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Get Tips to Quit During Great American Smokeout

LIVE FOR LIFE to offer tobacco cessation info

lamont bike_V.jpg
Lamont Burt poses by his bike, which he tries to ride to work as often as possible. After he quit smoking, Burt found the exercise easier to handle. Photo courtesy of Lamont Burt.

Each morning, if the weather cooperates, Lamont Burt rides his bike three miles to work at Duke’s Library Service Center in Durham.

It’s a trip he doesn’t take for granted. 

Just months ago, Burt would have been winded and may not have been able to complete the trip, an impact on his health after 30 years of smoking cigarettes. But after giving up tobacco in March and changing his diet, he’s back in the saddle, now almost 20 pounds lighter, too.

“If you want a healthy life, you have to change your own habits,” said Burt, a library assistant at the Service Center on Anson Street . “From a health point of view, this is everything.”

Burt has special occasion to celebrate Nov. 19 as he marks his first Great American Smokeout tobacco free. To reach his goal of quitting, Burt used cessation resources offered through LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke’s employee wellness program. Along with regular phone calls to check on progress, Burt also received discounted nicotine replacement gum and lozenges. Not only is he feeling better, but he’s saving about $20 a week on cigarettes and no longer pays a $30 tobacco use surcharge for his Duke medical insurance.

“The fact I didn’t have to spend all my own money for gum and lozenges was the difference between debating if I should spend $30 on gum or $5 on a pack of cigarettes,” Burt said.

During the Great American Smokeout, LIVE FOR LIFE staff will share success stories like Burt’s as they rove locations throughout Duke, promoting support programs and speaking with employees about how to quit, help others quit and how to find a cessation program that best fits their needs. Stops include:

  • Nov. 16 – Duke Hospital and West Campus
  • Nov. 17 – Duke Hospital and Duke Regional Hospital
  • Nov. 18 – University Tower, Patient Revenue Management Organization, Duke Raleigh Hospital
  • Nov. 19 – Duke Hospital and Clinic cafeterias 

For those looking to use the Great American Smokeout as the first step to quitting, Duke offers tobacco cessation resources, including a free one-on-one consultation to design a quit plan and Steps to Health Tobacco Cessation. Discounted nicotine replacement therapy is available for employees in a Duke health plan.

“Quitting tobacco can bring lots of stress and worry, which is why we want people to know there is a support system in place to help,” said Diane Dunder, LIVE FOR LIFE's smoking cessation specialist. “The Great American Smokeout gives us an event each year to highlight how Duke can prepare smokers for success.”

Visit the LIVE FOR LIFE website for more information on quitting tobacco and how Duke supports faculty and staff who want to quit.