Here’s me before my first race, after which I quit for good.

And here's STAGE THREE of How Running is the easiest and best Cure for Smoking - the Money to be Made.

Which would you prefer – to save billions for the country or thousands for yourself? That’s the nice choice open to you as a smoker if you decide to quit, and in fact you can be very generous and manage both. (If you’re a non-smoker you won’t need to think about quitting, but you can at least help save the billions, by joining my campaign today.)

As you’re aware, this campaign is to get people to take up running... and the rest follows, automatically, by the grace of God, naturally and noooooo trouble at all - you’re suddenly an ex-smoker and insufferably smug. And financial well-being follows.

Let’s first find out what are the general advantages that a smoker digs will accrue to him when he gives up, especially since July 1.

• He will have a push, forceful incentive to give up – from the government order imposed on July 1, much trumpeted on buses, etc, and everybody’s doing it. (For “he” also read “she” wherever it occurs. What can you do with the English language, no convenient word for both together!)
• He can’t avoid getting the message that improved health and thus longer life will be his reward.
• Love locked out – so many of one’s possible lovers and partners being put off by the smoke floating over to them, bad breath also, nicotine-stained fingers, coughing, passive war on others, especially kids, sore eyes...
• He’ll not be ostracised, turfed out of pubs, restaurants, and so on. Not even cabbies will allow him to light up.
• Banished to hanging around outdoors in any weather, and then being fined for dropping stubs.
• Health again: not only lung cancer avoided, but cancers in many other parts of the body, plus heart attacks. Gruesome.

The annual cost of cigarettes, anywhere up to a couple of thousand quid. Money saved can buy a luxury holiday, even a car.

Pause for statistical update. Today, of the 23% or so of the British who smoke, the girls contribute a goodly share. When I was young they used to say of puffing a fag in the street “It’s bad enough to see a man smoke, but Oh, a woman!” Anyway in those younger days of mine 80% of men smoked! The ones who didn’t seemed to us unnaturally pi when they would turn away your offered packet. Of course that habit, obligation almost, when you wanted a ciggie yourself to send the packet around the little gang sitting with you, was one of the biggest turners-on, which helped to explain that 80%.

Diversion ends and back to the consequences of July 1. We’ve already made a guess at your personal savings. Now let’s try to express the value to the nation: first the immense amount in costs saved, and second, worth at least as much, though never accounted for officially, the new revenue actually earned.

So begin with the costs: There have been several official estimates announced, rather cautious as the people responsible quite naturally lean over backwards, not wanting to set themselves up as Aunt Sallies to be shot down by the pro-smoking group, so we can treat those figures as safe minima. Myself I’ll plunge for a total of eight billion a year, much of it to be saved by the NHS and other health services. But there’s policing too, street cleaning, business premises cleaning, motor accidents, fire-fighting services called to house conflagrations caused when smokers fall asleep with lighted cigarettes in their hands and set their bedclothes on fire ... Right across the nation, it makes me think my eight billion is after all rather pussy-footing.
 
The list goes on and on, but just as important for the nation is the revenue saved by every single smoker successfully treated. Here’s a couple of examples to make my meaning clear. The nation saves on the extra costs of medical treatment a smoker is going to incur. On the other hand, the government makes extra revenue because the reformed bloke who won’t be falling ill will keep on working, thus contributing to the country’s wealth, man-hours in production, and in addition this happy worker will pay them tax, to show his appreciation!  Come on, you dudes, how many billions of spondulics is that worth? Maybe another eight.

Same with you as an individual. You’ll be able to go on working, instead of lurking in a hospital bed in some pain, so you’ll earn a salary and draw a pension eventually (you’ll need a salary, unlike the poor bastard who’s dying). Good luck!

Good luck and see you again in my next blog.

	Author:	Sylvester Stein (Sylvester Stein's profile, Sylvester Stein's blog)
	Posted On:	Wednesday, 4th July '07, 3:30pm
	Tags:	Exercise and Fitness
	Comments:	0 comments, go to comments

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