quit Smoking
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March 18, 2009
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)Mark Twain said, "Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it a thousand times." You have tried to quit smoking many times in the past. Each time you make it a little longer, which is great. But how about trying again?
Did You Know?
We all know that smoking is bad for our health, but do you know how bad smoking is?
Smoking accounts for 438,000 deaths (1 out of 5) in the U.S. each year.
More people die from smoking and other tobacco use each year than die from HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, auto injuries, suicides, and murders combined.
Smoking almost doubles your risk for stroke.
Smoking causes heart disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S. Cigarette smokers are 2-4 times more likely to develop heart disease than non-smokers.
Your risk of dying from lung cancer goes up 23% if you're a male smoker, up 13% if you're a woman who smokes.
*Data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
Money Up in Smoke
If the numerous, frightening health issues don't scare you into flushing the smokes, then maybe the coming tax hike will. Anytime is the right time to quit smoking, but this April might be more perfect to call it quits. April 1st the federal tax on cigarettes will increase to $1.01 a pack from $0.39. That is an increase of almost 160%!
Maybe you think that you can handle the tax increase, but you might already be paying more for things your non-smoker friends pay less for:
Smokers pay more for renters / home insurance--smoking accounts for over 20,000 residential fires each year, so insurers charge smokers more than non-smokers for a homeowners or renters insurance policy.
Smokers pay more for life insurance--if you smoke you have a higher risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke and other health problems (see above), and life insurance companies will charge you more than a non-smoker for a life insurance policy.
If you decide to kick the smoking habit, you do not have to go cold turkey. Many health insurance plans cover smoking cessation products and plans and many offer support groups. Also check out groups like the American Lung Association, the American Cancer Society or Smokefree.gov for information on how to quit smoking. It will not be easy, but the life you save will be your own. Good Luck.
Special Note for Non-Smokers
Your best friend, brother, parent has decided to quit smoking and you are so happy for them. But remember that this is a very difficult time for them, nagging or belittling a smoker who is trying to quit does nothing to help them. Be supportive and check out the American Cancer Society's Helping A Smoker Quit: Do's and Don'ts.
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Thank you for trying to give perspective to the smokers out there. I'm a life insurance agent and am well aware of the higher insurance premiums for cigarette smokers, and am constantly pleading with my clients to quit.
I'd like to share monumental news coming from John Hancock Life Insurance with you, in the hopes that you will consider passing on this resource to your site’s visitors. John Hancock is now offering a Quit Smoking Incentive. It's a policy where they let smokers pay non tobacco ratings for three years. If they can quit smoking during that time, they get to keep those premiums forever.
So we have solutions to two problems. Non tobacco prices, and incentive to stop smoking. I wrote an article about this and hope you’ll consider linking to it from your article, or simply leaving this comment up. It’s at: http://www.insuranceblogbychris.com/historic-news-for-smokers-life-insurance
Thank you.