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 an easy 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 a clinic called Easyway (“easy way”).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, they maintain their addiction.And the feeling of relief that you experience when you turn on the lighter and take the first puff 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 quit 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 up 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, it is impossible to stop;
- 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," 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 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 cigarettes.
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 smoking 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.Smoking culture and the tobacco industry periodically spread 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.