How to quit smoking? The famous British writer Allen Carr studied nicotine addiction in detail, tried to understand the thoughts of smokers and on this basis published a book called "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking", and also opened a network of clinics of the same name. Allen Carr's recommendations were so effective that his "method" became a national treasure and his book is still published around the world. According to some reports, Allen Carr's book managed to help 10 million smokers get rid of their addiction.
Why is quitting smoking easy?
Allen Carr's position is somewhat paradoxical. He assures: to get rid of such a powerful addiction as smoking, willpower is not needed!
In his opinion, any violence against oneself will only make the problem worse. You need to act delicately: based on logical arguments and facts, persuade yourself. Well, the book will help you with this.
The text is written in lively, figurative language, with many examples and analogies.
Allen Carr expresses his thoughts openly, clearly and without a hint of humiliation for a smoker. The author treats the reader positively, does not intimidate or scold, but tries to convince the smoker: friend, objectively you don't urgently need to smoke several cigarettes a day!
The need for tobacco is an illusion
Why do people smoke? Most say that this way they are trying to get rid of problems, relieve stress or just a way to have fun. That is, smoking is a kind of effective, albeit harmful, action.
Allen Carr thinks differently. He declares: this is self-hypnosis! The brain's attempt to justify itself, to pass off addiction as a conscious choice. Subconsciously, no adult wants to be a smoker.
In fact, smoking does not bring any positive results. Each new cigarette just gives you the opportunity to not suffer from withdrawal symptoms for a while. But non-smokers don't suffer from it at all!
According to Carr, the only objective reason why smokers continue to smoke is fear. On the one hand, a person is afraid of not making it, of "breaking down". On the other hand, he is scared of the impending painful sensations caused by withdrawal symptoms. If you overcome this fear, your body will quit smoking easily and painlessly.
Enemies of marketing
Allen Carr, studying the problem of smoking, considered the issue widely and comprehensively. He has conducted numerous opinion polls, collected statistics and delved into psychology and physiology. In many ways, it was this profound approach that determined the popularity of his teaching.
He paid close attention to the "external enemy": those who profit from the sale of cigarettes. Carr describes marketers' tricks to force people to buy more and more packs and urges them not to give up.
The book "The Easy Way" was written in 1985. At that time, smoking was considered a fad and was actively promoted by the media. Now the situation is different, at least in our country. A smoker should not be afraid of external pressure. Society will approve and support your desire to quit. In shops, cigarettes are not put under your nose, but hidden.
And television confidently broadcasts that smoking is harmful and harmful.
However, it is worth reading something about these "enemies" of the modern smoker. If only to make sure what an advantageous position it is in compared to the English of the 80s. You can also draw analogies and find out what marketers are intensely giving us today.
Programming in Allen Carr's book "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking"
If we consider Allen Carr's work through the prism of programming, we can highlight several interesting points.
The main idea that is constantly repeated in the book is that anyone can quit smoking and that it will be easy for him to do so. Probably, these phrases are deposited in a person's subconscious, programming him, inspiring him and motivating him to realize the "ease" of this decisive action.
The word "easy" appears more than 60 times in the book.
The book also regularly conveys the idea that smoking offers no benefits to a person and, on the contrary, describes many negative consequences of smoking.
"Smoking is a drug addiction, a disease and the number one killer. "Becoming addicted to nicotine is terrible, but being addicted to it for the rest of your life is even worse. "
The book contains constant repetitions that encourage action:
"Try to look at shiny cigarette packs in a new way: try to see the garbage and poison inside them. Don't be fooled by cut glass ashtrays, gold lighters and the millions of people who have already been fooled . Start asking yourself questions: why am I doing this? Do I really need it? NO OF COURSE NOT! ". . .
"Take six deep puffs of this amazing tobacco and ask yourself, "What's so great about this flavor? ". . .
"First of all, identify those moments or events when smoking seems absolutely necessary to you. If you are a businessman and you smoke for the illusion of stress relief, choose a period of relative calm, such as the annual vacation. If, of rule, you smoke out of boredom or idleness, proceed by choosing the opposite state. In any case, take the problem seriously and make this attempt the most important event of your life. "
All these are quite simple methods of influencing a person. But, strangely, it is with simple techniques that great effectiveness can be achieved. However, it is worth noting that this effect is short-lived. According to our observations, 7 out of 10 people still return to smoking after some time. This probably happens when the attitudes a person has received are forgotten and weakened.
Revolutionary technique!
Having finally decided to quit, she did not rely on her own willpower, but she went to a man who promised her liberation in just one medical session. Well, two at most. The miracle doctor pierced my mother's ears with needles and occasionally turned them, like the dials of a radio receiver. Mom steadfastly endured her pain, trying to quickly catch the desired wave, but she did not know at what distance to look. "Do you want to smoke? "- asked the magician angrily. "Want! "- Mom answered honestly, and he distorted it even more. After five visits, tired of the exoticism of oriental medicine, with her ears red from the injections and her "qi" depleted, she stopped going to the witch doctor.
Mom stopped smoking after a month. To my question "how? " he replied: "I was angry with myself. Not only did he put up with all these needles, but he also paid money. It would be better if I bought shoes! "And then he shrugged: "Or maybe the needles they worked. . . "
I "gave up" tobacco overnight. This is what I tell everyone. And I immediately add: this, however, was preceded by four years of torment. During this time I tried everything. Reduced the number of cigarettes (following my father's example). Traditionally it launches on Mondays, New Year's Eve, birthdays and May 31st; from early morning and during the full moon; on an empty stomach and on a full stomach. I tried to "replace" by eating handfuls of barberries and crackers. I tried an e-cigarette: these vapor-powered nicotine crutches. I asked my friends not to smoke in front of me. He also left town. I have read hundreds of scientific (and not so scientific) articles on the smoking problem. I picked up a book by Allen Carr, which was in short supply at the time, and read it cover to cover. All to no avail! Why didn't Allen Carr help me? I think that at that time I already knew almost everything that could be learned from this book, so the necessary wow effect that the author was counting on did not occur during reading. I was desperate. To all the complaints about the futility of my attempts, dad replied: "In life only the first fifty years are difficult. Then you get used to it. "
I had pretty much worn out my nerves, my self-esteem was in shambles, and my loved ones would turn away from me if they didn't see a cigarette in my hand. What made me particularly angry was the fact that I, a healthy man, had to suffer and humiliate myself, begging every day for freedom from an essentially meaningless thing: smoking. It seemed that the hated habit took possession not only of my consciousness and my body, but also of quantities of a different order: my past and my future. Again and again, the cigarette looked at me blankly with the Terminator's red eye, and I thought I heard his voice: "I'll be back. "And so on for four long years. But one day everything changed. . .
It doesn't matter when the decision to kick the addiction is made. It doesn't matter the amount of effort spent along the way. Each of us has a similar story, and all these stories are not about the main thing. One door closes, another opens and we make a decision to which we initially do not attach much importance: we simply take a step from the past to the future.
One beautiful morning I woke up. Took a shower. She got dressed. I had breakfast. I drank the coffee. I read the news. Left the house. I got on the bus that took me to work. I didn't yet know that this was the first morning of my new life. I couldn't hope. I was busy with something all day, talking to colleagues and friends. She talked, answered questions, laughed, joked. And with every minute, with every hour, my confidence grew and strengthened: it had happened. One of the most important events in my life happened! I came home from work. I had dinner. I watched a movie, I surfed the Internet. Lie in bed. As I fell asleep at the end of the day, I said to myself:
You. More. Don't. Smoke.
And the next day there was life. Jobs changed, friends left, new ones appeared. I struggled with stress, celebrated some personal victories. I have learned to accept big losses and enjoy small gains. Everything is like everyone else. It's been five years since I've been single and I've never wanted to smoke again! Also to test yourself (even if that would be completely stupid). I could only rejoice at the changes and wonder why I didn't do it sooner, since it's so easy to quit smoking!
"The Easiest Way to Quit Smoking" – Quit smoking using the Allen Carr method
Smoking tobacco is a bad habit that leads to addiction. The symptoms of quitting smoking are so recognizable that even strangers may ask the addict: "Why are you so angry? Are you quitting smoking?
Narcologists believe that getting rid of nicotine addiction is difficult. But Allen Carr, an accountant by profession, invented a simple way to quit smoking and wrote a book about it, which became a bestseller.
Allen Carr - biographical facts
A. Carr (1934-2006) himself began smoking at the age of 18 during his military service. He worked as an accountant and could smoke up to 5 packs of cigarettes a day. Allen Carr suffered from addiction and tried unsuccessfully to free himself from it. After about 33 years of use he turned to a hypnotherapist, but he "started smoking as soon as he left the clinic".
However, this visit was worthwhile. The hypnotherapist explained to him that "smoking is just an addiction to nicotine". Shortly thereafter, Carr read in a medical manual that the physical symptoms of withdrawal consisted of a feeling of emptiness and uncertainty. Comparing these two facts, he came to the conclusion that quitting the bad habit was actually easy and he was full of the desire to tell all smokers about it.
A. Carr wrote "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking" and soon opened his own clinic, which was called the same as the book written. Over time, one institution has transformed into a network of medical centers around the world. They work according to their own method and guarantee a refund in case of failure.
A. Carr also became the author of books about fighting alcoholism, excess weight, fear of air travel and a motivational publication about achieving success.
At the age of 71 he was diagnosed with an inoperable form of lung cancer, which caused death 4 months after diagnosis.
About the book "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking"
The book "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking" is written in simple and accessible language. The author examines in detail the reasons leading to the formation of a deadly habit, debunks myths, shares personal experiences and describes how to deal with the "little creature of nicotine".
Why do people still smoke?
Smoking leads to mental and physical dependence. A person develops some rituals associated with cigarettes; Nicotine is integrated into metabolic processes. To avoid stress and maintain comfort, the addict must smoke at certain intervals.
Allen Carr stated that cigarettes do not provide pleasure, but only temporarily relieve withdrawal symptoms. If a person continues to smoke, he maintains his addiction. And the feeling of relief he feels when he lights the lighter and takes the first puff after a break indicates a return to a normal, conditionally normal state. In the same place where people without cigarettes constantly find themselves.
In other words, the withdrawal syndrome arises from the fear of being deprived of a usual activity. If you overcome this fear, quitting smoking will be easy and painless. Only by realizing where he ended up, what a nicotine trap is, a drug addict can get out of it. Allen Carr shares the secret that the link between quitting smoking and willpower has been exaggerated. And this thought is of great help to those who do not hope "to be able to grit their teeth and resist as long as necessary".
A. Carr is convinced that most smokers do not really know why they continue to commit suicide by such unpleasant and expensive means. They feel deceived: to begin to get used to cigarettes, they have already had to overcome the feeling that it was frankly unpleasant. Smokers implicitly understand that those who are free from this habit know this. Nicotine addiction and "brainwashing" are two reasons that make you run for a new pack. "Will I really be happy when I stop smoking? "- thinks another drug addict and continues to destroy his health.
Myths about smoking
In his book the author debunks myths and describes the traps that smokers fall into. "What would you say to yourself now when you light your first cigarette? Would you praise your children for this new activity? "- asks A. Carr. And drug addicts sadly admit that they would not repeat this mistake and certainly would not be happy for a child who smokes.
So why is the number of smokers continually growing? Communicating with them, Carr collected a "collection" of illusions that support addiction:
- in fact, smokers enjoy the process;
- smoking looks cool and manly;
- Smoking is a habit: once you start to stop it is impossible;
- it takes a strong will to quit;
- quitting smoking is incredibly difficult, withdrawal symptoms are severe;
- the smoker should be regularly reminded that the habit is taking him to the grave;
- Smoking is a way to overcome boredom, relax and overcome stress.
All myths about smoking boil down to three statements: cigarettes are pleasant, quitting is almost impossible, giving up nicotine is an irreparable loss. Allen Carr ridicules the idea that smoking is a way to gain unconditional pleasure and acceptance (by analogy with a baby at the mother's breast, Freud's concept of the oral phase). "This is not true, " says the bestselling author. – People who light a cigarette want to appear mature and courageous. Invite them for a walk with a pacifier between their teeth: they will die of shame. "
A bit of withdrawal syndrome
Nicotine is a drug. Fast acting and leaves organs and tissues just as quickly. What happens if you stop supplying the body with this substance? "Rumors of terrible experiences are exaggerated, " writes Allen Carr in his book. Unbearable "withdrawal" is nothing more than a feeling of lack of internal support or joy.
There is no physical pain in its usual meaning. Smokers may complain of low mood, anxiety, and an obsessive desire to "have something to do with one's hands. "The reason is habit, addiction. It occurs when a person starts smoking regularly. This is the "little nicotine creature" that sits in your stomach and needs food. The desire to pick up a cigarette begins to arise almost immediately after a cigarette butt is thrown into the trash. By choosing to continue, a person is simply extending a chain of episodes of thirst and short-term relief.
Allen Carr compares smokers to heroin addicts, describing the injection process in bright colors. Changes in perception: completely unsightly actions, alien to those who do not suffer from these diseases, cause relief in drug addicts.
Of course, it can be said that cigarette deprivation and food deprivation cause similar suffering. But eating is a vital necessity and smoking is not.
Description of the method
"It is ridiculously easy to quit smoking, " wrote A. Carr. Describing the methodology, he indicates 2 conditions:
- A clear decision: no more smoking.
- Don't be discouraged by such deprivation. We should be happy.
The author of the method explains that people who do not start smoking are actually not weak and purifying. They have the power to cope with stress and anxiety. They are much more lively and active than those who need stimulation in the form of a cigarette.
Anyone can break a bad habit. To quit smoking on your own, you just need to understand the following:
- You can achieve your goal, in this you are no worse than others.
- There is nothing to throw away, you don't leave it, but you acquire it.
- There is not just one cigarette: each one will be followed by others.
- Smoking is a life-shortening disease.
- Having decided that the last cigarette has been smoked, a person becomes a non-smoker.
According to the author, if you acquire the right state of mind, it will be easy to refrain from trying to smoke during the first 3 weeks, when the body is cleansing. The reader will find it interesting to know why it is not worth quitting smoking for a certain period of time (a month, six months, a year).
Alain Carr claims that his method only works if you give up cigarettes completely and without replacing them with products containing nicotine. Why? The author's vision of the problem is described in detail on the pages of the book.
What do readers think? In their reviews they say that the book really helped them get rid of the addiction. Readers note that the author did not write anything supernatural, but called things by their names and offered a good motivation for the action.
Why do failures happen?
"Quitting smoking is easy. I myself have quit a hundred times" - the famous quote by Mark Twain very accurately describes that the intention to part with a cigarette does not always lead a person to become truly free once and for all. Repeated unsuccessful attempts to quit are what supports the myth that it is impossible to kick an addiction once it has formed.
In his materials, A. Carr indicates that the effectiveness of his method is 95%. There are 2 main reasons behind 5% of failures: inability to follow directions and inability to understand.
Inability to follow instructions - lack of willingness to follow the methodology, attempts to adapt it to oneself with a distortion of the idea itself. Perhaps the recommendations seem excessively harsh, but they facilitate the process and make the addict believe in the success of the undertaking. This includes:
- immediate cessation of smoking;
- ban on products containing nicotine.
The author agrees that even among those who ignored these suggestions and sought other treatment options, there were those who actually gave up cigarettes. However, he urges not to evaluate tricks as ways to help cope with the habit.
The inability to understand is the desire to receive a ready answer. Smoking culture and the tobacco industry regularly broadcast thousands of installations to the world. To break the habit, you should choose those affirmations that have resonated in your heart and try to understand them. For example, a person may believe that cigarettes are a source of pleasure. You should think about why it is easier to give up other things that bring more pleasant emotions.
Among the dangerous factors that can undermine confidence in the correctness of the decision made are other smokers in the environment and "hard days" that cause the habitual need for a cigarette. "This is not a loss, but a recovery, " warns the author.
The book "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking" is not a medical publication. However, the accuracy and sincerity in the description of the problem and the author's proposal of an effective way to get rid of the habit make it a good assistant in the fight against a deadly disease.
Allen Carr - Quit smoking
Allen Carr became famous thanks to his books in which he talked about an easy way to quit smoking. This method has helped many people quit smoking.
Allen Carr himself died 23 years after quitting smoking. Diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. British anti-tobacco guru, author of The Easy Way to Quit Smoking.
The Easiest Way to Quit Smoking - Allen Carr
When they pick up Allen Carr's book "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking", many are skeptical. And all because they think that now they will see another publication describing all the delights of the consequences of smoking.
As you read, something changes in your perception and you calmly accept the idea that you don't need to smoke. The book can change you a lot, because it motivates you to quit smoking. Many who have read this book agree with this.
In the book there are no horror stories about the dangers of smoking, the author does not force you to do anything, he even recommends continuing to smoke while reading. The author brilliantly debunks all the myths and fears associated with quitting smoking, while many postulates are tediously repeated from chapter to chapter. By the end of listening to the book, the reader has no doubt that he will never smoke again. . . his only wish is to quickly stop listening to this boredom and run into the street happy like a child because he is a non-smoker.
His method, demonstrating phenomenal effectiveness, has gained recognition among specialists, has gained wide popularity and enjoys tremendous success in many countries of the world. Allen Carr has created a worldwide network of clinics whose specialists help smokers to quit smoking and overcome nicotine addiction. Allen Carr's books have been published in twenty languages and have become bestsellers.