Robb English, the Aquatics Supervisor in Chapel Hill’s Parks and Recreation Department, dipped almost a can of tobacco a day when he came to the Wellness at Work Tobacco Free Employee Program. As a teenager who played sports, Robb says that dipping tobacco was part of the culture, less overt and obvious than smoking cigarettes. But now Robb wanted to give himself the best chance for living a healthy life, so he took the first step: enrolling in a program that offered support and medications to help him achieve his goal.
Robb English, the Aquatics Supervisor in Chapel Hill’s Parks and Recreation Department, dipped almost a can of tobacco a day when he came to the Wellness at Work Tobacco Free Employee Program. As a teenager who played sports, Robb says that dipping tobacco was part of the culture, less overt and obvious than smoking cigarettes.
But now Robb wanted to give himself the best chance for living a healthy life, so he took the first step: enrolling in a program that offered support and medications to help him achieve his goal.
He chose to use nicotine patches and lozenges to help him quit and found they helped reduce his cravings. In addition, the lozenges satisfied the need to put something in his mouth. Both helped him reduce his tobacco use gradually until he weaned himself off the tobacco and then the NRT entirely.
In addition to using the medications, Robb appreciated working on behaviors associated with his dipping. With treatment specialist Barbara Silver, he developed strategies to help deal with his triggers. For example, he always used to dip while driving. When he began to substitute nicotine lozenges, healthy snacks and toothpicks, he stopped relying on dip. He has been 100% tobacco free for 2 years now and doesn’t even think about dipping.
Robb notes a number of benefits from being tobacco free, including saving money, having more energy, tasting his food better, the inside of his mouth being smoother. Healthy eating and regular exercise are now part of his lifestyle. His wife and children are thrilled, and the last time he went to the doctor, he was proud to answer “No” when asked the question, “Do you use tobacco?”
Robb appreciates that the Town of Chapel Hill Wellness@Work offers a program where he could receive free medications and weekly support. He feels that programs like this make for a healthier work force.
If you smoke or use tobacco, contact Barbara Silver at 984-974-8445 or barbara_silver@med.unc.edu to learn how the resources available through the Wellness@Work program can double or triple your chances of becoming tobacco free.