Reducing or Quitting Your Tobacco
Use
If you are a health-concerned tobacco
user who has been thinking about reducing or quitting,
ask yourself which of the following 10 stages you have
reached as of today. Then pick three things you could do
within the next month that would help you get to the next
stage. Rank the three things you have chosen in order of
importance, then do them.
The 10 Stages of Reducing or
Quitting
-
- Stage 1: You are a health-concerned
tobacco user. You are worried about the health
effects of your use, and you wonder if you should
quit or cut down.
- Stage 2: You decide that
you will gather information about tobacco,
quitting or other health behaviors. You begin to
actively explore your options.
- Stage 3: You decide to take
some steps to change your tobacco use and/or your
overall health status -- e.g., observing your
tobacco triggers, switching brands, cutting down,
getting more exercise, taking vitamins, managing
your stress more effectively, paying more
attention to your family and friends, etc.
- Stage 4: You make a firm
commitment to reduce or quit, but do not specify
a date or the strategies you will use.
- Stage 5: You prepare a plan
to reduce or quit, and identify strategies you
will use to successfully complete it. You make a
firm commitment to follow-through on your plan.
You set a reduction or cessation date.
- Stage 6: You reduce to your
planned level, or you smoke your last cigarette,
and successfully follow your plan for 24 hours.
- Stage 7: You successfully
complete one week of follow-through with your
plan.
- Stage 8: You successfully
complete one month of follow-through with your
plan.
- Stage 9: You successfully
complete your first three months of follow-through
with your plan.
- Stage 10: You successfully
complete your first year of follow-through with
your plan.
Keep repeating these stages until you
complete Stage 10!
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