Precontemplation - no perceived need for change. “I don’t have a problem”

Contemplation - thinking about making changes “something is not quite right, maybe I am using too much but I don’t think so, but even if I am, I am not ready to do anything about it”

Preparation - preparing and feeling motivated to change “I don’t like how I feel or act and I got suspended at school, maybe I should consider reducing my use or stopping it altogether - maybe I’ll try stopping next week”

Action - actively making changes and modifying behavior “I have stopped using and it is not as bad as I thought”

Maintenance – maintaining the change over a period of time “I still think about it and it was hard when I went to that party but I am doing ok without it - I feel better about myself”

Relapse/Recycle - falling back to an earlier stage “I can’t believe I got drunk last weekend - I felt terrible the next day. I will get back on track this weekend” (back to preparation stage)

Termination - no longer needs to attend to the task of maintaining “I like that I live a healthy drug free lifestyle” Reaching the termination stage takes a long time and some never reach it as they feel there is always some potential of relapse so they need to continue to focus on getting better.

*The above stages are based on Prochaska and Diclemente’s Stages of Change Model, 1982.