A new study has pinpointed the various lifetime and yearly costs that are associated with smoking in Texas.
The study from financial website WalletHub — who conducted the research in an effort to encourage people in the U.S. to quit smoking — says that the total cost of smoking over a lifetime for the average Texan was an astronomical $2,642,461, which was the 22nd highest average in the U.S.
As for annual costs, the financial website says that Texas residents paid an average of over $55,000 per year on cigarettes.
Delving even deeper, the study also calculated more specific costs associated with purchasing tobacco and ranked the totals among other states in the U.S.
WalletHub calculated the health care costs people in Texas pay due to health complications from smoking, which averaged out to be over $152,000 — the 14th lowest total in the country. The financial website utilized data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for its findings.
The study also examined the income loss that smokers in Texas incur (due to factors such as absences, workplace biases and lower productivity because of smoking) and determined that residents in the Lone Star State lose over $555,000, which was the 22nd highest mark in the country.
Other costs the study calculated includes the financial-opportunity costs per smoker in Texas (the average return a smoker would earn if they invested instead of purchasing cigarettes) which came to almost $1.8 million; the out-of-pocket costs over a lifetime per smoker, which came to over $133,000; as well as other costs that the average smoker in Texas pays (which includes victims of secondhand smoke), which totaled over $18,000.
In light of the study's finding, Clifford E. Douglas – director at the Tobacco Research Network – says that there are methods that state and local authorities can undertake to help people to quit smoking.
“Clear and accurate education, combined with effective incentives and support, are useful in encouraging quitting," Douglas said. "Employers and state and local authorities should ensure coverage of a variety of nicotine replacement therapies to help people looking to quit find a product that works for them."
If you are trying to stop smoking, every state has an easy and effective helpline, catered to your needs. The FDA has also shared that using nicotine patches and e-cigarettes are a better alternative to the cigarette,
"Supporting those who decide to switch to such a product can be crucial to their success, Douglas said. ”
