Easy Way to Stop Smoking
by Allen Carr
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Book Reviews of Easy Way to Stop Smoking
Book Review: makes you think indeed
Summary: 4 Stars
As an ex-smoker, I read the book with increasing enthusiasm and found myself (as I used to be ..) in almost every line of the book.
The book really appeals to human intelligence, to all smokers that can quit this dependency without falling into that trap again.
It doesnt'have to be a shock happening to make you quit ... IT CAN JUST BE THIS BOOK!
Book Review: A grateful thumbs-up from an ex-addict
Summary: 5 Stars
Are you a long time, heavy smoker? Do you not even KNOW adult life without cigarettes, having begun puffing away in your teens? Is your every plan dominated by the burning question of whether (or when) you'll be able to light up? (e.g. Is there a smoking section? Does the room have a balcony? Will the seminar have breaks? Do people I'm going to visit smoke? How long is the flight/train ride/movie?).
Do you feel a mixture of envy and scorn for casual smokers; those who can go for days without a fag or only smoke when they drink, and who, when they quit entirely, brag about how easy it is and nag you to quit too? Do you feel that along with lifelong non-smokers, such 'pseudo-smokers' are a different breed and simply don't understand genuine nicotine addicts like you?
Do you find it virtually impossible to imagine being happy without cigarettes? While warding off friends' and family's pleas for you to quit with a rebellious, devil-may-care, live-hard-die-young persona, does worry, self-loathing and despair over your smoking keep you awake at night?
All of the above was me. From age 16 (aside from pregnancy with my daughter at 18) I'd worked up to a couple of packs or so a day and by 50 was convinced I was hopelessly addicted. The few times I had tried to stop (in 2001 while watching my father die from smoke-destroyed lungs and more recently in 2004 after I had a serious bout of pneumonia) had been agonizing failures and I no longer had any plans to try to quit.
I can't quite recall how I came to possess a copy of the book a couple of years ago. I do recall starting to read it but then stopping for two contradictory reasons: 1) with a major in psychology and studies in hypnosis I expected I would see through any mind-bending persuasion tactics the book might employ and so, despite the glowing reviews I'd read, it probably wouldn't work for ME and 2)I had an uneasy intuition that if I finished reading the book I actually WOULD quit smoking whether I wanted to or not!
To cut a long story short, I pulled the book from the shelf again in September '08; finished it and have not smoked since. It's still early days but what a revelation to discover my body's natural relaxation now that it is off the nicotine misery-go-round; the jumpy nervy feeling that I had mistakenly attributed to my own nervous system,(which made me feel I needed to smoke) has GONE. I'm actually almost glad to have been such a hopeless, heavy smoker because of the wonderful contrast I feel now that I've stopped.
How delightful to feel comfortable wherever I am instead of always obsessing over how to escape for my next fix! Had I known how great I would feel once free and how easy it could be to get there, perhaps I'd have done it sooner. Carrots always motivated me better than sticks.
My recommendation: Even if you're not sure you want to quit just yet (or ever) buy this book anyway and keep it in your bookshelf until you're ready. Don't even consider trying to quit before you read it.
Even after finishing the book I found it tremendously valuable to always keep my copy nearby; in the beginning I took it with me everywhere like a security blanket. If an old habit of thought came up (not surprising perhaps after 34 years!) just opening up the book and reading a sentence or two would dispel it like magic and later just knowing the book was there was sufficient. I've started buying copies for friends and family, but I'm keeping my own copy right here just in case!
I don't think I could have succeeded without the information in this book (they also have other books, seminars and an excellent webcast- check online, but this book was enough to get me smoke-free) and I feel immense gratitude at having had the good fortune to come across it. Highly recommended!
Book Review: It works!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Easy Way to Stop Smoking: Join the Millions Who Have Become Non-Smokers Using Allen Carr's Easyway Method
I was a smoker for 19 years. I tried to quit many times (hypnosis, will power, "Smoke Away", gum, est.), but it kept hunt me!
But this time I know - it is the VERY LAST TIME! I will never start again! I am sure and confident! It is like I escaped from prison and there are no way back! Who wants to come back to prison?! I never felt like that before! Sometimes I even forget that I ever smoke, even though, my husband still smoking.
Book Review: Good, but let's not get carried away here.
Summary: 3 Stars
Let's be clear: This is no miracle book. If you aren't ready to quit, this book will not magically make the cravings go away. That said, if you are ready to quit and want to make the leap, this book will serve as your cheerleader. But here are some criticisms:
1. "Distinction without a Difference". This sums up alot of this book. It makes constant reference to 'The Willpower Method' andn saying why it doesn't work. Basically, when it does this, the reason YOU don't have to worry about what those loosers are going through it because YOU ARE EXCITED TO QUIT! You know the joys of being a non-smoker and that you have freed yourself from slavery! As if anyone who has quit isn't using this as a motivation already...give me a break. Basically, this is the crux of the book. Don't be bummed about withdraw, GET EXCITED THAT YOU DONT HAVE TO SMOKE AND THAT ITS EASY!
2. Talk about long-winded. This thing could have been condensed to 3 chapters. I mean, not only does Carr cover the same points, there are passages that are literally 'cut-and-paste' from an earlier chapter.
3. There is no secret in here. In fact, there's hardly any method. It spends most of its time explaining why the other methods (which arent actually much different) do not work.
That said, there are some very good points about this book, including it getting you in the right frame of mind, telling you what not to fall for...such as nicotine patches or the 'just-one' cigarette trap. But if you are not convinced that you need to smoke, don't even start this book.
Book Review: Ex-smoker forever - This book put an end to it once and for all.
Summary: 5 Stars
I smoked for 15 years, when I decided to quit. Those first 3 months were horrible: grouchy, mean, moody, but I quit for 8 years. Then I started dating a smoker, and once again I got hooked. Well, 18 months of smoking and I was NOT looking forward to the 3 month phase. A family member recommended this book while we were vacationing together. So, I floated in the lake and read this book while I smoked. I repeated what I'd learned to family and boyfriend as the week went on. I saw myself in almost every word the Mr. Carr wrote and the experience of quitting cold turkey. I took my time reading, finished the book on the last day of vacation. My boyfriend was disappointed when after I proudly proclaimed "I'm finished", I promptly lit a cigarette. That was a saturday afternoon. I smoked as usual all week, then on Friday night before going out with friends I ran out of cigs. I didn't ask to stop for another pack, I just knew I was done. Everything I'd read in the book made perfect sense; it took away all my "excuses" for not quitting and made me feel liberated. That was July 11th, 08. I have no desire to start again. The best part is I've quit without the grumpies, the grouchies or the feeling I'm denying myself something. I have given myself my life back...not to mention all that money! Read the book...It will work if you are honest with yourself. There is NO good reason to smoke.