PREPARING YOUR FITNESS CLUB for a
NICOTINE DEPENDENCY TREATMENT PROGRAM
So your club is looking for added services to offer clients ... and nicotine
dependency treatment seems like a good choice for many reasons. Before
diving into a program, consider following these fifteen steps. Notice
that program delivery is not one of the first steps!
- Allow adequate time (1-2 years) for full program benefits to
become apparent.
- Plan adequately and prepare to be flexible with your expectations;
establish step-wise policies to be implemented over time.
- Obtain fully-informed commitment of management in writing.
- Form a committee of smokers/nonsmokers to decide on implementation
of policies and plans with staff and clients.
- Make firm decisions and clear policy statements.
- Educate entire staff. Offer in-service training sessions regarding
benefits of nicotine freedom using printed materials, video and audio
lessons.
- Be willing to deal with fear and other consequences.
- Send relevant staff to training workshops and yearly updates
available through the Nicotine Recovery Institute.
- Make treatment available to staff and their families if smokers
and smokeless-tobacco users are present on staff.
- Offer printed materials, such as brochures and posters to educate
clients.
- Assess smoking status and stage of readiness to change on
Information Forms given to clients.
- Make public statements about programs -- press releases,
advertisements.
- Offer the intervention.
- Use the Fagerstrom Test to assess degree of nicotine addiction;
recommend that individuals contact their personal physicians to prescribe
nicotine replacement medication (optional).
- Expect initial resistance, be patient, and trust the process.
This will take more time than you expect to catch on... but, oh, what a
market!
12/29/97
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