From our archive. This article was published on 14 July 2020. Rules and amounts may have changed since.
Archive, 2020: this article was published during the coronavirus crisis.
You would certainly not be the first, nor the only, person to decide to stop smoking. More and more smokers are turning to stop-smoking services, and the people using them are getting younger and younger! Every year, cancer organisations in many countries use surveys to gauge smoking behaviour and public support for policy measures on smoking. In one such national survey from 2019, 23% of adults still smoked, including 18% who smoked every day. The use of e-cigarettes remains stable: 10% of smokers continue to vape at least occasionally. Of all these smokers, 66% want to stop, but only 2% use support from a tobacco counsellor to do so. This is shown by the same survey.
Yet studies show that people who get support when stopping smoking are 3 to 4 times more likely to succeed. You can seek support from your GP or from an accredited tobacco counsellor via Tabakstop.be. The tobacco counsellor offers professional support throughout the stop-smoking process. Your personal situation is taken into account. Together you look for your motivation. Have there been earlier attempts to stop? That is already a first success. What went well back then? What went less well? Aids for stopping smoking, such as medication, are also discussed. In this way a tailor-made stop-smoking plan is drawn up together. Key points of attention are stress, weight gain, the personal benefits of stopping smoking and motivation. Even after an unfortunate relapse, you remain welcome with your tobacco counsellor. Stopping smoking is, after all, a process of falling down and getting back up again. Most smokers need several attempts before they manage to stop for good. That is hardly surprising, because smoking is a genuine addiction.
In these worrying times, people are looking for what they can do to protect themselves and others. Stopping smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health, especially when a virus that attacks the airways is going round. We understand that this period of uncertainty and fear makes stopping smoking harder. Stichting tegen Kanker helps you with the Tabakstop app, a free tool for daily support. For smokers under 20 there is a special mobile app, SmartStop, which records your smoking behaviour and gives tips on smoking (and stopping smoking). Through the app you can get in touch with other SmartStoppers and ask your tobacco counsellor for advice.
Okay, it is now high time we looked at the finances connected with smoking and with stopping:
What does it cost?
First of all, you can use personal stop-smoking support by telephone completely free of charge! If you are truly motivated to stop smoking and willing to set a quit date, you can turn to Tabakstop. This service cannot always start straight away. Sometimes it takes a week to 10 days before your personal tobacco counsellor can contact you. The telephone support consists of 8 conversations with your coach, spread over a period of about three months. The first conversation lasts about 30 minutes, the remaining ones about 20 minutes. Between appointments, many services let you call at difficult moments for a little extra support.
In addition, in many countries stop-smoking support is partly or fully reimbursed, so that you only pay a small personal contribution. For young people and people on a low income, the cost is often very limited. A tobacco counsellor may charge a supplement, however; ask your health insurer for the current rates. Ask the tobacco counsellor in advance how much of a supplement you will have to pay. Group support often works out cheaper than individual support.
How many hours of individual or group support are reimbursed differs from country to country. You can find more information about the reimbursement system on the website of the Flemish Agency for Care and Health (Vlaams Agentschap Zorg en Gezondheid).
Contact your health insurer for more information about the reimbursement of nicotine replacement products.
What do you gain?
How much do you spend on cigarettes per week? And per month? Do you know how many CDs or how much clothing you could buy with that? Would you rather calculate how much you save on an annual basis? Compare it with the cost of a weekend away or a trip to a sunny destination!
Do you want to know exactly how much money you save if you stop smoking? Then enter your personal smoking details and find out for yourself using an online calculator.
If you smoke one packet a day, that quickly costs more than €3,000 a year! You could already turn that into a really nice holiday!
You can of course also set aside the money you save each month in order to achieve your savings goals. With a savings plan, the capital paid in is invested according to the profile you choose yourself. You can choose to play it safe (limited return), to invest in funds to increase your return (linked to certain factors), or to choose a combination of the two so that you limit the risk but still earn a good return. The minimum you have to pay in depends on the institution: a minimum per payment, per month or per year is required.
Do you have questions about this? Would you like to learn how to save, and work on your savings mindset and your saving behaviour? Then be sure to get in touch with the Financial Well-Being Academy. Working on your financial confidence and your financial well-being is not something you do alone. That way you will reach your savings goals faster and be able to realise your dreams and projects.
Do you have questions about particular products? Would you like to speak to a specialist in saving and investing? Then get in touch with Het Financieel Huis. We will gladly put you in contact, so that you can realise your plans within the timeframe you have set yourself. We are happy to give you more information and to help you put your plan into practice.