Erin Barringer, a nursing assistant in the Neurosciences Hospital, began smoking socially in 10th grade, and over the years she increased her smoking to one-half pack of cigarettes a day. She continued at this level until 2010 when she found out she was pregnant. She remained tobacco free through her pregnancy and breastfeeding until her daughter, Jalliyah, was about 6 months old. At that time, she returned to smoking socially — and also did so to help deal with stress.

Lana Simons, a Chapel Hill Transit employee, has been tobacco free for 2½ years! She says it’s a “nicer way to live,” not having cigarettes as part of her life, and she is proud of herself for doing it.

Howard Sutton, clinical support technician in the Department of Anesthesia, enrolled in the Tobacco Free Tar Heels program three years ago. Today he is tobacco free. When Howard Sutton enrolled in the Tobacco Free Tar Heels (TFTH) program three years ago, stress in his life seemed to be the biggest barrier to quitting smoking. After trying different strategies for dealing with stress, he always found himself turning back to smoking for relief.

When nursing assistant Rebecca Langham enrolled in UNC Health Care System’s Tobacco Free Tar Heels (TFTH) program, she had been smoking a pack of cigarettes daily since she was 16 years old. Today, thanks to TFTH and her own personal dedication, she’s tobacco free.

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.

Smoking on and off since I was thirteen, I’d tried every trick in the book to stop. Every attempt ended in failure, whether it was stopping cold turkey or gradually with the help of medication. I became, as the old joke goes, an expert on quitting. After all, I’d done it so many times. But, with the help of the Nicotine Dependence Program it seems to be working. Not only am I smoke-free, but I don’t really think much about smoking any more. I knew when I chose to stop that I needed help to do it. I was looking for a program that would provide structure and accountability without sermons or judgment. This program does that and more.

What made you decide to quit smoking? A few things made me quit. Mostly I did it for my wife. But price and working at the hospital were contributing factors to quitting this time. What was the hardest part about quitting? Initially the hardest thing was quitting itself. The habit of smoking was harder than … Read more

When Robert Jenkins came into UNC Health Care System’s Tobacco Free Tar Heels (TFTH) program, he had been smoking since he was 15 years old (“too long,” he said). Like many teens, it was the “cool factor” that led him to smoke. He shared that he was so sick of smoking and had always wanted to quit. He knew in his mind he was ready to quit, but still had to deal with his daily triggers for smoking: morning coffee, after meals, and stress. A co-worker told him she had quit with the support of the TFTH program and suggested that he give it a try.

Tyron Edwards, or T.Y., as he is known, entered the Wellness @ Work Tobacco Free Employee Program soon after it begin in fall 2011. He smoked between 1–2 packs of cigarettes per day, and had been smoking since he was 16 years old. He reported being “just tired of smoking.” Even with his readiness, he said that it was hard to do and he needed to put in the effort so he wouldn’t backslide.

Although he was not pressured by his family to quit, he knew that quitting was the best thing for him and would help him to set a better example for his children and grandchildren. “Why do I need these cigarettes?” Pendergraph asked himself. “They are just a crutch.” Bob Pendergraph, an HVAC Mechanic who works … Read more