Exploring Factors Related to Readiness to Change Tobacco Use for Clients in Substance Abuse Treatment

Abstract

Misunderstanding around clients' readiness to quit tobacco may be part of the reason why only a minority of substance abuse treatment facilities address tobacco use. The purpose of this study was to explore readiness to quit tobacco among a heterogeneous sample of 542 tobacco-using adults in substance abuse treatment and to assess factors influencing readiness to participate in cessation services. Results suggest that while many clients were considering tobacco cessation at some point in the future, few wanted assistance to quit or believed that cessation should be initiated concurrently with substance abuse treatment. However, most clients agreed that concurrent tobacco cessation should be offered to other clients in treatment. This ambivalence is partially explained by the clients' personal readiness to quit now, their frequency of tobacco use, and length of stay. Greater understanding of factors related to readiness for tobacco cessation may inform approaches to incorporating tobacco cessation into treatment services.