Lindsay Woodbridge
Jul 20, 2017 · 1 min read

Some lower-income smokers find workarounds like roll-your-own cigarettes or “little cigars” which look a lot like cigarettes but aren’t subject to the same taxes.

I did tobacco cessation counseling for a couple years. One of the most eye-opening exercises we did with people was to calculate what they would save (just in cigarette money) if they quit, and how else they could spend that money. Where I live, a pack-a-day habit costs smokers about $250 per month.

In my experience, smokers generally have a good understanding of the costs (economic, health, social, etc.), AND it’s still a really hard habit to kick. My professional bias is that mental health issues (anxiety, trauma, etc.) often have a lot to do with both why people start smoking and why it’s so hard to quit.

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    Lindsay Woodbridge

    Written by

    Counselor in Madison, WI

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