The idea that human action is a choice has been resisted by some who ask: “What about unconscious actions?” Habits are situations where our reaction to stimuli is not determined in the moment, but determined by the sum total of many conscious decisions over time.
Where an unconscious action came from is far less important than the fact that its continuation is your choice. Regardless of the source, every action is subject to your choice of whether or not to change it. We can change the way we react to things.
Choice and difficulty of choice are two different topics. It is undeniably more difficult to lose several hundred pounds than it is to lose several pounds. It is undeniably more difficult to shed a lifelong habit of anger than it is a new one. But all of these are questions of cost, not questions of possibility. Every single habit is breakable—the formability of habits prove the possibility of their undoing.
Those struggling with unwanted habits frequently lament at how difficult they are to break. Habits can be broken the same way they are formed: one choice at a time. The amazing thing about habits is not how hard they are to break, but rather how quickly they can be broken relative to how long they take to form! In nearly if not every case, the time required to break a habit is only a fraction of the time taken to practice it.