Why the CBQ Method Works – Review by Dr. Hayes
In this editorial, I will be offering my review of the CBQ Method to quit smoking and my professional input as to why I believe this method works. Although I have only smoked for a few years while in college, I have many clinical patients who are addicted to nicotine, alcohol, prescription drugs, opioids or combinations of the above.
As a psychotherapist and professor of psychology, I often analyze review and teach psychology and methods related to psychological concepts.
When I first heard about the CBQ method from patients and colleagues, I was eager to determine why it works. My conclusions and review are in this report.
1) The CBQ Method is Compatible with The Transtheoretical Model (TTM)
The Transtheoretical Model or The Stages of Change Model is a theoretical model that was developed 40 years ago by James Prochaska and Carlo DiClementein an attempt to understand why some people are more likely to carry out significant changes like quitting smoking than others.
The Transtheoretical Model which I will be referring to as TTM moving onwards is a proven model to understand behavioral changes, rather than affect changes, and proposes that everyone passes from 6 different stages before establishing change. Below I have attempted to give a brief explanation of each of the six stages concerning quitting smoking.
The first stage is that of Precontemplation, where smokers do not want to change or are not aware that their behavior is harmful or problematic and find many disadvantages in stopping smoking.
The second stage is the stage of Contemplation, where smokers are considering stopping smoking in the future and can see some advantages in quitting but are not ready to act upon this intention.
The third stage is the stage of Preparation, where a smoker is preparing to change in the near future, the next month or so, and has taken small actions towards quitting smoking.
The fourth stage is that of Action where someone has claimed to have stopped smoking, at least temporarily.
The fifth stage is that of Maintenance, where smokers maintain their abstinence from smoking with no relapse to earlier stages.
The sixth stage is that of Termination where the smoker does not wish to smoke again.
How the CBQ Method is Better than TTM
The CBQ Method, created by Nasia Davos and Smoking Cessation Formula, has four stages.
The first stage is Choose to quit, where smokers decide to stop smoking, weigh the advantages and disadvantages of changing and conclude that stopping smoking has more advantages. This stage incorporates the TTM stages of Precontemplation, Contemplation, and Preparation.
The second stage is Cultivate your potential and crush the fear of quitting, where smokers work on developing a positive self-perception and identity of a non-smoker. TTM does not offer a similar transition.
The third stage is to Change your smoking pattern, which is the stage of Action in TTM. In the CBQ Method, smokers change their associations and mental representations of smoking and break the habit, behaviorally.
The fourth stage is Condition your smoke-free life where smokers replace smoking with another behavior or habit and learn to handle the possibility of relapse. This stage corresponds to the stages Maintenance and Termination of the TTM.
The reason why the CBQ Method works is that it includes the valid concepts of the TTM while filling the gaps of the TTM model.
Pointedly, the CBQ is a practical method. Unlike the TTM, the CBQ has clear distinctions between stages and proposes how to move from one stage to the next.
Last but not least, the CBQ includes a stage that measures internal change.
2) The CBQ Method Can Be Used with Nicotine Replacement Therapy
Although Nasia Davos and Smoking Cessation Formula do not suggest smokers to implement the CBQ method along nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), my professional view is that when the two approaches are being deployed together, they have hugely successful results.
If there’s one critique for the CBQ method and Nasia Davos, is the lack of encouragement for NRT or other stop smoking medicines such as Chantix, Zyban or Wellbutrin.
According to the CBQ method, smoking is a mental addiction, and the solution to quitting smoking lies in the psychology and behavior of the smoker. I am in complete agreement with that statement and I, in all honesty, believe the CBQ method is a genius solution to that problem.
Nevertheless, there is research supporting the effectiveness of NRT and other drugs. The success rate may not be satisfactory enough, but it can’t be disregarded.
So while it is not necessary to use NRT with the CBQ Method, I believe that medication could be beneficial for many smokers, especially those smoking many packets a day who are indeed heavily addicted in mind as well as the body.