According to the latest research released by the American Lung Association "Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States. It is a major cause of emphysema, chronic bronchitis, lung cancer and heart disease."

What does cigarette smoking cost your workers?

Besides the price that they are paying for health factors and increased insurance premiums there is the financial cost.

You do the math. Many people who smoke regularly smoke a pack or more per day.
At $5.50 a pack X 7 days = $38.50 a week or $154.00 a month or $1,848 a year.

That means in one year's time they have spent enough on cigarettes to put a down payment on a new car, buy a new mountain bike or purchase a whole downhill ski setup. In 20 years ($36,960.00) they could have saved enough to buy a new car with cash or put a down payment on a house.

Smoking Cessation Program

The Smoking Cessation Program combines two powerful therapeutic modalities to assist the smoker in giving up the smoking habit quickly, easily and for life. The combination of behavior modification and hypnosis work together to create a new relationship contained on a 30 minute CD work together to create a new relationship between the smoker and his/her dependence on cigarettes.

The cost of the program is $45.00 per person for groups of 12 or more and $49.99 for smaller groups of 4 or more.  Individuals or groups of less than 4 can be set up by arrangement by individual smokers or through your company or organization.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cost to your business?

An article in the July 2002 issue of Smoke Free Workplaces reports:
"Employers bear direct and indirect costs as a result of employees' smoking including:

• More employee absenteeism
• Decreased productivity on the job
• Increased early retirement due to ill health
• Higher annual health-care costs for smokers and higher insurance costs
• Higher life insurance premiums
• Higher maintenance and cleaning costs
• Higher risk of fire damage, explosions and other accidents related to smoking
• Higher fire insurance premiums

So what does this translate to in dollars and cents?

A 1995 Canadian study estimated the cost to employers at $3,022.00 per smoker per year!

"Smoking Cessation - Health Benefits Over Time"

Research published by the American Cancer Society reports that smokers who quit the habit see both long and short term health improvements that begin almost immediately.

• 20 minutes after quitting: Your blood pressure drops to a level close to that before
   the last cigarette. the temperature of your hands and feet increase to normal.
• 8 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
• 24 hours after quitting: Your chances of a heart attack decrease.
• 2 weeks to three months after quitting: Your circulation improves and your lung
   function increases up to 30%.
• 1 to 9 months after quitting: Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of
   breath decrease, cilia (tiny hair like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain
   normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and
   reduce infection.
• 1 year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a
   smoker.
• 5 years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5-15 years
   after quitting.
• 10 years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing
   smoker's. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and
   pancreas decreases.
• 15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker's.

About Smoking Cessation Programs

Cessation programs are relatively low-cost and yield financial returns over the long run that far outweigh their costs. A theoretical model for the US estimates long term net benefits of a smoking cessation program at around $4.5 million for large employers.
(Warner et al., 1996)

A meta-analysis of 20 studies of worksite smoking cessation programs found an average quit rate after 12 months of 13%, much higher than the national average among smokers of 2.5% (US, 1990 data). Quit rates were even higher for heavy smokers. Cessation programs are relatively low-cost and are highly cost -effective. (Novotny et al., 2000).

Direct Savings

• Goodyear estimates $2 Million yearly costs in smoking-related problems.
• Boeing Corp. estimates savings of $10 Million from non-smoking programs.
• New York telephone estimates potential annual savings of $2 Million in lowered medical costs and reduced absenteeism.
• U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, reported annual cost savings of up to $4,600 per company per smoker.