Problem
Julia is a 40-year-old single mother of 2 school-aged children. She began using cocaine to lose weight after having her second child to increase her energy and help her to take off the weight she had gained. She started out using just a bump in the morning and on some days, another just before the kids came back from school. Over about 6 months she lost 15 pounds and was feeling great. Her use increased, as she wasn't feeling the same level of get-up-and-go. Julia began to feel the impact of her use on her interactions with her kids. She decided she wanted to make some changes when the weekends rolled around and she found herself sleeping all day, allowing the kids to entertain themselves in front of the television. Parents of her children's friends had stopped calling for play dates and her eldest child began doing poorly in school. Julia has taken steps to cut back her use and has been a regular attendee at an NA meeting across town and has been adherent with her antidepressant medication. She has noticed a positive impact on her parenting which she feels proud of. She is having more difficulty than she thought staying completely off cocaine, but feels she would really like to find some other alternatives to increase her gains.
Which stage of change do you think Julia is in?Explain ( provide a rationale) for your answer.