Overall advice

Willing to quit

Unwilling to quit:

Motivation

Follow-up

Advice

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Provide information about why quitting is personally relevant to the patient. Be specific. Motivational information has the greatest impact if it is relevant to the patient's disease status or risk, family or social situation (e.g. children in the home), health concerns, age, gender, and other patient characteristics (e.g. prior quitting experience; personal barriers to cessation).

Ask the patient to identify potential negative consequences of tobacco use. Address any misconceptions about risk and discuss consequences that seem most relevant to the patient.

Emphasize that low-tar/low-nicotine cigarettes or other forms of tobacco will not eliminate these risks. Click here for more information on these health risks.

Point out both short- and long-term health, social, and economic benefits. Examples include:

• Improved health
  
• Better sense of taste and smell
  
• Feeling better physically
  
• Better physical performance
• Healthier babies and children
  
• Setting a good example for children
  
• Reduced wrinkling/aging of skin
  
• Monetary savings
• Better smelling home, car, clothing, hair, and breath
  
• No yellow stains on teeth and fingers or cigarette burns on clothing
  
• Not worrying about exposing others to smoke
  
• Feeling better about yourself