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jps

On Sat, 13 Jun 2009 02:03:10 -0400, wrote:

On Fri, 12 Jun 2009 19:48:56 -0700, jps wrote:

Agree with most but allow me to add that treating smokers for cancer
and emphysema likely costs the system more that if they lasted years
longer healthy and then croaked quickly.

Don't know the difference in cost between managing smoking related
illnesses to succumbing to other end of life maladies.

I have had 2 family members die from smoking related diseases and one
is on the roof as we speak.
They all tended to avoid the doctor and lie to themselves about how
sick they were until the end. Then they went pretty quickly. That is
nothing compared to my non-smoking grandfather who lived to 99 and was
at the doctor all the time for 40 years. (hips, cataracts etc).

Not that I don't appreciate your anecdotes, but I'd prefer to know the
real epidemiology.

Smoking is next to heroin for quitting. My wife quit nearly 20 years
ago and it was among the most difficult things she's done.

The other is marriage.