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Relapsed Smokers Who Are Ready to Try Again: What to Do? A 3-Step Protocol for Clinicians

Author: Smoking Cessation Leadership Center, University of California San Francisco

Date: 1999-2019

Summary: The average person who quits does so after many unsuccessful attempts—estimated from 10 to as many as 30. Most smokers do not use a cessation medication or, if they do, they use it incorrectly. This guide describes a three-step protocol (i.e., Ask, Advise, Refer) for helping relapsed smokers regain abstinence by encouraging them to learn from their prior experiences rather than use those experiences as proof that they cannot quit.

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