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Is Your Paycheck Going Up in Smoke?

The cost of smoking tobacco exceeds the price of cigarettes. Back in 2004, a Duke University study estimated the annual cost to be $15,000. If you do the math, it comes out to a whopping $40 a pack.

One hidden cost is additional medical care for the tobacco user. Another is lost earnings due to disability. And don't forget, second-hand smoke can harm the spouse and kids too, so factor in medical and disability for them too. Tobacco users also pay more for life and property insurance.

Over a 60-year period, the projected cost of smoking for a 24-year-old male was $220,000. The projected cost for a female smoker of the same age was $106,000.

Tobacco users die about 13 years earlier than non-users, according to smokefree.gov. Doctors say those lost years can be recovered, and that is just one of the rewards of quitting. For union carpenters, the additional years allow more time to enjoy the union pensions they work so hard for.

Quitting is hard, but no one can deny that it's worth trying, even if previous attempts were not entirely successful.

Carpenters Health and Security Plan participants and dependents can enroll in Quit For Life for no out-of-pocket cost. Quit for Life is an evidence-based program, which means the strategies and techniques are considered best practices by the Surgeon General and supported by sound research. Nicotine replacement therapy (patches, gum or prescription medication) is key to the success of the program and provided at no cost.