Smokers suffer in more ways than one

It is no secret that smokers have been having a harder time of it in recent years. Traditionally, smokers would be allowed in pubs and restaurants, and smoking was seen more as a social activity than anything else. With medical science being as advanced as it is, smoking has been proven to be one of the biggest causes of many conditions such as heart attacks, cancers and pre mature death. Health campaigns are everywhere to encourage smokers to bin the habit. Now, a recent report suggests that smokers suffer financially as well.

It is not just a packet of cigarettes that will set the smoker back around £1000 per year. Smokers will pay more for health insurance because they are more likely to contract an illness which will require medical assistance. Insurance companies are less likely to accept you if you have a history of smoking related problems.

Smokers have been impacted socially as they are no longer allowed to smoke in pubs. The cigarette machines in pubs have increased their prices to almost double that in newsagents so many are discouraged, even to sit outside and smoke.

In fact, even a packet of cigarettes in a newsagent will cost on average £5 for a packet of twenty - which many think is severely overpriced. For those who smoke twenty cigarettes a day, that is £25 a week.

Smokers pay more in dentistry because of the damage to teeth and gums that constant smoking has on the mouth. An average clean from the dentist is £50, and smokers are estimated to need a clean three times more often than non-smokers.

Smokers are trying to find more cost effective ways to spend their money on their habits. One solution is the electronic cigarette. Electronic cigarettes are inhalers which only need a refill the equivalent of twenty cigarettes. Other smokers try gums, mints and nicotine patches.