Allen Carr's Easy Way To Stop Smoking Paperback – November 17, 2011

TLDR: I had never before tried to quit. I didn't know if I even wanted to quit. I thought the title sounded so cheesy & couldn't be legit, but I gave it a try. I read it. It worked 100% – I stopped smoking within hours of finishing the book, have been smoke-free ever since (9 months) and will never smoke again in my entire life. GET IT! IT WORKS!...After over a decade as a pack-a-day-or-more smoker, I read this book, and I quit without any physical or mental anguish, and with complete confidence that I will never smoke another cigarette again for as long as I live. It feels amazing. It has been 9 months now, and I can say in all sincerity that after following Carr's method, I have not had a single authentic craving since the moment I put out my final cigarette. The smell of cigarette smoke is absolutely repulsive to me now. When I see people smoking I cannot believe that I was stuck in that trap for so long, and I wish I could stop and tell them all how easy it could be for them to finally be free!The brilliance of Carr's method is that he strips away every possible myth and misconception we hold about why we smoke, and replaces it with facts. Once fully internalized, the truth is impossible to unsee. And once you see it, smoking holds absolutely zero allure for you – it is reduced to what it really is: an addiction to lighting a toxic weed on fire, and inhaling the fumes of the burning poison into your lungs. Smoking doesn't help you focus – it is the urge to smoke that distracts you in the first place. It does not calm your nerves – you are perpetually more stressed all the time because you are anxious about how, when, and where you will next get to smoke. It doesn't give you energy – your energy is low all the time because you're constantly in one phase of nicotine withdrawal or the other.Carr walks you through these myths and many more in great detail, and if you read with intention and an open mind, I can't imagine he won't get through to you. Once the myths are shattered, your will to smoke is gone. By about halfway through the book it was already working – I found every cigarette an absolute chore, even though I followed his instructions and did not cut down nor attempt to quit until the very end. I actually began to feel it took willpower to *continue* smoking at that point (as opposed to willpower to *stop* smoking, as society would have you believe). You do not need willpower to quit doing something that you don't enjoy doing, that is providing you no benefit, and is robbing you of your physical, mental, and financial wellbeing. You need the truth. And that's what Carr gives you.I am grateful everyday for Allen Carr. I am certain I will live a longer – but even more so a HAPPIER – life as a result of this book empowering me to quit smoking.I will note that there are some elements of Carr's cultural perspectives/references that are a bit dated. While some of this may feel like it doesn't apply to you (I'm a 30-something, so I definitely felt that) directly, know that the same general ideas apply to almost every generation. For the most part, I read Carr like he was my grandfather's wise and charming friend – a *bit* out-of-touch from a cultural perspective, but warm, funny, and charismatic none the less. And more to the point, none of this distracts from the overall efficacy of the book or the underlying method it teaches.If you're on this page (and read this far down into my lengthy review), you know on some level that you don't want to be a smoker anymore. This costs less than a pack of smokes – you have nothing to lose and everything to gain – give it a shot!

I'm still in the early stages of having quit (day 10), but I feel like this time it's different than other times I've tried to quit. The logic that Carr lays out in the book worked for me to get me over the hump to quit. I haven't tried to quit in 15 years ('m a 30 year plus smoker). But this time it feels different. I don't feel like I'm giving up something precious or valuable. The book says you don't need willpower. I'm not sure that is 100% true as the cravings will come, but you are psychologically ready to deal with them and the willpower needed doesn't feel like a monumental effort. Give it a try. I bought the book 1.5 years before I actually quit. Waited until I was "ready" to start reading it. And even then, I wasn't "ready" and parked it after reading half of it. Picked it back up 6 months later and now my life as a non-smoker begins. Very grateful that Allen Carr helped change my perspective making it fairly easy for me to quit smoking!

After smoking daily for 20+ years I decided to give this book a try. I was VERY skeptical about anything, more so a “silly” book. I had tried the vapes but hated them. They were a mess to deal with and I felt like I needed a tool kit and box of supplies just to use them (not to mention they leak EVERYWHERE!). The gum and the patches were a joke. (Not to mention, you are still addicted to nicotine!) I soon went back to real cigarettes. I had previously quit for a month here and a month there over my 20 year smoking carrier, yet I could never stay off of them. I was using willpower and I would eventually break down. Something would happen, a stressful event, a bad at work, a party and drinks - I would swear to have “just one”. Before I knew it I would be right back to smoking full time. Willpower quitting will not work! It had been probably 7-8 years since I had even tried to quit last. I had just accept my fate all those years knowing the cigarettes would probably one day kill me. I always hoped someday I would quit but really had no plan. I was smoking roughly a pack a day all those years (sometimes two packs a day on the weekends). When I turned 40 I decided it was time to give quitting another go….before it was too late. After reading the reviews I decided to give this "silly" book a shot. I received the book in the mail a day or so after I had already quit ( despite this being against Allen’s advice). The first few days were REALLY rough. It was all I could think of. I had no idea how addicted I really was. It was so much worse than previous times I had quit. All those years were catching up to me. The anger and rages I had were almost uncontrollable. My energy levels dropped from an 8 to a 2. I kept reading the book and trying to push through the HORRIBLE withdrawal of nicotine. Each day was a challenge. I would come home, eat dinner and collapse into bed sometimes before 8pm. I had never realized how bad nicotine really was until 3-4 days into quitting. Sometimes it is laughably easy- a second later you have the world on your shoulders. I kept reading the book and kept pushing (keep a journal it helps!). About half way through the book, 9-10 days in, I started to gain real confidence! I began to see the light. I still was exhausted on some days. My mood swings were tough. I was down and depressed on some days. Persevere- you can and will get beyond this.Was it really easy? Uh... well not necessarily. There is no magic. The book helps to explain your addiction. It breaks it down to simplify it. It is not some huge massive fight that you cannot win. It is simply an addiction, ANYONE can beat it. It is very uncomfortable those early days, yet, just stop smoking and you win. Just don't EVER light another one! No matter how bad you want one – just don’t! Go for a walk, read a book, anything to keep your mind busy. Sometimes it is all you can think of. I am now 8 months in and almost never think of smoking other than being SUPER happy that I never even think of smoking! It does get better! It does become EASY. You have to change your mindset. Every day you succeed is a major win. DO NOT GIVE IN. Keep going! Once you are beyond day 1 there is NO TURNING BACK. You have done it. Soon enough you will be breathing easier, feeling better and happier than ever. It is not overnight. Think of this – the first two days, the first two weeks, the first two months. These are the hardest in progressively easier increments. Then all at once- a couple of months have passed, you will realize you have won! You still have a ways to go but you are 85-95% there at 2 months. I will admit to a slight cheat- herbal cigarettes (non-nicotine) I used these in the beginning at parties, weekends, when drinking etc.. To get beyond those social moments when I would absolutely have to light up. (These are nothing like a real cigarette, don’t get your hopes up!) I still grab an herbal from time to time, maybe once every few weeks or so, usually when drinking or in a social situation- BUT- it is not every time now! I am completely moving on in less than a year. It is more of that old habit, still connected, yet, I am NICOTINE free and HAPPY! You too will soon start to HATE nicotine and everything it has taken from you.SIDE STORY: Both of my parents have smoked for well over 40+ years. After seeing me stop they were very curious. I GLADLY handed over my Allen Carr’s Easy Way book with a smile. I really didn’t think much of it. After all they had smoked almost all of their lives. I fully expected them to come back with the old “This book didn’t work. We are hopeless at quitting.” I honestly forgot about giving them the book. A few weeks later I spoke with my mom. She had quit! I was shocked!! I could not believe it!! She was struggling but she was WINNING the battle. I helped coach her and support her along the way. She too used the herbal cigarettes in moments of crisis. Within 4 weeks, she was gaining confidence. That was 4 months ago and she is 100% done with cigarettes. My poor dad seeing how we had both quit was up in arms. Per his words “I just can’t do it like the book says. I want to but probably can’t ever do it.” Smoking 2 packs a day for 40 years is not an easy cycle to break. My mom and I both understood. He continued picking his way through the book. Reading here and there. He continued seeing our success. Then, one day, he threw all of his cigarettes in the trash. He was done. It was not EASY in those first days- We coached him along, pushed him, mentored him and now 3 months later he is a NON-SMOKER!!!! Our family with over 100 combined years of smoking is now 100% nicotine free!! Thank you Allen Carr for changing AND SAVING my life!! And more so for SAVING my parents lives!!! Buy this book. Dig your heals in and make it happen in your life too! You will not be disappointed in 6 months I can absolutely assure you! Anyone can quit. Read the book with an open mind. Read it again if you don’t get it. Allow yourself to gain confidence. Slam your fist down- go to battle with this addiction – there is no other option now: WIN. Your life will thank you.