Call to See If You Qualify 941-360-3237

Call to See If You Qualify 941-360-3237

Benefits of Quitting Smoking

What are the Changes that Take Place in My Body Once I Stop Smoking?

According to the American Cancer Society, these are the changes that take place in your body once you stop smoking.

WITHIN 20 MINUTES
· Body temperature of feet and hands increases to normal
· Pulse rate drops to normal rate
· Blood pressure drops to normal

AFTER 12 HOURS
· Pulse rate will slow and skin temperature increases
· Oxygen level in blood increases to normal
· Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal

AFTER 24 HOURS
· Chance of heart attack decreases due to improved cardiac function and circulation
· Fine motor coordination will improve

AFTER 48 HOURS
· Nerve endings start re-growing
· Ability to smell and taste is enhanced

AFTER 72 HOURS
· Bronchial tubes relax, making breathing easier
· Lung capacity increases
· Circulation improves, walking becomes easier, stamina and vigor increase

WITHIN 2 WEEKS TO 3 MONTHS
· Circulation, stamina and walking improve
· Lung function increases up to 30%

1 TO 9 MONTHS
· Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue and shortness of breath decrease
· Cilia re-grow in the lungs increasing ability to handle mucus and infections
· Overall body energy increases

1 YEAR
· Risk of heart disease decreases 90%
· Heart will have returned to nearly normal condition

10 TO 15 YEARS
· Risk of lung, tongue and throat cancer will be roughly the same as if you had never smoked.

Some More Reasons to Stop Smoking

Smokers suffer more from ailments including depression and anxiety. People dependent on tobacco are likely to suffer from some ailments at a higher rate than the general adult population. Percentage who suffer from:

Source: MARS 2005 OTC/DTC survey: based on more than 21,200 responses of adults ages

Smokers Loose Money

"According to the National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids per-pack prices vary from about $3.20 in Colorado and Kentucky to around $6 in New York and New Jersey. The average is about $4 per pack.

Using this number, a pack-a-day smoker burns through about $30 per week, or approximately $1,600 per year. That’s a nice house payment or a vacation with the family. A 40-year-old who quits smoking and puts the savings into his 401(k) earning 9% a year would have an extra $250,000 by age 70.

If only the cost stopped with your paycheck. Researchers at Duke University found that the total cost of smoking – the cigarettes, lost earnings, impact on insurance on mortality, even the impact of secondhand smoke – runs about $40 per pack for the average 24-year-old. The Centers for Disease Control estimates 46.2 million adults in the United States smoke cigarettes. The economic burden of smokers totals more than $75 billion per year in medical expenditures, and $80 billion per year from lost productivity.” “The High Cost of Smoking”

Call to See If You Qualify 941-360-3237

Call to See If You Qualify 941-360-3237

Call to See If You Qualify 941-360-3237

Smokers Have Less Chance of Getting Hired

“The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) estimates around 6,000 companies refuse to hire smokers. Alaska Airlines, for example, hasn’t hired smokers since the 1980s, and Union Pacific stopped hiring smokers in seven states in 2004. “The High Cost of Smoking”

Smokers Have Greater Chance of Getting Fired

“Weyco Inc., a medical benefits administrator in Okemos, Mich., after announcing it would no longer employ smokers, fired four employees who refused to submit to a breath test.” “The High Cost of Smoking”

Smokers Pay More for Insurance

“We pulled some online quotes on 20-year term life insurance (a $500,000 policy) for a healthy 44-year old male through BudgetLife.com The range for a non-smoker was $610 to $1,115 in premiums per year; for someone smoking a pack a day, the prices skyrocketed to as much as $4,495 per year.

The difference in health insurance isn’t as dramatic. According to eHealthInsurance.com the monthly premium or a policy from Regence Blue Shield with a $1,500deductible for a 44-year-old male nonsmoker is $98. The same policy for a smoker is $113 a month. He will pay nearly $200 more per year.

A few state governments also charge their employees extra for health insurance if they smoke, and others are gradually joining the trend. West Virginia, Georgia, Kentucky and Alabama charge state employees who smoke a surcharge; in Georgia, for example, that surcharge is an additional $40 per month.

According to the ACLU, a majority of states do not have a state law preventing employers from discriminating against potential and current employees based on non-work related activities. There are 21 states that do have laws that protect smokers, including Colorado and North Dakota, which ban discrimination based on any form of legal, off-duty behavior.

“When shopping for homeowners insurance, nonsmokers can generally expect to receive a minimum 10% discount, according to Ray Neumiller, and agent with Farmer’s Insurance in Seattle. The insurer’s point of view: Smokers burn down houses.” The High Cost of Smoking

Smokers Loose Money on the Resale of Homes and Cars

“The one place many smokers feel and comfortable to light up is in their car. Without consistent and thorough cleanings, however, a car that is smoked in will soon start to resemble an ash tray on wheels. The interior will inevitably smell like smoke, and ashtray ashes and butts can burn holes in the upholstery and floor mats.

None of these things has much financial impact until you try to sell the car. Figure a minimum of $150 for a good cleaning with an extractor.

On a trade-in, dealers can easily knock off more than $1,000 on higher-end vehicles like vans, SUVs and expensive sport-types. Terry Cooper, a car dealer with seven new-and-used-car stores, says he took a 1999 Porsche 911 Cabriolet in on trade for $37,000. That sound OK, but the previous owner could have fetched $40,000 for it had he not “smoked out” the car’s interior.

The criteria that apply to cars apply to homes as well, only on a bigger scale.

Smokers’ houses often require all new paint and/or wall treatments, and wall treatments, as well as professional drapery and carpet cleaning. According to contractors.com, priming and painting an average-size living room, dining room and two bedrooms would cost around $2,100. The Carpet Buying Handbook puts the average cleaning cost per square foot at 28 cents, and the average.

(Adapted from the article: “The High Cost of Smoking”)