Stages of Quitting

Anyone who has quit smoking will tell you it's quite an adventure; the kind of adventure that has been described by Bob in a series of ads airing across the country. In this portrayal of Canadian smokers, Bob takes us through the process of quitting. This involves moving through a series of stages that present different challenges. This model of behavioural change has been researched and created by Dr. James Prochaska, Director of the Cancer Prevention Research Center at the University of Rhode Island.

Essentially, it is a tool that assesses where a patient is in their journey to change a certain behaviour. It is theorized that it can be very helpful to know how these stages relate to you and has been tested with people trying to change a behaviour. In the Health Canada ad campaign, Bob takes people through the five stages involved in quitting smoking.

The five stages of change are:

1. Pre-contemplation (not thinking about quitting):
The first stage - You are not thinking seriously about quitting (for all kinds of reasons) and are not interested in any kind of help.

2. Contemplation (thinking about quitting but not ready to quit):
During the second stage, you are thinking about quitting sometime within the next six months.

3. Preparation (getting ready to quit):
In stage three, you are getting ready for your quit date. You draw on past experiences with quitting to prepare yourself for your quit date in the near future.

4. Action (quitting): You have quit recently. You continue to actively work at quitting by using different techniques.

5. Maintenance (remaining a non-smoker):
This is the last stage. It involves being able to successfully maintain your smoke-free status.

Relapse: Throughout the stages, many smokers experience a phase called relapse. While it can be discouraging, it is actually a normal part of the process of quitting smoking. In fact, the majority of people who successfully quit smoking have gone through relapse.

The Bob quit smoking ads will air over the next year as a way of showing Canadians that even though quitting is difficult, it can be done. The campaign has messages and information for all smokers wanting to make a change.