How to stop 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 with the same name. Allen Carr's recommendations were so effective that his "method" became national property and his book is still published around the world. According to some reports, Allen Carr's book was able to help 10 million smokers get rid of addiction.
Why is it easy to quit smoking?
Allen Carr's position is somewhat paradoxical. He assures: to get rid of an addiction as powerful as smoking, you don't need willpower!
In his opinion, any violence against oneself will only make the problem worse. It is necessary to act delicately: based on logical arguments and facts, persuade yourself. Well, the book will help with this.
The text is written in lively, figurative language, with many examples and analogies.
Allen Carr expresses his thoughts openly, clearly and without the slightest humiliation for a smoker. The author treats the reader positively, does not intimidate or reproach, but tries to convince the smoker: friend, objectively you do not have an urgent need to smoke several cigarettes a day!
The need for tobacco is an illusion.
Why do people smoke? Most say that in this way they try to get rid of problems, relieve stress or it is simply a way to have fun. That is, smoking is an effective, although harmful, type of 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 produce any positive results. Each new cigarette only gives you the chance to not suffer 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 smoking is fear. On the one hand, the person is afraid of not being able to cope with the situation, of "collapsing. "On the other hand, he is afraid of the upcoming painful sensations caused by the withdrawal syndrome. If you overcome this fear, your body will stop smoking easily and painlessly.
Enemies of marketers
Allen Carr, in studying the problem of smoking, considered the topic broadly and comprehensively. He 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 a lot of attention to the "external enemy": those who make money selling cigarettes. Carr describes marketers' tricks to force people to buy more and more packages and urges them not to give in.
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 fear external pressure. Society will approve and support your desire to quit smoking. In stores, cigarettes are not shoved under the nose, but hidden.
And television reliably conveys that smoking is bad and harmful.
However, it is worth reading about these "enemies" of the modern smoker. If only to see the advantageous position it occupies compared to the English of the 80s. You can also draw analogies and discover what marketers intensively feed 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 them 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 does not bring any benefits to a person and even, on the contrary, describes many negative consequences of smoking.
"Smoking is a drug addiction, a disease and the leading cause of death. "Getting addicted to nicotine is terrible, but staying addicted to it for the rest of your life is even worse. "
The book contains constant repetitions that incite action:
"Try to look at shiny cigarette packs in a new way: try to see the rubbish and poison they contain. Don't be fooled by cut-glass ashtrays, gold lighters and the millions who have already been fooled. Start to ask yourself questions: Why am I doing this? Do I really need this? NO OF COURSE NOT! ". .
"Take six deep drags of this excellent tobacco and ask yourself, 'What's so good about this flavor? ". . .
"First, identify those times or events when smoking seems absolutely necessary. If you are a businessman and smoke in the hope of relieving stress, choose a period of relative calm, such as your annual vacation. If, for As a general rule, 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. "
These are all fairly simple methods of influencing a person. But, although it may seem like a lie, it is with simple techniques that great effectiveness can be achieved. However, it should be noted that this effect is short-lived. According to our observations, 7 out of 10 people start smoking again after a while. This probably happens when the attitudes that a person has received are forgotten and weakened.
Revolutionary technique!
He finally decided to quit smoking, he did not rely on his own willpower, but went to a man who promised him liberation in a medical session. Well, two at most. The miracle doctor pierced my mother's ears with needles and from time to time twisted them, like the dials of a radio receiver. Mom steadfastly endured the pain, trying to quickly catch the desired wave, but she did not know in what range to look. "Do you want to smoke? " - asked the magician angrily. "Wish! "- mom answered sincerely, and he twisted it even harder. 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 sorcerer.
Mom stopped smoking after a month. To my question "how? " He answered: "I was angry with myself. Not only did I endure all these needles, but I also paid money. It would be better if I bought shoes! And then he shrugged: "Or maybe the needles worked . . . "
I "quit" tobacco overnight. That's what I tell everyone. And I add immediately: however, this was preceded by four years of torment. During this time I tried everything. I reduced the number of cigarettes (following my father's example). It is traditionally released on Monday, New Year's Day, birthday and May 31; from early in the morning and on a full moon; with an empty stomach and with a full stomach. I tried to "replace" it 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 even left the city. I read hundreds of scientific (and not so scientific) articles on the problem of smoking. I got a book by Allen Carr, which was in short supply at the time, and read it cover to cover. It was all in vain! 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 surprise effect that the author was counting on did not occur during reading. He 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 was quite nervous, my self-esteem went down the drain and my loved ones would stay away from me if they didn't see a cigarette in my hand. What especially infuriated me was the fact that I, a healthy man, had to suffer and humiliate myself, begging daily to be freed from something essentially absurd: the smoke. It seemed that the hated habit had taken over not only my consciousness and my body, but also quantities of another order: my past and my future. Over and over again, the cigarette stared at me with the Terminator's red eye, and I seemed to hear 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 is made to get rid of the addiction. The amount of effort invested along the way does not matter. 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 that at first we don't give much importance to: we simply take a step from the past to the future.
One fine morning I woke up. She took a shower. I dressed. I had breakfast. I drank coffee. I read the news. She left home. I got on the bus that was taking me to work. I still didn't 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. He 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 of my life happened! I came home from work. I ate dinner. I watched a movie, surfed the Internet. Lie down on the bed. As I fell asleep at the end of that day, I said to myself:
You. More. No. You smoke.
And the next day there was life. Jobs changed, friends left, new ones appeared. I battled stress, celebrated some personal victories. I learned to accept big losses and enjoy small gains. Everything is like everyone else. It's been five years since I was single and I never wanted to smoke again! Even to test you (although that would be completely stupid). I could only be happy about the changes and wonder why I didn't do it sooner, because it is so easy to quit smoking!
"The Easy 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 started 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 get rid of it. When he had been using for about 33 years, he turned to a hypnotherapist, but "he started smoking as soon as he left the clinic. "
However, this visit was beneficial. The hypnotherapist explained to him that "smoking is just an addiction to nicotine. "A little later, 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 really easy and he was overcome with the desire to tell all smokers about it.
A. Carr wrote "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking" and soon opened his own clinic, which bore the same name as the book he wrote. Over time, one institution grew 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 the fight against alcoholism, excess weight, fear of flying and a motivational publication on how to achieve success.
At the age of 71, he was diagnosed with an inoperable form of lung cancer, which caused his 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 that lead 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 physical and mental dependence. A person develops certain 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 said that cigarettes do not give pleasure, but only temporarily relieve withdrawal symptoms. If a person continues smoking, he maintains his addiction. And the feeling of relief that he experiences when he lights the lighter and takes the first drag after a break indicates a return to a normal, conditionally normal state. To the same place where people without cigarettes constantly find themselves.
That is, the withdrawal syndrome arises from the fear of being deprived of a habitual activity. If you overcome this fear, quitting smoking will be easy and painless. Only by understanding where he has ended up, what a nicotine trap is, can the addict get out of it. Allen Carr shares the secret that the connection between quitting smoking and willpower has been exaggerated. And this thought is a good help for those who do not expect "to be able to grit their teeth and hold on as long as necessary. "
A. Carr is convinced that most smokers do not really know why they continue to commit suicide with such an unpleasant and expensive means. They feel cheated: to start getting used to smoking, they already had to overcome the feeling that it was downright unpleasant. Implicitly, smokers understand that those who do not have this habit know it. Nicotine addiction and "brainwashing" are two reasons that make you look for a new backpack. "Will I be really happy when I stop smoking? "-Thinks another 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 your current self when you light your first cigarette? Would you praise your children for this new activity? - asks A. Carr. And addicts sadly admit that they would not repeat this mistake and would certainly not be happy with a child who smokes
So why does the number of smokers continue to increase? Communicating with them, Carr compiled a "collection" of illusions supporting addiction:
- In fact, smokers enjoy the process;
- smoking seems attractive and manly;
- Smoking is a habit, once you start it is impossible to quit;
- it takes a strong will to quit smoking;
- Quitting smoking is incredibly difficult, the withdrawal symptoms are severe;
- The smoker must be periodically reminded that the habit takes 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 smoking is almost impossible, and giving up nicotine is an irreparable loss. Allen Carr ridicules the idea that smoking is a way to obtain unconditional pleasure and acceptance (by analogy with a child at its mother's breast, S. Freud's concept of the oral stage). "This is not true, " says the bestselling author. – People who light up a cigarette want to appear mature and brave. "Invite them for a walk with a pacifier between their teeth, they will die of embarrassment. "
A little about withdrawal syndrome.
Nicotine is a drug. Fast acting and leaving organs and tissues just as quickly. What happens if this substance is stopped being supplied to the body? "Rumors of terrible experiences are exaggerated, " Allen Carr writes 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 bad moods, anxiety, and an obsessive desire to "have something to do with their hands. "The reason is habit, addiction. It occurs when a person starts smoking regularly. This is the "little nicotine creature" that lives in the stomach and requires food. The desire to smoke a cigarette begins to arise almost immediately after throwing the butt into the trash. By choosing to continue, a person is only extending a chain of episodes of thirst and short-term relief.
Allen Carr compares smokers to heroin addicts and describes the injection process in vivid color. Changes in perception: completely unsightly actions, foreign to those who do not suffer from these diseases, cause relief in 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.
Method description
"It is ridiculously easy to quit smoking, " wrote A. Carr. Describing the methodology, he points out two conditions:
- A clear decision that there will be no more smoking.
- Do not be discouraged by such deprivation. We should be happy.
The author of the method explains that people who do not start smoking are not actually weak or cleansers. They have the power to cope with stress and anxiety. They are much more lively and active than those that require stimulation in the form of a cigarette.
Anyone can break a bad habit. To quit smoking on your own, you only need to understand the following:
- You can achieve your goal, in this you are no worse than others.
- There is nothing to throw away, nothing is left, but acquired.
- There is no single cigarette: each one will be followed by others.
- Smoking is a disease that shortens life.
- Once it has been decided that the last cigarette has been smoked, the person becomes a non-smoker.
According to the author, if you get into the right frame of mind, it will be easy to refrain from trying to smoke a cigarette during the first 3 weeks, when the body is cleansing itself. The reader will find it interesting to know why it is not worth quitting smoking for a specific period of time (one month, six months, one year).
Alain Carr stipulates that his method only works if the cigarette is completely abandoned and without replacing it with any product containing nicotine. Because? 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 their addiction. Readers note that the author did not write anything supernatural, but he called a spade a spade and offered good motivation for 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 quit a cigarette does not always lead to a person becoming truly free once and for all. Repeated unsuccessful attempts to quit smoking are what support the myth that it is impossible to get rid of addiction once it has formed.
In his materials, A. Carr indicates that the effectiveness of his method is 95%. There are two main reasons behind 5% of failures: not following instructions and not understanding.
Inability to follow instructions: unwillingness to follow the methodology, attempts to adapt it to oneself with a distortion of the idea itself. Perhaps the recommendations seem too harsh, but they facilitate the process and make the addict believe in the success of the company. This includes:
- immediate cessation of smoking;
- Ban on products containing nicotine.
The author agrees that even among those who ignored this advice and sought other treatment options, there were those who actually quit smoking. However, he urges not to evaluate the tricks as ways to help cope with the habit.
The inability to understand is the desire to receive an immediate answer. The culture of smoking and the tobacco industry periodically transmit thousands of installations to the world. To break the habit, you must choose those statements that 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 you 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 the "difficult days" that provoke the habitual need to smoke 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 for an effective way to get rid of the habit make him 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. He was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. British anti-smoking guru, author of The Easy Way to Quit Smoking.
The easy way to quit smoking - Allen Carr
Reading Allen Carr's book "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking", many are skeptical. And all because they think that now they will see another post describing all the charms 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.
There is no horror story in the book about the dangers of smoking, the author does not force us to do anything, he even recommends continuing smoking while reading it. The author brilliantly debunks all the myths and fears associated with quitting smoking, while many postulates are tediously repeated from chapter to chapter. Upon finishing listening to the book, the reader has no doubt that he will ever smoke again. . . His only wish is to quickly finish listening to this boredom and run out into the street as happy as a child because he is not a smoker.
His method, which demonstrates phenomenal effectiveness, has gained recognition among specialists, has gained great popularity and enjoys enormous success in many countries of the world. Allen Carr has created a global network of clinics whose specialists help smokers quit smoking and overcome nicotine addiction. Allen Carr's books have been published in twenty languages and have become bestsellers.