What Has Smoking Cost You?

[Angeleek]

I have probably spent about $50,000 on cigaratted and nicotine products during my 34-year nicotine-addiction career.  Plus dental costs, extra dry cleaning bills, fights with the family over smoking, lost opportunities at work. Turned down by eligible men who don't want a smoking girl. Praying I don't get heart or lung disease or anything else terrible.

 

What has smoking cost you?

[Mona]

Everything listed above and more.  I believe that smoking is by far the worst thing I have done in my life.  However, with that said, I choose to look forward instead of back.  We can't change the past so there is no sense dwelling on it.  I look forward to a brighter future!

[JimHannoonen]

It cost me my Father, who died from lung cancer at the age of 56.

 

What's crazy is that I smoked for another 20 years after his death.

 

[Angeleek]

Sorry about your dad dying so young! Mine did too but probably not from cigarettes. It took my mom via COPD.

 

It's too bad we don't understand the true cost of smoking when we're young.

[JohnQ]

On 9/15/2020 at 10:22 AM, Mona said:

...We can't change the past so there is no sense dwelling on it...

 

For me, I look back from time to time to remind myself how pathetic of an addict I was, how it actually took a lot of enjoyment out of my life.  It really helps me to get over those cravings easily when I reflect back.

 

This nasty addiction had controlled my life for almost 40 years.  Anywhere I went I had to worry about where/when I can smoke, it took a lot of enjoyment out of all those family vacations, celebrations, events, parties, even business trips, etc.   Not only that, my wife and kids hate smoking, I'm sure they were disappointed every time I sneaked away for a smoke, sadly addicts have no dignity!

 

Yes, Smoking was extremely costly for me (much more than just the money).

 

Now I'm really looking forward to my next family vacation where I can enjoy spending the entire time with my family without worrying about where/when to smoke, but we won't be able to go anywhere for awhile due to the pandemic...  

[Mee]

I agree with JohnQ.  It took so much time that I could have been enjoying and living life.   It got to the point where it was much easier to stay at home than having to sneak out and find a place to smoke.  It also took my confidence.  I was so ashamed that it was more important to me than life.  It makes me ill thinking of how much money I wasted on the habit.  The good news is that you can move past this.   Quitting has given me my power back.  I am one badass lady making up for lost time!   

[Christian99]

My brother died of lung cancer at 42, smoking until he lost consciousness for the final time (and even after, making unconscious smoking gestures with with hands and mouth until his death).  It was a terrible death, made much worse by the shame he felt because of his complicity in his own death.  His wife, also a heavy smoker, took her own life an hour after my brother passed.  

 

Christian99

18 1/2 Years Quit

Edited September 19, 2020 by Christian99

[Doreensfree]

My Condolences to you and your family ....very sad ...

Smoking destroy,s people's lives .....

Mine included ...

[Rozuki]

Some background: 

Lots of smokers in my family...two of my close cousins recently gone from cancer/heart issues (both long-time smokers), another one (long-time smoker) lost his larynx (throat cancer) and now breathes through a stoma in throat - luckily, he was able to learn to speak by swallowing air but his voice is very different now!) 

 

Both my parents were long-time smokers and eventually each lost a lung to smoking.

 

Dad made it to 61 after his surgery but his quality of life after losing the lung was not too good for his last 7 years due to complications from the surgery. Had to retire early. 33 years ago, this month, was the anniversary of his death.  

 

My Mom was diagnosed a year or so after my Dad died and psychologically she had a very hard time dealing with the loss of Dad, loss of her lung and quitting smoking. She also retired early. Over the ensuing years since the removal of her lung, she was diagnosed early stage COPD, had 2 strokes (no lasting damage from either one) and a double heart bypass (CABGx2) after a heart attack. She was able to recover and is still here with us, although she now suffers from Parkinson's disease (last 10 years or so) and macular degeneration (she is vision-impaired now) (smoking related?) which is taking its toll on her.

 

We (her 5 children) were fortunate to be able to keep her at home with home health aides for 9 hours per day/7 days a week. She had a fall a few weeks ago and started hallucinating so had to make a trip to ER. She is currently in a nursing home/rehab and we now have to consider that she may have to become a permanent resident there. Due to Covid-19, we can only visit her once a week by appt, have to have bring proof of a neg Covid-19 test with us. She will be 87 next week. All very stressful, as you can imagine.....

 

Yes, while all of the above was going on with my parents and cousins I still kept puffing away...but my day was coming!

 

What has smoking cost me?

Smoking has done a number on my health along with others in my family . In early 2017,  70% stenosis in my left carotid artery which caused an ischemic stroke which occurred while at work (fully recovered now). Received a stent in neck. After much testing to see what other damage I might have done to myself with 40+ years of smoking -  CT Scans revealed first stage of emphysema (told to stop smoking immediately and no further damage, cardiac intervention revealed blockages to cardiac arteries told needed a bypass which would happen immediately-I wasn't allowed to leave hospital!).  In early 2018, underwent a CABGx3 - which means having a triple bypass to avoid having a massive heart attack. Surgeon initially thought I might need a CABGx4!! I got lucky "only needed a CABGx3" ! I was able to return to work after a 3 month cardiac rehabilitation program. I retired in early 2019....

 

On a lighter note: Had my exercise/nuclear stress test last week along with an echocardiogram this week and my cardiologist is very pleased with my progress...won't have to return to his office for 6 months for normal followup. 

 

 

 

My thoughts:

It's important not to put your head in the sand if you have been a long-time smoker...bad things could be going on in your body and you have little or no symptoms. Get an annual checkup and stress test. Ask for a referral to a pulmonologist and get a baseline low-dose lung ct scan! I am so glad I did those things....

 

It took me 3 tries to finally quit smoking, spread out over a 25 year span. 1st time was cold-turkey...lasted one month, 2nd time was hypnosis...lasted 6 months and the 3rd time was through sheer terror at finding out what smoking had done to me and now my chest was going to be cut open (along with NRT and finding an online no smoking support group that is no longer around (QSMB) and eventually here at QTrain...been quit over 3 1/2 years now! Never thought I would be able to do it yet here I am...enjoying my freedom from that nasty addiction. Hardest thing I have ever done but sooo worth it!!

 

Here's to carrying on and being smoke-free!

 

 

Edited September 21, 2020 by Rozuki

[Doreensfree]

This is tough reading Roz ...

Thank you for your honest post ....

This addiction has effected so many ....I'm sending a Hug ❤

 

[Rozuki]

Thanks for the Hug, @Doreensfree! 

 

[MarylandQuitter]

I may pin this thread - it's an eye opener.

[Angeleek]

@Rozuki Thank you for your honest and detailed reply.  Best of luck with your mom!  That's so hard.

[Rozuki]

Thanks, @Angeleek! Taking things one day at a time! 

[Doreensfree]

Smoking has lost me the life I should have had ...instead of the life it gave me ....

My Hubby and me both smoked ..so the cost was unthinkable...we both smoked over Fifty years ...

The amount of money would be enormous.....

Paying for the privilege to ruin our health ....

Watching someone suffer for approx 15 years fighting for every breath with Emphysema....watching them slowly lose the ability to even go the bathroom unaided ... wash...needing 24hour care ...

In and out of hospitals ...phumonia never too far away ..

While this was happening I was warned by my doctor ..if I continued to smoke ...both my feet would probably have to be amputated...

Wow!!!....consider what that sinario would entail...both of us in a wheel chair ....

That never happened ..because Hubby died before he could even enjoy a retirement ...

What should have been our happy retirement years together was never to be ...

I found Quit Train ...and managed to Quit and save my limbs ....and stay to warn others of the danger 

It's not always your lungs that get effected...it's every part of your body ....just because you don't cough ,doesn't mean there is nothing going on somewhere else ..I'm proof of that ...

Well you decided what smoking has cost me ....

[Angeleek]

Thank you @Doreensfree . I'm so sorry about your husband. Luckily you at least saved yourself in the end.

 

Unbelievable, how high the cost of this addiction is, to individuals, entire families, communities and societies.

 

It's too bad we can't recognize that truth as a society and make it much more difficult for anyone to profit from the sale of tobacco and nicotine products.

[Shezi]

Gosh guys... I'm really sorry to hear the price you paid. I guess I got off lightly, it didn't feel so.

 

In 2004, I randomly developed asthma. My then doc said he thought the damage had been done - he was as surprised as I was when the chest X-rays came back clear. Did I stop smoking? No, I didn't. In July this year, after a routine physical, my doc called to tell me blood pressure was up and I scored 121 on my bad cholesterol (good being 0-99). So please stop smoking. She's been saying this for 6 years now and I've learned to filter. I bought a blood pressure monitor so I could present my readings to her at my September follow-up appointment... day 2 tells me I have hypertension stage 2 and an irregular heartbeat. I can tell you this, I now know EXACTLY what it will take me to get me to stop smoking. Fear. Pure and simple.

 

But like I said, I probably got off lightly.