Michael Jamison sometimes uses this fake cigarette, with no filter, when he feels a crave to puff.
Michael Jamison, at right, with his quit team, co-workers who are helping him to kick the habit.
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 With more than 40 years of smoking between them, a strong desire to quit wasn't enough to help Diane Best and her husband, James, kick the habit.
Employee Sets Sights on Being Smoke-Free by July 4
Michael Jamison hopes to celebrate his independence from smoking on July 4.
"Not only is that the date Duke Medicine will become a tobacco-free workplace, but my birthday is also in July, so those are two great reasons to make that my deadline," Jamison said. "Besides, I'll need the extra lung power to blow out all those candles."
With the help of a smoking cessation program, Jamison, a contract coordination analyst with the PRMO, has already reduced the amount of nicotine entering his body. During the past few months, he's cut the number of cigarettes he smokes in half — from a pack a day to 10 cigarettes a day.
As part of a QuitSmart class through
LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke's employee wellness program, Jamison assembled a "quit team," which includes friends, family and co-workers, including some who have never smoked.
"Having a support system is crucial," he said. "That's why my quit team, as I call them, is so important. They've helped me to notice a lot of important things, including the fact that tobacco smoke makes everything smell bad."
To alleviate his old habit, Jamison has also incorporated several changes into his daily routine.
"I used to always light up a cigarette when I would go out of the building to another building," he said. "Now, I don't do that anymore. If I get the urge, I use the fake cigarette that they gave us in the QuitSmart smoking cessation class."
Along with adjusting his routine, Jamison has made a concerted effort to try to avoid stressful situations while he's trying to quit.
"Things that don't usually bother me do start to get on my nerves when I am already a bit edgy from giving up the nicotine," he said. "It truly is an addiction and since cigarettes are legal, it is an addiction that's easy to maintain."
Jamison described kicking the habit as one of the toughest challenges of his life.
"It definitely takes a conscious effort to quit," he said. "Visualizing yourself as a non-smoker, establishing a strong buddy system and picking a deadline to quit are the key components for the path I am on to be smoke-free."
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