Quit Smoking for Life

New research shows that targeting each aspect of your addiction can make quitting easier than it has been in the past. Picking and sticking to a quit date is the first step. Perhaps you may be able to stop for the holidays -- and stick with your commitment for life.

Time is money -- that is the mantra in any metropolis. If you smoke, you are burning up both time and legal tender. Have you ever truly examined the dollar costs of this habit? Added up the minutes spent?

Ticking Clock

So how much of your time is lost due to smoking? If you smoke a pack a day for three years, you just shortened your lifespan by 167 days. If each cigarette reduces your lifespan by 11 minutes, in 10 years, smoking a pack a day trims 1 year and 193 days off of your life, according to Health Grade's calculator. However, the American Cancer Society says you lose 13 to 14 years of life, compared with non-smokers.

Think your boss is happy when you slip out for a smoke break? According to the Tobacco Public Policy Center, when employees smoke less, productivity goes up. A 2004 study in California determined that the indirect costs due to lost productivity from smoking-related illnesses were $1.5 billion.