The 'cycle of change' is a model that explains the process your customers go through in order to change their smoking habits.

1. Thinking about the benefits

During this stage, your customer will be weighing up the advantages of cutting down or giving up smoking, such as having better health and more money. You can help at this point by providing facts and figures about the gains to be had by changing their smoking habits.

2. Preparation

The chances of an individual succeeding in their quest to change their smoking habit are increased by planning ahead. At this stage, you can discuss the use of NCPs and give your customer the following tips:

• Pick a specific day to start changing their habits or quitting altogether
• Be aware that the first few days are likely to be the most difficult
• Get rid of all the cigarettes, lighters and ash trays at home, work or in the car if they are trying to give up, or the ones in places where they are trying to cut down
• Tell friends and family about their plans so that they can provide support.

Planning ahead is crucial to someone's chances of quitting

3. Action

Customers who have decided to give up altogether should set a quit date and endeavour not to smoke at all on that day. For those looking to cut down, this is obviously less important.

It is also important to make sure that customers have a good supply of the nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products they are planning to use, and are confident about how to use them.

To break behavioural dependence on cigarettes, it can be helpful to change daily routines or use distraction methods, such as relaxation techniques or exercise.

Regardless of whether your pharmacy runs a smoking cessation service or not, encourage customers to return to the pharmacy regularly so their progress can be monitored and they stay motivated.

4. Relapse

Many customers will relapse before they get to where they want to be with their smoking habit.

It is important to remind them that this doesn't mean that they have failed. Trying to identify exactly what caused the problem is more likely to make their next attempt successful. For example, your customer may need to change to a different form of NRT or avoid the triggers that make them reach for cigarettes. Encourage them to stay positive and think about why they want to stop or reduce their smoking habit.

5. Maintenance

It is important that customers don't become complacent about their new way of life. There are many reasons why people who have given up smoking sometimes start again, such as feeling stressed and being in certain social situations.

Always be positive and keep emphasising the positive health effects they have achieved from giving up or cutting down as a way of keeping them on the straight and narrow.