Smoking Costs Breath Throughout Inhabitants

The financial burdens of smoking go well beyond the estimated $1,500 a year an average smoker shells out to buy discount cigarettes. Health care costs are another hard hitter, as it is estimated that Ohioans shell out an average of $4.37 billion a year to foot the bill. But there are even more indirect costs that a smoker should consider, Marcy Ivory pointed out. As it is know, Ivory is a local tobacco education coordinator and certified tobacco treatment specialist with Community Mercy REACH.

Higher homeowners’ insurance costs, decreased car values, lower home values and higher dental care costs are some of the other burdens smokers should watch out for. Ivory leads a six-week cessation program of Community Mercy Health Partners, partially funded by the Ohio Department of Health, Office of Healthy Ohio Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation.

The program was offered free but after a $50,000 grant from the department of health is ending, participants will now be charged a $60 fee. Ivory knows the program, which has garnered a success rate of an average 75 percent since 2004, may lose out on participants because of the fee. “I do understand that while smokers may be willing to scrounge around to come up with the money for a pack of Kiss cigarettes, when it comes to paying a fee, it gets rocky,” Ivory said. “And we hate to see that.” Four Clark County locals participated in Ivory’s class last winter.

Their quit date was Nov. 30. May 30 was their six-month anniversary. The past few months for Eldon Miller, Dawn Cromlish, David Daniels and Denise Harris have been full progress and setbacks. In the end, Cromlish and Harris were successful — except for one slip for Harris, 51. Miller, 67, had done fine for his first few months before giving in to temptation last month. Daniels, 43, had not quit completely, but has been easing back on smoking so much.

Harris would recommend the program to anyone because of how much she’s learned. She advises anyone thinking of quitting to “just trying it.” “If you’re thinking about it, just try it,” Harris urged. “I’m a firm believer that you got to just try it. Just try to quit."