News from Cenacle Treatment Center

The cost of smoking and some of the benefits of stopping.
How long have you been smoking? How much do you spend on smoking? By looking at the table below, you will be able to work out how much money you have burned away. It is based on the cost of a packet of the average packet of 20 cigarettes costing £5:20.

• Having been a non smoker for 9 months the benefits are quite dramatic. What of the long term benefits of being a non smoker?
• After…..

• 2-12 weeks, circulation improves, making running and walking a lot easier.
• 3-9 months, coughs wheezing and breathing problems improve as lung function is increased by up to 10%.
• 5 years, risk of having a heart attack is halved.
• 10 years, risk of lung cancer is halved.
• 10 years, risk of heart attack is at the same level as a non smoker.
• Medium to long term, risk of developing lung cancer, other cancers, heart disease, stroke and chronic lung disease is reduced- the sooner you stop the sooner your risks starts going down.
• Medium to long term, stopping smoking at any age will increase your life expectancy, provided that you stop before the onset of serious disease. Even if you have contracted a disease, you can benefit from becoming a non smoker as your body will be under less strain and be able to fight it more easily.
• For life, you will be less stressed and tired and physical activity will be easier. Food will taste better and your skin will look younger.

The cost of smoking and some of the benefits of stopping.
How long have you been smoking? How much do you spend on smoking? By looking at the table below, you will be able to work out how much money you have burned away. It is based on the cost of a packet of the average packet of 20 cigarettes costing £5:20.

1 day 1 week 1 month 1 year 5 years 10 years
5 £1:30 £9:10 £40:00 £473:00 £2,373:00 £4,745
10 £2:60 £18:20 £79:00 £946:00 £4,745:00 £9,490
20 £5:20 £36:40 £158:00 £1,898:00 £9,490:00 £18,980
30 £7:80 £54:60 £237:00 £2,838:00 £14,235:00 £28,470
40 £10:40 £72:80 £316:00 £3,784:00 £18,980:00 £37,960
60 £15:60 £109:20 £475:00 £5,676:00 £28,470:00 £56,940
How does smoking influence British industry?

Research has shown the following

• Around 34 million working days are lost to British industry each year due to smoking related sick leave. There are over 50 diseases associated with smoking, so the habit provides a lot of opportunities for sick leave. So it’s not only the cost of sick pay the employer has to fork out but also the loss of productivity.
• The average smoker takes 40 minutes per day for smoking breaks – that’s a whole month for smoking breaks each year (losing over £2,000 / year on a salary of £25,000 per annum)
• A study in Canada (Health Canada, Smoking and the bottom line, Canada, 1997) has shown that the average annual reduction in productivity per employee who smokes is £1,085, increased absenteeism costs £115, additional insurance £37, and smoking areas cost £42 (figures that have significantly inflated over the last 10 years).

What is the cost of supporting a smoking environment?
• Smoking breaks cause interruptions to work flow and can account for one lost day per week.
• Smokers introduce additional costs for cleaning and redecorating.
• Cost of space if a designated smoking room or area is to be used.
• Special ventilation will be required if smoking rooms are used.
• There could be an increase in premiums for health and fire insurance with up to 14% of medical costs related to smoking.
• Increased litigation risks.

Staff morale amongst non smoker can be an issue, as they may perceive that they are receiving fewer breaks and have to cover the time lost by smokers. On average a smoker will take 40 minutes out of the day to smoke accumulate all that time over a year and that is the equivalent of one working month off per year for smoking breaks, and its this that can sometimes lead to feelings of resentment by the non smokers.
How can running a support programme for smokers benefit industry?
From looking at the information above, any company who introduces some form of support programme for smokers are likely to experience quite significant gains in their productivity and attendance due to the following:-

• A reduction in employees sick leave due to a reduction of respiratory problems, heart disease, lung cancer, aggravation of asthma, decreased coughing, An additional month of work per year from smokers (or an average of about £2,000 per year per employee).
• Positive attitude from employees due to the supportive attitude of the employer which helps smoker’s morale.
• Approximately 71% of smokers want to quit and this can be made easier for them if their employer creates a smoke free environment and particularly if the employer introduces a smoking cessation programme.
• Moral of the non smokers will improve as they will also benefit from the elimination of passive smoking and seeing the increased productivity from the new non smoking colleaques.
• Creates the corporate image of a caring organisation and this opens doors with environmentally concerned customers.
• Improved company image (both internally and externally) and possible incremental business from organisations that are environmentally aware.
• Reduced risk of future legislation.

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