Millions of people around the world are smokers. But whether you are going through a pack of cigarettes a day or just engaging in social smoking, you should be aware that it’s a bad habit that affects both you and those around you. And given the now well-documented health risks, you should consider quitting.
But do people quit because they have to or because they want to? Usually, it’s a combination of the two. In most cases, however, people quit smoking because they have to. They might have received bad news about their health, which forces them to drop the habit. But what about people who quit off of their own free will, overcoming their addiction to nicotine? The people who find the courage and motivation to want to change their unhealthy habits? Well… those people do exist.
The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of change was developed by researchers Prochaska and DiClemente in the 1970s as a model to be used as it relates to the decision-making of an individual to want change. This model, which was developed from studying smokers who quit smoking on their own, envisages change as a transitional process in which there are six stages that must be completed. According to the Boston University School of Public Health’s website, it was determined that people quit smoking if they were ready to do so. It explains, “The TTM operates on the assumption that people do not change behaviours quickly and decisively. Rather, change in behaviour, especially habitual behaviour, occurs continuously through a cyclical process.” The stages are as follows:
Precontemplation: The individual is not necessarily inclined to taking any immediate action. In fact, they are likely to see more cons to the change of behavior than the pros.
Contemplation: Here the individual is cognisant that his behaviour may be unhealthy and contemplates making necessary changes in the future.
Preparation (determination): Where effort is placed into getting into the groove of a healthy lifestyle by working to change an unhealthy habit. This usually happens within 30 days.
Action: Behaviour change has been achieved, usually within the last six months, and the individual usually intends to maintain this change, which can be achieved by acquiring new, healthy habits.
Maintenance: Behaviour change at this stage has been achieved and it is now a question of maintenance in order to avoid relapse.
Termination: This stage is not always pertinent to every individual as the most crucial is maintenance. However, the termination phase is where the individual has no desire to return to the unhealthy habit they once had.
While I am focussing here on quitting smoking, the principles I’ve described can also be applied to other activities that are generally bad for our health. The point is that change is not always an overnight process but rather a transitional one, where if the individual is motivated enough, such change can be achieved.
