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.

Lana had never tried to quit smoking before, but when she heard that the Wellness@Work program offered free medication and $100 incentives for quitting, she said to herself, “might as well try.” She was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was, especially after smoking a pack a day for 50 years.

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.

Lana had never tried to quit smoking before, but when she heard that the Wellness@Work program offered free medication and $100 incentives for quitting, she said to herself, “might as well try.” She was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was, especially after smoking a pack a day for 50 years.

Using nicotine patches and gum helped ease her withdrawal symptoms. She also identified things in her daily life which triggered her desire to smoke, and made some behavior changes to “unhook” her from these triggers.

In addition to the Wellness@Work program, Lana had additional motivations for becoming tobacco free. She had begun to hate the smell of cigarettes on her clothes and on other people. Her doctor had explained that smoking had contributed to polyps and to the thickening of her vocal cords.

The benefits she now enjoys are a clearer speaking voice, a clean smelling house and car, not having to think about smoking, and using the money she is saving to buy fruits and vegetables to eat healthier. Lana actually apologized to her family and friends for making them endure the smell of her smoking in their cars and houses, because she knew, even if she smoked outside, she was bringing the smell inside with her. She also loves, when going to the doctor, being able to answer the question on the intake form “Do you smoke?” with a “No!”

She is grateful to the tobacco treatment specialist, Barbara Silver, for giving her tips to help her along the way. She enjoyed the easy conversations, making her meetings with Barbara the fun part of her journey.

If you are an employee with the Town of Chapel Hill and are interested in finding out more about this free program, contact Barbara Silver at 984-974-8455 or barbara_silver@med.unc.edu.