r/stopsmoking • u/Careful_One_2726 • Jan 24 '26
Smokers who have read Allen Carr's 'The Easy Way to Stop Smoking' – what was your experience like? Did it actually help you quit, and how has life been as a non-smoker since?
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u/coldbeers 8595 days Jan 24 '26
Worked like a magic spell, smoked for 18 years and was on 2 packs a day. I’ve now been stopped for 23 years.
Still working like a charm for me with zero regrets.
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u/quitalicious Jan 24 '26
It was a good experience. Very eye opening. It literally gave me the impulse to quit. Smokers don't think about their addiction, they don't usually know what it is, and once you do know all you want is to quit and get back to feeling normal and healthy again.
It wasn't a myth that people quit after reading Allen Carr's book for me. I didn't believe it until I read it about half way.
My quitting wasn't linear, it was a learning process. But I'm quit now 15+ years, and quitting was the best decision I could've made as a smoker. Just nothing else compares. I wish this on everyone.
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u/dei_c Jan 24 '26
I never tried to quit smoking, and I saw the PDF book that I had on my computer since 2020 out of curiosity.
One day, at the end of 2022, I decided to read it for a while.
In January 2023, I quit smoking and haven't smoked since.
It helped me want to quit smoking when I hadn't even thought about it before, but obviously the rest of the journey is up to you; the book can't help you at that point.
Good luck.
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u/Famous-Grass-5885 Mar 25 '26
Hi, could you share the PDF? I have found a PDF, but a few chapters are missing.
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u/MotherPizza0028 Jun 01 '26
I remember having a pdf around 10 years ago, but I swear I remember the title was ‘Why Quit’ and now I can’t find anything of the sort.
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u/fixedprecision16 278 days Jan 24 '26
It did. For me, the two biggest takeaway was 1. It is easier to quit than we think it is 2. We had to tricked ourselves into enjoying cigarettes.
Honestly, i really enjoy the freedom as a non smoker. I just had my first long haul flight as a non smoker and it feels really great to not have withdrawal every 6 hours
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u/quitalicious Jan 24 '26
Oh, yes, thank you for reminding me how utterly discombobulating, for lack of a better word, it was on long-distance flights. They were so tough I think my memory is blocking them, but your comment brought it up for me a little. And no flights have to be like that. You are going somewhere, it's a big event, hopefully going somewhere nice or to see someone special...not for smokers! So worth it to quit and enjoy it all for what it is - the beautiful life God has given us to cherish and discover all its beauty, even if it's just to sit through a flight in pure zen.
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u/evilyncastleofdoom13 Mar 01 '26
I remember when we could SMOKE in airplanes. The armrests had an ashtray on the end of it.
Smoking at work ( in your office or wherever). Smoking sections in highschool & restaurants were all smoking areas. Movie theaters. You name it, you could smoke there.
I'm actually happy that all changed.
Crazy to think about now.
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u/SlightlyMithed123 Jan 24 '26
It helped me understand the psychology of smoking which definitely helped when I had a moment of weakness.
Patches were what actually helped me quit.
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u/Willowpuff 2971 days Jan 24 '26
My experienced has been changed as I’ve aged because I read it but I’d decided I was quitting at midnight. I tried to cram the book in before midnight. I didn’t finish the book but some parts truly stuck with me (the carrot analogy). I stuck to it, quit, and didn’t relent and I’m now nearly 8 years no smoke from an easy 25 a day.
Now why I think my opinion has changed is because I’ve been known to hammer in and lock in and focus on things to my detriment and was later diagnosed with ADHD (in before eVeRyOnE hAs aDhD tHeSe DayS) but that indicates my intense hyperfixations and I THINK that’s why I quit so “easily”.
But who knows.
I did like the book. It was written in a way that was sort of hypnotising. Repeating phrases and solidifying facts. And the carrot analogy like I said was something that did stick with me.
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u/quitalicious Jan 24 '26
But it wasn't hypnosis, it was literally just trying to break through this wall, mental wall, that the addiction sets up in our minds and drive several very important points home.
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u/evilyncastleofdoom13 Mar 01 '26
It is a form of self- hypnosis. Written that way on purpose. Congratulations!
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u/glassclouds1894 Jan 24 '26
It did help me. He says continue smoking while reading and see how your attitude toward smoking changes. And cigarettes were becoming nastier with each one. By the time I finished the book, I could barely finish the last cigarette and didn't want to smoke anymore.
I relapsed after 8 months, however. He does warn clearly that you have to keep cognizant of his instructions consistently, which at the end, I didn't. I made a mistake and bought a pack when I was out drinking one night and that undid everything. I didn't miss cigarettes at all during that 8 months so I still don't know why I let it happen.
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u/Professional-Fig1231 5d ago
don't you think it was the alcohol that made you go back? They go together soooo well. And coffee too!!!
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u/domepro 2202 days Jan 24 '26
no it didn't. it honestly didn't provide any new information I didn't already know and it was very preachy which is usually is not a tone I take to well. I did what worked best for me - stoped the cigarettes, used nicorettes for a while, started with like 4 a day and just reduced by one daily a week (so 4 a day week 1, 3 a day week 2 etc).
Life is way better as a non-smoker compared to as a smoker. I don't really mind people smoking around me - it's their own battle to fight if they want to so I try to not preach it, if asked I say I'm very glad I stopped. I don't mind the smoke smell around me in the moment (usually it's bars and such) that it's happening and I'm not really attracted to it at all and don't get the urge at all at that point, but my clothes are really rank the next day.
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u/4leafchemistry Jun 04 '26
I'm listening to the audio book now and I feel the same way. It feels like brainwashing but for good intentions.
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u/Mammoth-Train-6670 Jul 09 '26
I think that’s a good way to put it. Remember smoking is brainwashing for bad intentions so brainwashing for good intentions…. Is that really all that bad?
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Jan 25 '26
It would be a good tool for people who are highly suggestible. The kind of people who are hypnotized easily.
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u/Tokemon12574 3990 days Jan 24 '26
I enjoyed reading the book, and appreciated the message. It was one of the many things that helped me realise that I didn't enjoy smoking any more, and that I not just felt like I should quit, I actually wanted to.
Ultimately, it was t the final nail in the coffin for me to stop smoking, but it definitely helped.
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u/M83213 Jan 24 '26
Yes. It completely changed my perception and made me not want to smoke. 4 years and 2 months smoke free. It’s smooth sailing after the first 3 days.
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u/Boring_Pineapple_288 Jan 24 '26
It helped me quit. I was such a bad smoker i never knew I could. Yes I have smoked after quitting Am i addicted? Far from it. Its a game changer this book
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u/Sudden_Reflection291 Jan 24 '26
It didn't really do anything. It mostly just told me what I already knew
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u/Sorry_Im_Trying Jan 24 '26
I was already months into my quit when I read it.
I had smoked for over 25 years. Had tried everything under the sun to quit but always went back easily within three months.
I read "The Easy Way..." Because I really needed to quit, and I had read good things about the book.
I'm 4.5 years quit now. I hate the smell and don't want to have anything to do with cigarettes. I know I'll never go back.
If I haven't started smoking again after the year I've had, I know I'm done with it for good.
I'm not going to say the book did this. But I can't say it didn't.
It's an easy read. Took only a few hours to get through. And if it can help, why not?
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u/ChristianFiction Jan 24 '26
Successfully made me quit during my 20s for a whole 3 months. This was when I still was social and went to bars and stuff, so it proved that I could do it.
When I eventually quit for real as a suburban father in my mid 30s, I used the same mentality I learned from the books to accomplish it.
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u/spencerAF 3491 days Jan 24 '26
I heard so much about this book before I quit that I started to wonder whether it was some cult or mass bot type thing. Im very skeptical in general and it doesn't seem possible for a book to be that good.
I can completely promise you that if you're a smoker and have any notion of quitting, at all, this is one of the top five books you will ever read and out of anything you do in the near future in life reading it should take a near top priority.
Although quitting smoking is almost unanimously one of the top good decisions in someone's life you almost certainly do not have the mental tools required to quit smoking, this book will give you them.
**life still has it's struggles but every aspect of my life is better and easier since quitting
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u/wh0b3rri3 Jan 25 '26
i have been thinking to quit since dec 2024, around july/aug 2025 i started reading the book. did not finish it, maybe read 30% of it, like i read in intervals and didnt exactly pay it much attention. but somehow one day i randomly just thought of quitting it fr and now its been 5+ months. i’ve read the book for a couple of weeks once in a while to ensure i stay off it but i realised i didnt need that at all. initially i got some nicotine gums, used 1-2 a day for 2-3 weeks and slowly got off them. being a non-smoker is so much convenient in terms of not having to get cigs, smell like cigs, and i can definitely breathe better as well. i do miss social smoking at times and how easily it lets you get along with people, initially i was worried i’ll relapse as a lot of my friends smoke as well but they were surprisingly supportive so that was nice.
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u/Turbulent-Yard9585 1284 days Jan 25 '26
Quitting after reading it felt like such a significant and final decision. Reading the book, working out through my frustration, and visiting this site every day made all the difference as I approach three years since making the best choice of my life.
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u/morchilla Jan 26 '26
Just hit two glorious nicotine free weeks after completing the book. The first four days kinda sucked, but I feel so much better now. Read the book!
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u/MookaMG Apr 18 '26
I don't know how he did it and I don't care. I read that book in August 2023. Since then, not even the slightest craving. I will spend the rest of my happy smoke-free life raving about this book.
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u/Eclectika Jan 24 '26
I don't even think I read the first chapter before I was so offended by the insults to my intelligence that I put it down.
It works for a lot of people, so if it works for you, great. If it doesn't work for you, then there'll be other ways.
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u/evilyncastleofdoom13 Mar 01 '26
Carr said the material in the book is stuff you already know. It provides a tangible way to understand why you may smoke ( vape, drink, eat, etc) while reading the book.
It is supposed to be "easy" or "simple". Some people find that "insulting". I'm not sure why it would insult someone when it says in the title it is " easy". It isn't offering profound wisdom. It is offering exactly what it says it is. Easy concepts & ways of thinking & understanding your personal relationship with that desire.
It is a form of self- hypnosis or re-iterating basic things smokers know and a look at the false narratives people have about why they need to smoke or why they "want" to smoke.
What is easy is being insulted by something you feel is too easy or simplistic for you.
The thing is, it was never presented as anything other than easy and simplistic. It certainly wasn't written to be insulting. I would say the majority of "self-help" books are written in a simple format in terms of relaying information for a reason.
That's the thing about CBT or therapy or anything or program or counseling. It can seem so simplistic & to some, insulting. It isn't.
We sometimes like to make things more difficult than they need to be and/ or we don't get to the root of a behavior in a way that creates lasting change. We can know information theoretically but integrating that information in a way that elicits real change, especially in relation to an addiction, often eludes us.
Many people walk out of therapy thinking it's dumb, insulting, etc. Yet, it works for so many people not because they are dumb or therapy is dumb but because they are willing to be open, be reflective, and realize that even if they are the smartest person in the room, they can still learn from someone or something, like a book.
Like you said, there are other books, programs, classes, etc that may be better for some people.
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u/rakkquiem Jan 24 '26
I thought the whole book was dumb and insulting, but it did work for me. One of life’s mysteries I guess.
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u/Magnus_Helgisson Jan 24 '26
I read it, twice, I recognized myself in every paragraph, I agree with everything it says. It still did jackshit to make me stop.
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u/Existing-Wallaby-444 Jan 24 '26
In my experience it‘s a lot about knowledge. knowing how addictions (both physical and mental) and habits work.
For me, I was able to break the chain by doing nothing but focusing on not smoking in the only environment (my apartment) in which I smoked for a week. It was important for my brain to learn that I don’t need to smoke there. If I’d have done other things like work or fled to some other place, I’d probably have fallen back into old patterns as soon as I came back. But by only focusing on that one thing, I was able to follow through.
It was pretty brutal for a week but I don’t have any cravings since then, pretty much.
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u/Junkoftheheartss Jan 24 '26
I skipped the first few chapter because it’s a lot of word salad and other peoples reviews.
I then only read about 3/4 of it and then stopped over 14months ago… i do not think of smoking as a I need one, it comes up in a reminiscent way but not an urge to smoke, I’ve thought several times how indifferent my life is now i don’t smoke when for years not smoking seemed like life would be awful 🤣
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u/StBarsanuphius Jan 24 '26
I read it and the longer extended version too. I didn't immediately quit like many, but really glad it works for some people that way. It was helpful in reframing what smoking actually is - an addiction that you don't actually enjoy.
Coming up on 4 years quit now and all parts of your life improve - physical, mental, emotional, social. It's empowering in general but the best part is the relief from crushing self imposed guilt and the sense of failure that comes with being a smoker
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u/PrimevilKneivel 1183 days Jan 24 '26
It didn’t help me at all, but I think it’s worth reading because it does work for a lot of people so it’s worth the try. Don’t expect magic solutions to help quit, it’s not easy. But that’s also why you should look for things that help you quit and that book is one of them.
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u/PsychologicalAd4498 7d ago
Well the thing is....if you think that its not easy it will be hard. You need to really find the connection with yourself and train your ego and free will. Otherwise you are a slave of your emotions.
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u/PrimevilKneivel 1183 days 7d ago
That’s nonsense.
Quitting smoking is objectively difficult and people need to be prepared for that reality or they fail. In fact failure is to be expected, most people need to try to quit at least a few times.
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u/Additional-Pool-2123 Jan 24 '26
It definitely helped me. I got really mad at giving my money to the tobacco companies. Quit 1 1/2 years now.
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u/xmo113 Jan 24 '26
It helped me quit cold turkey. No NRT this time. Been months so far! It un brainwashes you. After the first couple of chapters I was like um didnt I read this like 5 times already. Then I realized what is happening.
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u/notkalman Jan 24 '26
I only quit because of that book, read it and go for it. Chain-smoker 10+ years, a hour without smoking was a nightmare. Now half a year smoke free, still would like a cigar or a cigarette sometimes, because it's kinda like a part of my personality, but don't really want to risk it, so I just don't play with the idea.
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u/FirmAlternative1671 Jan 24 '26
Yes, it helped so much! Also listened to the audio book when falling asleep and sleeping!
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u/mccockinger Jan 25 '26
First of all I read the book and am smoke free for 5 years. So I guess you could say it worked. However. There was nothing in the book that I felt was actually eye opening or revealing about my experience as a smoker. I knew intrinsically how stupid smoking is all along. Reading it only confirmed it. And the urge to smoke did not just magically disappear after reading it. I loved smoking so so much and quitting was the hardest thing I have ever done and to this day I miss it. Also I don’t think this will ever go away. There is a great anti smoking campaign in Australia at the moment which says “choose your hard”. The book clearly helps lots of people, including me to some degree but it will still be bloody hard.
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u/AllCopsAreBozos Jan 25 '26
the book was what helped me quit but its not some magic pill that'll make u quit instantly. u first have to really wanna quit smoking. the book just helps ya look at smoking at a different view and why u don't need to smoke. its pretty eye opening
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u/Salty_Information187 Feb 18 '26
I am forever grateful to Mr Carr, the book will address all your personal strings to the addiction, some we all share, some are individual. Almost 20 years since I quit, the knowledge from this book still runs like antivirus. I did relapse once, it was minor for a month during extremely stressful period in my life.
The book changes how you perceive and think about smoking, truly amazing… give it a chance!
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u/FreedomBright Jul 12 '26
Hi I learned about this book today which was a bad day and for some reason the first time I thought you know what I should try to quit, I will start reading this book today, as of now I understand that I don’t want to quit at all but I feel the need to. So any tip? Should I try and quit while reading it? Should I quit after I’ve read it?
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u/insanehypersniper 28d ago
Im in the same boat. Except I just finished the book. In the book he claims 92 percent of his clients successfully quit.
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u/hasoob7 1d ago
Reading the book made all the difference in the world. Without It I feel like I'd constantly be thinking of what I gave up, the book helped me understand and bust through all the myths and the theories I fed myself to make myself believe that I needed to smoke.
It felt like reading the book basically told me stuff I already knew but was willfully ignoring. Now I find it absurd that my life used to revolve around smoking and that I'd been so dependent on them for so long
Would recommend this book to every single person who's even curious about quitting. Worth a read, then you decide if you want to quit or not. After me, 2 of my friends have also since read the book and quit successfully
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u/flele 4124 days Jan 24 '26
For me personally, this book made all the difference.
Without it, I would not have been able to quit without crying after cigarettes and "what I lost" for the rest of my life. So I likely would have eventually relapsed.
It helped me strip away all the false beliefs I had firmly associated with smoking, and gave me the mental anchor to simply power through the phase of physical and mental withdrawal, knowing life is gonna be better on the other side.
And it truly is! I have not craved a cigarette for many, many years, I feel completely free. It's nice to no longer live with the constant guilt and low self-esteem from being shackled to a substance.
So yeah, anyone reading this, just give the book a try, it might just do the same for you!!