Determining the stage of readiness “Before you go anywhere, first determine where you are.” The first step in correctly quitting smoking has been taken. You have met and accepted the formula for successful smoking cessation: Motivation x Belief in success x Quit technology = Successful smoking cessation Now let’s “include” all these factors in the success formula. And the first of them is motivation to quit smoking. Motivation from the point of view of a systems approach is always an integral factor, which is influenced by a large number of independent factors. Their combined effect leads to the fact that a person, in relation to quitting smoking, is in one of six possible stages of readiness. Being in one or another stage of readiness, the content of motivational actions will be different. In other words, before engaging in motivation, it is necessary to determine the stage of readiness to quit smoking, and build on it in your further actions. Because, I repeat once again, at different stages of readiness the direction of motivation is different. The stage of readiness determines not only the direction of motivation, but also the content of assistance as a whole. At different stages, a person needs to take different actions and receive help in quitting smoking that varies in content. Not taking into account the readiness stage means depriving yourself of the opportunity to achieve success where it is potentially possible. What is the stage of readiness to quit smoking? A fairly common approach in smoking cessation guidelines for professionals is the Prochaska & DiClemente multidisciplinary model of readiness for behavior change. It is sometimes called the Stages of Change Model. According to this model, at any given time, smokers may be in one of six stages of readiness when it comes to quitting. They may be in the precontemplation stage, the contemplation stage, the readiness stage, or the action stage. There are also a group of “former” smokers and a group of “relapsed” smokers. At each stage of readiness, smokers have different needs, and they need different self-help strategies and assistance from a specialist. Smoking cessation practice has shown that those who did not use this stages of change model and suggested the same actions regardless of stage of readiness found low quit rates. I repeat once again - in fact, this excludes success where it is possible. People who smoke can “move” from one stage of readiness to another for a variety of reasons. It should be remembered that they can “move” both towards greater readiness to quit smoking, and, conversely, towards less readiness. And both of these processes can be significantly influenced. Group in the pre-contemplation stage According to international data, about 40% of smokers are not ready to quit smoking. An assessment of readiness to quit smoking conducted by American researchers in Kyiv in 2000 based on a random sample showed that among the surveyed smokers, the group of those who are not ready and not even thinking about quitting smoking is even larger - 56.1%. These smokers are not thinking about quitting and may resist any attempts to even discuss the topic. They tend to see more of the positive aspects of smoking and don't like to admit the downsides. Such smokers usually do not contact any help services. If they apply under pressure from someone close to them, they conduct the conversation rather harshly, trying to talk not so much about themselves as about the service they applied to. In relation to people in the first stage of readiness, there is an interesting question - is it possible to influence a person from the first group so that he moves to a group of higher readiness? Practically, no. If you are not ready to quit smoking, you can only gently encourage him to think about his habit and suggest that he can seek help from a specialistlater, when he has such a desire. The conversation on this topic may be very short, as these smokers tend to be resistant and change is unlikely at this stage. If the smoker is not ready to quit, lecturing, intimidation and fear tactics will be ineffective and, in most cases, may even lead to to the opposite effect. The approach when working with "not ready" smokers is to gently encourage them to think about the pros and cons of their smoking, and to approach again when they are ready to discuss the issue of smoking. Group in the contemplation stage About 40% of people who smoke are “unsure” or have ambivalence about their own smoking. They ponder the benefits of quitting smoking, but also fear its undesirable consequences. People who smoke at this stage are open to discussing issues about smoking and quitting. The main challenge for people in this group is to examine their smoking habit, weigh the pros and cons, and decide whether continuing to smoke is a worthwhile endeavor at this time. Everything that worries you about smoking, the benefits of quitting smoking, losses if smoking continues, long-term consequences, as well as benefits associated with smoking are subject to clarification. A person can be stopped by the possibility of weight gain, loss of pleasure from smoking, and deprivation of a quick way to relieve stress with a cigarette. All these aspects need to be carefully considered. Here, a single reading of materials about the dangers of smoking and its consequences or a conversation with a specialist may not be enough for a smoking person to move to the next readiness group. Group at the stage of readiness to quit smoking Only 20% of smokers are ready to quit smoking. Approximately the same results were obtained by the authors of the already mentioned study in a random sample in Kiev. These smokers decided to make a serious attempt to stop smoking. For them, the disadvantages of smoking outweigh the advantages. This group is quite active and with independent correct actions or a favorable result of interaction with a consultant, people in this group can “move” to the action stage. The main question that worries people in the readiness group is how to quit smoking? How to do this so that it works once and for all? People here need information about what to do and what not to do in order to achieve results. They may doubt whether they will succeed or not, and they may also be held back by the fear of deprivation syndrome. And if a person is shown how and why he can easily give up smoking without any consequences for him, the person moves to the next action group. At this stage, the problem of uncertainty that the person will succeed is also revealed. And if a person is helped to build confidence in his own abilities to achieve a result, then he will also move to the action group. For a certain category of people, at this stage the use of psychotherapy is required to overcome the fear of deprivation syndrome. For people in this group, moral and emotional support is important, both from the consultant and from people close to them. A smoker who is “ready” for change may need several attempts to quit smoking before he achieves success. Smokers in this group may be motivated by creating a belief in success and/or by providing them with effective technology to solve the problem, about than was said in the first step of correct smoking cessation. “Action” group It is at this stage that the smoking person is ready to quit smoking and accept all the consultant’s suggestions for quitting smoking and act in accordance with them. “Former” smokers group This group supports abstinence As a result of smoking, the temptation to smoke gradually decreases and often disappears completely. Thoughts about smoking may be frequent or infrequent in these ex-smokers, although they may.5