Begin introductions, introduce yourself and ask each participant name and where they are from; ask each participant how long they been smoking. Make sure you keep it informal and reassure them there will be no written or reading required from them, only hard work!

Use this time to get to know each participant by name.

Instruct the participants the next 4 weeks will be work and fun, be positive!

Tell participant that smoking is a habit and addiction.

Both of these must be confronted when quitting.

Let the participant know you are there to encourage their commitment to quit and to instruct them with strategies and coping skills necessary for permanent success.

Part of your job is to assist the participant develop new skills of coping with specific situations in which they used to smoke.

Every opportunity to offer alternative ways of dealing with situations other than smoking will be new to the participants, this concept must be introduced from the beginning of the class.

The concept that other opportunities are available to them will be a very powerful revelation to them.

Remember be positive!

Information used to develop this program is from the Clinical Practice Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and can be referenced for additional information.