Smoking tobacco is a bad habit that leads to addiction.The symptoms of quitting smoking are so recognizable that even strangers can ask an addict, "Why are you so angry, are you quitting smoking?"
Narcologists believe that it is difficult to get rid of nicotine addiction.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 saw a hypnotherapist but "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".Some time later, Carr read in a medical manual that the physical symptoms of withdrawal consisted of feelings of emptiness and uncertainty.Comparing these two facts, he came to the conclusion that giving up the bad habit was actually easy, and he was filled with the desire to tell all smokers about it.
A. Carr wrote "The Simple 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 money back in case of failure.
A. Carr also became the author of books on the fight against alcoholism, excess weight, fear of flying, and a motivational publication on achieving success.
At the age of 71, he was diagnosed with an inoperable form of lung cancer, which led to his death 4 months after diagnosis.
About the book "The Simple Way to Quit Smoking"
The book "The Simple Way to Quit Smoking" is written in simple, accessible language.The author investigates in detail the reasons that lead to the creation of a deadly habit, exposes myths and shares personal experience, and describes how to deal with the "little nicotine creature".
Why do people continue to smoke?
Smoking leads to psychological and physical dependence.A person develops certain rituals associated with cigarettes;nicotine is integrated into metabolic processes.In order to avoid stress and maintain comfort, the addict must smoke at certain intervals.
Allen Carr said that cigarettes do not provide pleasure, but only temporarily relieve withdrawal symptoms.If a person continues to smoke, he maintains his addiction.And the sense of relief he experiences when he lights the lighter and takes the first drag after a break indicates a return to normal, conditionally normal.To the same place where there are always people without cigarettes.
In other words, the withdrawal syndrome is born from the fear of being deprived of a usual activity.If you overcome this fear, quitting smoking is easy and painless.Only by realizing where he ended up, what is the nicotine trap, the addict can 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 hope that they will "be able to grit their teeth and endure as long as necessary".
A. Carr is convinced that most smokers really do not know why they continue to kill themselves with such an unpleasant and expensive means.They feel cheated: in order to start getting used to a cigarette, they already had to overcome the feeling that it is frankly unpleasant.Implicitly, smokers realize that those who do not have the habit know about it.Nicotine addiction and "brainwashing" are 2 reasons why you run for a new pack."Will I really be happy when I stop smoking?"- thinks another addict and continues to destroy his health.
Myths about smoking
In his book, the author exposes the 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 regretfully 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 only increasing?In communicating with them, Carr amassed a "collection" of illusions that support addiction:
- in fact, smokers enjoy the process;
- smoking looks cool and masculine;
- Smoking is a habit;once you start it, it's impossible to quit;
- it takes a strong will to give up;
- quitting smoking is incredibly difficult, withdrawal symptoms are severe;
- smokers should be regularly reminded that the habit is leading them to the grave;
- Smoking is a way to overcome boredom, relax and overcome stress.
All myths about smoking boil down to three claims: cigarettes are pleasant, quitting is almost impossible, giving up nicotine is an irreparable loss.Allen Carr mocks the idea that smoking is a way to achieve unconditional satisfaction and acceptance (by analogy with the child at the 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 look mature and brave.Take them for a walk with a pacifier in their teeth - they will die of shame."
A little about withdrawal syndrome
Nicotine is a drug.It acts quickly and leaves the 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 inner 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 with their hands".The reason is habit, addiction.It occurs when a person starts smoking regularly.This is a "little nicotine creature" that sits in the stomach and demands food.The desire for a cigarette begins almost immediately after the cigarette is thrown in the trash.By deciding to continue, a person only prolongs the chain of episodes of thirst and short-term relief.
Allen Carr compares smokers to heroin addicts, describing the injection process in vivid colors.Changes in perception - completely disreputable actions, foreign to those who do not suffer from these diseases, cause relief to addicts.
Of course, it can be said that the deprivation of cigarettes and the deprivation of food cause similar suffering.But eating is a vital need, smoking is not.
Description of the method
"It's ridiculously easy to quit smoking," wrote A. Carr.Describing the methodology, he points to 2 conditions:
- A clear decision that there will be no more smoking.
- Do not be discouraged by such denial.We should be happy.
The author of the method explains that people who do not start smoking are actually not weaklings and cleaners.They have the power to deal 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, you are no worse than others.
- There is nothing to throw away, you don't leave, but acquire.
- There is no single cigarette: each will be followed by others.
- Smoking is a disease that shortens life.
- By deciding 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, then you will easily refrain from trying a cigarette during the first 3 weeks, when the body is being cleansed.It will be interesting for the reader to find out why it is not worth it to stop smoking in a certain period of time (month, six months, year).
Alain Carr states that his method works only if you give up cigarettes completely and without replacing them with any products containing nicotine.Why?The author's view 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 called things by their real names and offered good motivation for action.
Why do failures happen?
"It's easy to quit smoking. I've quit a hundred times myself" - the famous quote by Mark Twain very accurately describes that the intention to quit smoking does not always lead to a person really becoming free once and for all.Repeated failure to quit is what supports the myth that addiction is impossible to break once it's formed.
In his materials, A. Carr states that the efficiency of his method is 95%.There are 2 main reasons behind the 5% failure rate: not following instructions and not understanding.
Inability to follow instructions - lack of will to follow the methodology, trying to adapt to yourself while distorting the idea itself.Maybe 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;
- prohibition of products containing nicotine.
The author agrees that even among those who ignored this advice and sought other treatment options, there were those who gave up smoking.However, he urges that tricks not be viewed as ways to help kick the habit.
The inability to understand is the desire to get a ready answer.Smoking culture and the tobacco industry regularly broadcast thousands of installations worldwide.To break the habit, you should 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 consider why it is easier to give up other things that bring more pleasant emotions.
Among the dangerous factors that can shake confidence in the correctness of the decision made are other smokers in the environment and "difficult days" that cause the usual need for a cigarette."This is not a loss, but a recovery," warns the author.
The book "The Simple Way to Quit Smoking" is not a medical publication.However, the accuracy and honesty in the description of the problem and the author's suggestion of an effective way to get rid of the habit make him a good assistant in the fight against the deadly disease.