Changing for Good: The Revolutionary Program That Explains the Six Stages of Change and Teaches You How to Free Yoursel

Why do so many people have trouble breaking dangerous habits like smoking, overeating, and drug and alcohol abuse? According to psychologists Prochaska, Norcross and DiClemente, people must go through six stages to change a behavior: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance and termination. Step by step, they show readers how to determine what phase they're in and find an appropriate strategy for moving to the next step by using various tactics, for example, consciousness raising and rewards. The focus here is on the process of change rather than techniques. Chapter 10, ``A Changer's Manual,'' centers on specific habits, providing disturbing statistics for each as well as tips for becoming free of them. A combination of illustrative tables and case histories brings a concrete reality to the six-step program. (June)