Hi Scott,
My partner and I, both in our mid-forties, have been Barefooters for years. We live in the outer south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne and have two kids, aged 10 and 13. We should have our mortgage paid off within the next two years, currently have no other debts, and have discussed plans to invest in Vanguard. My partner is focused on eliminating debt and growing our financial future but, sadly, he is not ‘investing’ in his physical health. He’s now heading into his 31st year of smoking and doesn’t want to give it up. I’m hoping you might be able to provide him with the motivation – for financial reasons – to butt out for good!
Bella
Hey Bella!
I’ve had a lot of experience helping addicts, so let me tell you the bad news first:
Beating them up about how much money they’re wasting on their drug of choice will not only not work; it will more than likely stress them out and make them use more!
To a non-addicted brain, this sounds completely ludicrous, but not to anyone who is in a pit of addiction.
This is as true for those who are sending thousands of dollars up in smoke as it is for gambling addicts losing hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
What would I do?
Well, it sounds simple: if you treat the addiction the money will sort itself out.
And how the hell do you do that after 31 years of smoking?
Easy.
First, in the Father’s Day cards get your two kids to write about how much they love their dad, but also how afraid they are that he’ll get sick and be lost to them.
Second, get your kids to buy him a very special Father’s Day present:
Allen Carr’s Easy Way to Quit Smoking Without Willpower
(This book has 7,680 reviews on Amazon with a 4.6 star rating and has been around in various forms for 40 years.)
Finally, give him the peace and quiet to read the book.
Health is the ultimate form of wealth.
Good luck!
Scott.