Self-help Articles

by Marlene M. Maheu, Ph.D.

So your club is looking for added services to offer clients ... and helping your clients quit smoking is a good choice for many reasons. Before diving into a program, consider following these fifteen steps. Notice that program delivery is not one of the first steps!

15 Steps To Consider Before Starting A Quit Smoking Program:

1. Allow adequate time (1-2 years) for full program benefits to become apparent.
2. Plan adequately and prepare to be flexible with your expectations; establish step-wise policies to be implemented over time.
3. Obtain fully-informed commitment of management in writing.
4. Form a committee of smokers/nonsmokers to decide on implementation of policies and plans with staff and clients.
5. Make firm decisions and clear policy statements.
6. Educate entire staff. Offer in-service training sessions regarding benefits of nicotine freedom using printed materials, video and audio lessons.
7. Be willing to deal with fear and other consequences.
8. Send relevant staff to training workshops and yearly updates available through the Nicotine Recovery Institute.
9. Make treatment available to staff and their families if smokers and smokeless-tobacco users are present on staff.
10. Offer printed materials, such as brochures and posters to educate clients.
11. Assess smoking status and stage of readiness to change on Information Forms given to clients.
12. Make public statements about programs -- press releases, advertisements.
13. Offer the intervention.
14. Use the Fagerstrom Test to assess degree of nicotine addiction; recommend that individuals contact their personal physicians to prescribe nicotine replacement medication (optional).
15. Expect initial resistance, be patient, and trust the process. This will take more time than you expect to catch on... but, oh, what a market!

About the Author:

Dr. Maheu is an author, speaker, and researcher. She is the lead author of "E-Health, Telehealth & Telemedicine: A Guide to Program Startup and Success" co-written with Pamela Whitten and Ace Allen, published by Jossey-Bass: San Francisco.

She has also been the lead author on these two books: "Infidelity on the Internet" and "The Mental Health Professional and the New Technologies."