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 saw a hypnotherapist, but “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 actually quitting the bad habit was easy and he was filled 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 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 really don't 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 2 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 dispels the myths and describes the traps that smokers fall into."What would you say to yourself 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 it is impossible to stop;
- 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 child at the mother's breast, the concept of the oral phase of S. Freud).“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,” 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 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.