How the fuck do people afford to smoke?

[StrongerThanIThought76]

Let me start by saying I've never smoked. Never even tried it. My mum did, from her teens, all through my childhood, through some serious health issues and finally stopped after a smoking related cancer. Of course there are a hundred reasons not to smoke these days - health, social exclusion etc etc.

I worked out that over 50 years she's spent almost £150k on fags, conservatively basing that on 20 a day.

She's never had any savings, only been on a few holidays and still harbours resentment that my dad has a much wealthier lifestyle (bigger house, better car etc since they divorced 30 years ago).

So with the cost of a packet of 'premium' fags costing in excess of £10 a pack AIBU to think that smokers have got their priorities massively wrong money-wise?

This isn't a shoulder shrug thing like - some people shave their pubic hair, some don't, personal choice, mind your own business.
Smoking kills. It's bastard hard to give up. It costs a fortune. It smells. You smell. Your kids smell. I have experienced all those things with my late mum who had a very hard life and did everything she could to make ours better. And she smoked from Age 13 to Age 79. And gave up. And had a bit more time with my dd as a consequence.

I smoked 20-40 a day (depending on whether or not I went to the pub) for over 20 years. I read 'Allen Carr's the Easy Way to Stop Smoking' as recommended to me be several former heavy smokers. I quit without any problems from the moment I finished the book. With my financial savings, I took out private health insurance, and with all the extra energy I had, I didn't put on an ounce.

Perhaps the difference with me is I wanted to quit and never saw it as a right to smoke.

@AbsMcgraw - excellent post and I think you've hit the nail on the head with your comment about genuinely wanting to give up.

@titaniascloset at the risk of being overly blunt, your post about trying to give up does seem a bit at odds with your initial post on this thread in which you talked about fellow addicts (presumably including yourself?) at AA meetings who are not yet ready to face giving up, and also stated you would rather go without alcohol or food than cigarettes for a week and that you are "hoping" to move on to vaping (which doesn't sound like you've actually given it a go yet, although correct me if I'm wrong). It therefore doesn't sound like you are fully committed to quitting smoking at this stage and that your present attitude is "it's too hard I can't do it" rather than "yes it is REALLY fucking hard but I NEED to do it for th sake of myself and my kids"....

Yes I have tried vainglorious, I have one in the cupboard, plus patches and inhalers etc but although I do want to give u I know it's going to take a toll on my mental health if I do so I have been advised to deal with one issue at a time. Obviously the alcohol issue must come first.

Vapes not vainglorious but I really like that auto correct!

Bash street kid, true, I'm not actually saving money by buying fags, but I will be buying them anyway so may as well pay less for them. Likewise I like to go abroad a lot. I can afford it however so not a problem for me.

@Cherrycokewinning

Yes, it's weak to smoke. What don't you understand about that? You can't argue against that. Saying you don't like my attitude is irrelevant, and I don't care.

WitchesHatRim

What does it matter if I'm delightful or not? Nothing I've said is untrue. Focus on the facts I'm presenting, not the way I'm saying them and you'll learn to debate better.

The whole "We'll I don't like the way you said it" approach to discussion just shows you aren't confident of your position.