The Habit Change Workbook: How to Break Bad Habits and Form Good Ones (Paperback)

~ James Claiborn Ph.D. (Author), Cherry Pedrick R.N. (Author), (Author) "Let's begin by agreeing on what we mean by a "habit..." (more)
Key Phrases: habit change program, habit change efforts, spending time gambling, Habit Consequences, Gamblers Anonymous, Activity Steps (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Without preaching, moralizing, or theorizing, the authors of The Habit Change Workbook deliver a program for breaking bad habits. Grounded in proven cognitive-behavioral principles, the book helps readers assess their habits and proceed to dismantle them. The authors explain precisely how habits are formed, profile people who are trying to replace a bad habit with a good one, and encourage the reader by tracking the progress of these individuals. An interactive workbook provides helpful lists, monitoring forms, and exercises. Also included is detailed guidance on overcoming specific habits ranging from nail-biting and overeating to procrastinating and excessive spending. Final chapters provide information on support groups and other resources, and advise parents and family members how best to help a child or loved one who is struggling with a self-destructive habit.

Product Details

• Paperback: 242 pages
• Publisher: New Harbinger Publications; 1 edition (October 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572242639
• ISBN-13: 978-1572242630
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #26,845 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Personal Lifesaver!, March 8, 2002

By	Patty E. Fleener "Webowner - Mental Health Today" (Oregon) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am the webowner of Mental Health Today.

This excellent workbook will teach you how to deal with behaviors such as nail biting, skin picking, trichotillomania and addiction in regards to shopping, tv, internet, and gambling. Also focuses on changes in sleep habits, health & fitness, and relationship problems. They state the book can assist with obsessive compulsive disorder with further help.

For chemical dependency issues, you are advised to seek professional help first and then use the workbook for overall lifestyle changes.

This workbook could not have come at a better time for me. I've been working out for 6 months and out of the blue it is no longer fun and I'm now beginning to gently slide into my old workaholism pattern. I know that my old gym schedule needs to be changed and at the same time my work load at home has increased dramatically and I feel lost on how to organize my life and get myself motivated to get back to the gym and fight my workaholism.

The workbook comes with just exactly what I need. Help in changing my thoughts and requires me to come up with a plan of action. For me, it has been a lifesaver and the timing could not have been more perfect. I recommend it!

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life changing, November 8, 2001

By A Customer

In a manner that is informative yet accessible the authors of this book take the reader through a description of habits, how they're formed, why we seek to change them and how to go about making positive and lifelong changes. In facing my own struggles with procrastination I found the down to earth strategies to be extremely helpful. I would reccommend this book to anyone who seeks to overcome a problem habit.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you're serious, April 12, 2006

By	Professional Mom "typical consumer" (Fort Myers, FL) - See all my reviews

I don't know if I'm obsessive compulsive or not, but I have a few habits that I engage in that I believe cause me guilt and anxiety and that I cannot quite get a handle on. I first checked this book out at the library and found myself quickly wanting to photocopy most of the pages. So, ultimately, I bought the book.

The book is full of worksheets and record charts - it seems 50/50 in terms of lecture/practical application. If you are into that, fine. At first, that put me off. I didn't want to write that much stuff down. But when I got further into the nuts and bolts of changing the habit, the pages I wanted to copy became greater and greater because the ideas and exercises were so thought-provoking and led me to eye-openers and ideas of how to change my life that I couldn't seem to grasp before.

I don't know if I'll use this system step-by-step, but the good thing about the book is that I believe it still works and is an invaluable tool for self-examination whether you follow it that way or not.

The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because the beginning was a bit tedious for an impatient self-starter like myself and to warn those who don't want to do any self-examination and just want a lecture to check this out at the library first. Otherwise, I really think that you cannot lose by having this book and I'm glad I'll have it in my library for years to come.