Changing for Good

Most people have promised themselves they would begin a diet or stop smoking, then never acted on it, or slipped back into old habits after a bad stretch. This book offers a method for lasting personal change, whether the goal is saving money, giving up drinking, or breaking another self-defeating or addictive pattern, without relying on formal counseling. It draws on a study of more than 1,000 people who changed their lives on their own, carried out by three psychologists.

The central finding is that change is not a matter of luck or willpower. It is a process that anyone can manage once they understand how it unfolds. The book helps readers work out which stage of change they are currently in, using self-assessments, detailed case histories, and concrete examples that show what each stage looks like in practice.

From there, the program shows how to build an environment that supports change, keep motivation going, treat setbacks as steps forward rather than failures, and make new, beneficial habits a permanent part of daily life. The National Cancer Institute found the program more than twice as effective as standard programs at helping smokers stay quit for 18 months.