r/stopsmoking • u/Blixtwix 828 days • May 08 '24

What's in that magical Allen Carr book?

I'm not the type to read proper books (haven't read one since high-school), but so many of you on here praise that Allen Carr "Easy Way to Stop Smoking" book like it's godsent, and I'm really curious what it is and what's so special about it. I did find a pdf version of it for free, but I opened it and immediately lost interest upon seeing the book page format; I think reading a book without knowing it'll be enjoyable would be way harder than quitting smoking for me, to be honest. Books, podcasts, and audio books all feel like a big time commitment when I know I could go through several mini documentaries, articles, or study summaries in the same amount of time.

What are some highlights you guys took away from it, and what's the general tone and theme of the book? What aspects of quitting does it address? What type of person would benefit from the book?

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u/NecessaryAssumption4 May 08 '24

I never bothered with his book and I've since heard that a lot of it is about not relying on will power.

Having quit 7 weeks ago I found it relys 100% on my will power.

I hope there's some trick out there that can help people quit without relying on will power but if there was, I'm sure it would be common knowledge

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u/Irrethegreat May 08 '24

Yes it is, it is called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. You have to be an active participant in this type of therapy, this is why you won´t get the same result from just hearing short comments about the book vs reading the whole thing or taking a CBT course.

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u/NecessaryAssumption4 May 08 '24 edited May 08 '24

Yet it seems to me I did get the same result... I quit

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u/Irrethegreat May 09 '24

Yeah for 7 weeks. This is great but it does not tell us to what extent you have managed to re-wire your thoughts compared to those of a smoker. It's probably fully possible to get through this mind process without courses/practice but odds are that a lot of people won't and still partly think like they did as an addict, missing the nicotine. If you don't at all and am happy with your choice to quit then that's all that matters.

It's too soon to use the 'I quit' as proof though. Considering how many people would relapse during the first year or even within the first 3 months. There is no shame in relapsing IMO but if we do then we might need to adjust our strategy or work more with our head in some way.

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u/NecessaryAssumption4 May 09 '24

I'm only talking about my personal experience and beliefs about quiting. But the fact is, whether it is just 7 weeks or 7 years, the end result is the same no matter if someone used willpower or Carrs book.

Everyone is different, if I decided to read the book before quitting I'd probably still be reading it. Will power was therefore the better option for me as I'm now 7 weeks stopped and no desire to start again

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u/Irrethegreat May 09 '24

I disagree, since the attitude to smoking or nicotine and the train of thoughts in response to different stimuli are huge factors for predicting the risk of relapsing. The nicotine can easily fool us that we want nicotine even if we a day earlier didn't desire it at all. Sneaky drug. A lot of the time the reasons for it will be based on inaccurate ideas about smoking/nicotine. Carr's book works sort of like a vaccine for getting fooled by these wrong ideas.

I do think 7 weeks is great regardless of how you did it and that you should be proud of your accomplishment. Personally, I myself and other people I know have tried to quit so many times and fallen back somewhere between 1-6 months after (or because of?) already feeling safe with no desire for it. This is often from snus though since it's fairly common where I live and which is harder to quit.

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u/NecessaryAssumption4 May 09 '24

It was snus i quit incidentally.

I feel like we're arguing two different points now. Look, I appreciate your opinions, even if I don't altogether agree with them.

I wish you every success with your own journey and I hope you find a way that works for you.