I'm not sure that the price matters to poor people who smoke or drink. In that part of our family where government checks are received by young adults, most spend money on booze and cigs first, everything else second. Then they borrow & beg (and maybe even steal) til the next check comes.

As a nurse who seriously smoked for 27 years, I swore to God I would quit when the price of a pack reached a buck, but no, I kept right on smoking. I would pick a used "butt" up off the street if I had to, rather than go through nicotine withdrawal... It was only when a doctor-friend advised me that if I quit smoking before menopause, I would greatly lessen my chances of getting lung cancer. His advice came at a really low point in my life, and I thought if I could get this monkey off my back, maybe I could handle the other serious issues as well. So I took it one day at a time, and 16 years later, so far so good!

Holiday TV Fare for Today:

Frosty's Winter Wonderland ABCFAM Dec 4, 7:00pm
Home Alone FX Dec 4, 7pm
Paula Deen's Southern Christmas Food Network Dec 4, 8pm
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation AMC Dec 4, 8pm
The National Tree Hallmark Dec 4, 8pm
Christmas with the Kranks FX Dec 4, 9pm
Unwrapped: The making of fruitcake & candy canes, FOOD network Dec 4, 10pm