Sherry Damatarca: Every years smokers in Canada shallow billions of dollars to feel their habit and while most would like to quit, that's easier said than done. 9 out of 10 smokers have tried to quit at least once, but only 5% succeed with no external assistance.
Male Speaker: I tried to quit smoking several times in the last ten years, I would say probably about ten times.
Female Speaker: I have lost count on how many times I have tried to quit smoking. I go through periods where I get like two or three months in and then I have a stressful day and the next thing, I am smoking all the time again. Every time the price of cigarettes go up, I think I really need to quit smoking again. It's just such an expensive and terrible addiction.
Sherry Damatarca: Is that a lack of will power? Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Dr. Lew Pliamm is the Founder and Medical Director of The Quit Clinic in Tornado.
Lew Pliamm: Nicotine makes quiting difficult, because this is one the most addictive substances that is known to man. It is ten times more addictive than heroin. It takes only a few cigarettes for a young teenager in a schoolyard before they become addicted to nicotine and before you know it, the nicotine causes them to have more and more cigarettes.
Speaker: After health concerns, the second most common reason smokers want to quit, is because of the cost of cigarettes. The average smokers will spend more than $2,000 a year feeling their habit. On top of that, they spend per year on gum, mints, toothpaste, mouthwash and dry cleaning than nonsmokers.
Female Speaker: I think I spend between $2,500-3,000 a year on cigarettes, and that's money that could be used in so many other better ways.
Sherry Damatarca: Depending on your age, if you invest to the average $2,000 spend every year on cigarettes, you could have anywhere from $120,000 to over $200,000 by the time you reach 65.
Carl Deleuze: I was addicted to tobacco for more than 45 years. I smoked two packs a day. I tried everything to quit. I went on the patch, I tried cold turkey and nothing seems to work. Then I heard about a new medication called Champix, and I didn't really think that would work either, but once I tried it, I never looked back. I was aware of the money that buying two packs a day was costing me, but I never realized that I could save so much money over the years, something in the amount of $350,000. Wow! That's a lot of money.
Lew Pliamm: Smoking is not a lifestyle decision. It may originally spread out this way, but unfortunately after a few cigarettes the brain begins to depend on that nicotine and it begins to dictate how that person behaves.
Sherry Damatarca: But having a bright financial future is meaningless without health. To enjoy the many benefits of quiting, speak to your doctor about the smoking cessation option that's best for you, including a new prescription medication that can quadruple your chances of quiting smoking, first is going cold turkey. Smokers looking for quiting support can also visit, http://itscanadastime.com/. Sherry Damatarca reporting.
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