Being paid to Quit

[User543210]

NC for this.

AIBU to think this is ridiculous? Pregnant women are being paid by the council to quit smoking. As someone has already commented - if shopping vouchers are more motivation to quit than your baby's health maybe you need to have a re-evaluation of your priorities.

www.stokesentinel.co.uk/pregnant-women-in-stoke-on-trent-rewarded-with-shopping-vouchers-for-giving-up-smoking/story-30126362-detail/story.html

[anonbecauseiwanna]

I think if it helps more babies be born healthier with less risk of sids / asthma etc. Then it can only be a good thing.

What would you prefer the money spent on inside of small babies health?

[EatSpamAmandaLamb]

I think it is a good idea in general however I know my neighbour (who doesn't smoke) would smoke whatever she could for a few days to come up as a smoker on a test and then "quit" in order to get something for free.

[VogueVe]

Aren't they already saving money by quitting? Isn't a pack of cigs like £10? If they smoke a pack a day, they really don't need to be paid anything in my eyes.

[Timeforabiscuit]

There is a really good evidence base that says this kind of incentivisation is good value for money, mothers who smoke during pregnancy are the hardest to get to quit smoking and those who are counted as being the most deprived suffer the worst health implications.

Basically, this is targeted at the most vulnerable of society, the incentive works and is cost effective - no brainer you would think, but trying to get this past people who think blaming and shaming is worth more time than preventing a child with glue ear still get more voice unfortunately.

[DJBaggySmalls]

YABU. I dont think non smokers understand smokers or smoking at all. Its going to save a lot of money for the NHS a few years in the future.

[SparkleTwinkleGoldGlitter]

I think if it stops even a few pregnant women smoking and risking harm to the unborn child it can't be a bad thing. No baby should have to be born with any issue due to its mother smoking while pregnant, the baby didn't choose to smoke.

[VogueVe]

Sparkle shouldn't they stop smoking because they're pregnant? Not because they're being paid? I think it's making people prioritise in a bit of a strange way.
I smoked before falling pregnant and stopped the day I found out. I know it isn't that easy for everyone, my DH who smokes 20 a day for the past 20 years has switched to vaping now I'm pregnant, and is down to 5 a day (smoking away from me). It's been way harder for him, but being paid to quit which already saved you money seems a little ludicrous.

[peanutbuttercupp]

YANBU

Anyone who puts smoking before their unborn child is selfish, and if they need vouchers dangled in front of them to make them quit then they have their priorities all wrong.

Surely being shown and told of the damage smoking does to a foetus should be enough. Surely being told that your baby has the best chances of survival and good health if you don't smoke should be plenty of incentive to quit.

Don't know how often monitoring takes place but surely there will be people who take the piss and don't genuinely quit smoking and still manage to claim the vouchers. Or will be back on the fags when the scheme ends, and be puffing smoke all over a newborn.

There are people out there desperate to become parents being refused fertility treatment. Here we are giving money out to people already pregnant and taking risks with their babies health.

Pathetic.

[Fackorf]

It's a great deal cheaper to pay someone to quit than it is to pay for their and their underweight baby's health care.

Google 'effects of smoking in pregnancy'.

As for why being pregnant isn't reason enough to quit on its own, well, not all mothers are very good at thinking ahead, not all mothers are in a good enough states of mind to believe they can do it, etc etc.

I think this is aimed at a section of society who need all the help they can get.

[witsender]

A lot of misunderstanding of addiction and societal issues.

If it works, then great. Who cares why.

[jay55]

Not everyone gets pregnant on purpose and not everyone has the same willpower or level of education or awareness,

There are loads of people with the 'my mum
Smoked and I'm okay' attitude whether they are okay or not.

If it works then terrific, what's wrong with trying everything?

[ThanksALotBT]

Nearly £300 for quitting smoking? I've read it all now!

[Pinkheart5915]

Of course you'd hope every pregnant women would stop for the sake of the unborn child but unfortunately not every women does despite the risks so if this stops even a few babies being put at risk by there mother continuing to smoke, I don't think it's any bad thing.

The baby does not choose to smoke and if this acts as an extra incentive to the mother to stop then it's worth a shot

[TaraCarter]

if shopping vouchers are more motivation to quit than your baby's health maybe you need to have a re-evaluation of your priorities.

Very snappy sentiment but you and the person who voiced this are ignoring the elephant in the room... Do you not realise that there are still people who don't accept that smoking in pregnancy is an issue?!

The world and her sister all know someone who smoked through out 3+ pregnancies and the baby was "fine". For these women, as far as they're concerned, smoking is just a tiny increased risk that won't actually affect them. Giving up cigarettes, which is not pleasant, for, as they see it, no concrete benefit, is not going to happen. Your 'reward', so to speak, for giving up for the sake of the baby, is sitting in a delivery ward thinking, "if I hadn't given up, maybe this baby would be less healthy". That's not receiving a reward, that's just avoiding a penalty!

As it happens, some women deliberately continue smoking in order to keep the baby small, to avoid tears.

Shopping vouchers, however, are tangible positive rewards; you can see them and you know you will definitely get them for the stuff you need for the baby if you can get through this week before your appointment with the midwife without a cigarette.

[alltouchedout]

This bothers you more than when children are born with life limiting conditions as a result of maternal smoking? Really? Yes, pregnant smokers should stop for the wellbeing of their child, but if for whatever reason they don't, and this incentivises them to do so, surely that is a good thing and not something to whip up a Daily Mail style froth of disapproval over?

[KidLorneRoll]

If it works to stop pregnant women smoking, great. If it saves money in the long run, even better.

[ironmanslady]

If you can quit smoking because you're being paid to then you can quit for the health of your unborn baby. This is ridiculous. It takes willpower, anybody who finds the willpower from a reward more than worrying about their baby needs a reality check.
This is coming from someone who smoked up until finding out they were pregnant and then didn't touch any all trough pregnancy. I didn't need a reward for that just my baby was the incentive I needed.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

If you can quit smoking because you're being paid to then you can quit for the health of your unborn baby. This is ridiculous. It takes willpower, anybody who finds the willpower from a reward more than worrying about their baby needs a reality check


This is coming from someone who smoked up until finding out they were pregnant and then didn't touch any all trough pregnancy. I didn't need a reward for that just my baby was the incentive I needed

Exactly

Shall we pay people to use car seats or to change the babies nappy.

Ffs

[vaseofflowerss]

If you can quit smoking because you're being paid to then you can quit for the health of your unborn baby. This is ridiculous. It takes willpower, anybody who finds the willpower from a reward more than worrying about their baby needs a reality check.

^^ This!

[TaraCarter]

You're still assuming they worry! My mother smoked all the way through and thinks the angst about smoking in pregnancy is arrant nonsense. If she was pregnant with me today, she'd still think it was arrant nonsense and continue to smoke.

She'd give up for vouchers though.

[Londonsburningahhhh]

I gave up as soon as I found out I was pregnant but some people are selfish enough to continue smoking. It talks about the risks to baby in pregnancy magazines. I don't mean this in a nasty way but people who smoke during pregnancy aren't reading or listening to the advice from their midwife. If it helps giving these women vouchers to give up then so be it.

[MatildaTheCat]

People who smoke in pregnancy are either very, very addicted or very delusional. Both are difficult to treat. Anything that helps has to be good news.

Problem is that women who do give up in pregnancy have a high fall back rate as they regard the pregnancy as being the sole reason for quitting. So it would make sense to carry on incentivising for a longer period to ensure babies aren't being exposed to smoke in the home for as long as possible.

I was a midwife for many years and heard every excuse under the sun. Oddly, not one woman was happy with the thought of their tiny newborn being in an enclosed space with a smoker yet could still justify smoking while pregnant. It's hard to fight stupid. ( absolutely not calling all smokers stupid but the excuses really were).

[vaseofflowerss]

There are parents out there who feed their kids utter junk, smoke in their kids vicinity, don't ensure they are active and exercise, don't encourage reading and homework, don't ensure good attendance at school and so on...

All these things could cost the tax payer money in the long run for ill health, obesity, unable to get a well paid job due to failed exams, should we just give out vouchers for all aspects of parenting to save money in the long run?

It shouldn't be a case of getting money or vouchers for doing what you should be doing, you should just do it when you become a parent.

There are many free ways to avoid pregnancy in the UK. There really is no excuse for unplanned pregnancies in most cases, it's rubbish suggesting people with unplanned pregnancies should get more help to do the right thing because poor them didn't mean to get pregnant.

[KidLorneRoll]

"If you can quit smoking because you're being paid to then you can quit for the health of your unborn baby."

In an ideal world maybe.

But if such a scheme works - improving the health of unborn children and saving way more than £300 in the process, why does it matter what the motivation is? It's the impact that is the most important thing.

Just strikes me as a whinge that people are getting some vouchers and they aren't.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

But it's only for the pregnancy and 12 weeks after.

Does nothing to help the baby who could well end up living in a smoky house the second they start up again.

That child is then still at risk from asthma and chest infections and higher rates of SIDS etc.

Giving up addictions rarely works first time. It's a waste of money.id does not deal with the actually addiction (free quitting advice and medical care and dental is available in pregnancy and a yr after aswell)

It doesn't change their circles of friends who may or may not be making it harder to quit. Amd it doesn't change the mindset of the person.