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By Barbara Silver

 

Lauren Ryan (Chapel Hill Transit) started smoking socially in college and continued to smoke after graduation. Soon, Lauren married, and she and her husband planned to become pregnant. She quit smoking until her son was 17 months old.

Lauren began working for Chapel Hill Transit in 2015 and learned about the various wellness programs offered to employees. She was interested in creating a healthier lifestyle and contacted Barbara Silver with the Wellness@Work Tobacco Treatment Program to help her quit smoking. She and her husband were talking about getting pregnant for a second time, and she wanted to be smoke free before then. She recognizes now that she first quit for her son; not for herself. Quitting for herself made the difference in her being able to stay tobacco free for over two years.

Lauren appreciates her regular meetings with Barbara, which helped keep her accountable. Together, they worked on strategies to help her deal with stress in healthier ways. Lauren also enjoyed the $100 gift cards she received for being tobacco free for six months and one year. Lauren has learned to handle stress and anxiety in a more productive ways. She credits the Wellness@Work team with her being healthier and  stronger today.

If you use tobacco and want to quit, contact Barbara Silver at 919-904-4848 or barbara_silver@med.unc.edu.