Allen Carr, the man who became the personification of success in the fight against smoking and an icon for tens and hundreds of thousands of people freed from smoking, died of lung cancer 23 years after he quit smoking. How did it happen that the man whose book “” became a real bestseller and was released in millions of copies in many languages, himself became a victim of smoking?

He became familiar with tobacco while serving in the Royal Armed Forces as a demolition specialist. Having become addicted to smoking at the age of 18, he very quickly joined the large army of tobacco fans, smoking 3-4 packs of cigarettes a day. The young body still quite successfully fought with monstrous doses of narcotic poison, but tobacco never leaves the human body without a trace. Having served his required time in the army with honor, Carr entered the university, from where he graduated as a certified accountant. As is often the case with workers whose profession involves constant mental stress, Allen Carr smoked constantly. Until the body knocked for the first time: “Master! Enough! I’m dying!”

The future creator of an entire network of clinics called “Easy Way” began to be choked by a constant cough. At first, Carr thought he had caught a common cold, but when the cough raged for the second month in a row, the simple English accountant became nervous. After an examination at the clinic, the doctor made Allen Carr understand that it would be better to quit smoking, otherwise he would not last two years. Easy to say, but hard to do! All of Carr's independent attempts to quit smoking were in vain. He could stand it for 2-3 days at most, but then he would grab a cigarette again and light it, feeling unprecedented relief. This continued until Carr began to have nightmares...

Ultimately, Allen Carr ended up in a session of neurolinguistic programming, a new but already fashionable method of treatment for various phobias and addictions. After the first session, Allen Carr seemed to have an epiphany. It turns out it's easy! From that day on, he never put a single cigarette in his mouth and did not experience any pain because of it. Having gotten rid of tobacco addiction in such a fairly simple way, Allen Carr decided at all costs to convey one simple idea to smokers around the world: quitting smoking is easy. Then he wrote his first book on how to quit smoking. And a few years later, with the proceeds from the sale of the book, he opened the first clinic, “Easy Way,” which later grew into a whole network.

And 23 years after he quit smoking, his suffocating, painful cough returned. Allen Carr went to the clinic, where he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. Doctors told Carr that he had no more than nine months to live, and the cause was cancer. To which Allen Carr replied: “If I hadn’t quit smoking, I would have died twenty years ago.” Allen Carr said that, having quit smoking, he became a truly happy person, and even after learning about his terrible diagnosis, he continued count also.

Tobacco does not forgive flirting with itself. Even if you smoked ONLY ONE cigarette, it will, one way or another, leave its mark on your body for the rest of your life. One cigarette, of course, will not kill you, but it will open the real gates to hell for you. And even if you subsequently quit smoking, there is no guarantee that the ghost of smoking will not haunt you at the very end of your existence. Allen Carr proved this with his life. And death.

Preface

On July 15, 1983, Allen Carr, a chain smoker with thirty years of experience, put out his freshly smoked cigarette and announced the discovery of a new method for quitting nicotine. A method that allows any smoker to quit a bad habit once and for all - without volitional efforts, tricks or substitutes, without suffering from withdrawal syndrome, without gaining excess weight and, most importantly, without spending the rest of his life in a difficult struggle with the desire to smoke in secret fear, that at a party without a cigarette it won’t be so fun, and you won’t be able to cope with stress without it.

At that moment, few could believe in the reality of such magical healing. After all, everyone knew that quitting smoking requires a tremendous amount of willpower and is usually accompanied by weight gain and the painful consequences of abstaining from nicotine. In general, quitting smoking is as difficult as conquering Everest. Unfortunately, millions of smokers continue to suffer from this misconception.

Considering the thousands of hours of work and millions of dollars spent by doctors in search of an effective method of quitting nicotine, it is understandable how difficult it is for them to believe that a former smoker without any medical education alone coped with a problem that could not be overcome by professionals. Members of the Society of Alcoholics Anonymous are more likely to believe this. As a former alcoholic anonymous, I know very well that millions of us owe our lives not to doctors, but to our fellow sufferers.

Allen Carr is now widely recognized throughout the world as a leading expert in helping smokers quit the habit. His first book, THE EASY WAY TO QUIT SMOKING, has remained a bestseller since 1985, when it was first published by Penguin. This book has been translated into more than 20 languages ​​and has become a bestseller in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. A worldwide network of clinics has been created based on the Allen Carr method.

I first heard about Allen Carr from friends who had undergone treatment at his clinic and were very pleased with the results. I was skeptical about these delights, because most of them at that time had quit smoking only a few days ago. I had no doubt that they had paid a fortune for the latest “magic” healing remedy and would try to get me to fall for the same trick. Now I can’t believe it myself, but at the time I wanted them to return to their old habit. It annoyed me that they didn't mind me smoking in front of them, and I gradually realized that they were genuinely enjoying their new life. Instead of feeling sorry that they had lost the pleasure of smoking, I began to envy them. For many years I felt like a pariah because I continued to smoke. As a constantly reeling member of the fraternity, I was fully aware that alcohol was ruining my life. My justification was that I considered alcohol to be an essential social crutch. Now, because of my addiction to alcohol, I again felt like a pariah. That's how I ended up at Allen Carr's clinic. In full confidence that this would not help me, I did not say a word about my intention even to my wife, let alone to my friends. Four hours later, when I left the clinic, I couldn’t wait to tell the whole world about it.

Carr claims that his method is equally effective for any type of addiction. I am very pleased to be able to testify that this method not only saved me from smoking, but also helped me wake up from the nightmare that was ruling my life - alcoholism. I was once convinced that alcoholism was incurable. Carr proved me wrong. My only regret today is that I didn't know anything about Allen Carr before. Don't worry if you're skeptical at first. This is exactly what Allen expects from you. I will not talk about how his method works and why it is effective. I will only say one thing: when you finish this book, it will be a mystery to you how you did not understand such obvious things before. Enjoy the book!

Emanuel Johnson

1 Easy way to stop drinking

More than twenty years ago I was able to prove that any smoker can easily quit smoking. Having discovered this method, I seriously expected that within a few years smoking would be a thing of the past. Indeed, since then, according to the most conservative estimates, thanks to my method, more than five million people have gotten rid of this habit. For most of them, quitting nicotine turned out to be simple and pleasant. However, there are millions of other people in the world who have not heard of Allen Carr or his method. The only reason I see for this is that it takes a certain amount of time to abandon generally accepted dogma. After all, everyone knows how difficult it is to quit smoking.

Throughout almost all of our history, we believed that the Earth was flat and at the center of the Universe. It is common knowledge that overcoming alcohol addiction requires a tremendous amount of willpower, including several unsuccessful attempts to quit drinking. It is also believed that controlling their drinking habits is most difficult for those who need it most. If it is difficult for me to convince people that there is a simple and enjoyable way to quit smoking, then how much effort will it take to convince you that anyone can easily, permanently and immediately solve their alcohol problem? If you suspect that you have developed an alcohol addiction, or already consider yourself an alcoholic, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), known for its authority in the fight against alcoholism, is hardly doing me a good service with its categorical statement:

“Alcoholism is a chronic disease for which there is no known cure.”

Unfortunately, this opinion enjoys the active support of many well-known medical specialists, the media and society as a whole. The belief that alcoholism is incurable is so deeply ingrained that I would not be offended if you threw this book in the trash without even opening it. But please don't do this. Many doctors do not share the views of AA and other similar organizations, but they are very reluctant to voice their objections on national television.

If you happen to be a member of A.A. or a similar organization, then in the twentieth year of your “cure” process, you may be surprised how I can write this book, on the one hand, denying the basis of the A.A. system, on the other, dedicating the book itself to this society. It's all about my deepest respect for this organization that has saved the sanity and lives of literally millions of alcoholics - people who were on the brink of despair, who had lost their jobs, friends, homes and families, who existed without a glimmer of hope or a shadow of self-respect. A.A. welcomes and supports such people regardless of their race, social status, religion or creed. Moreover, AA never criticizes or blames its members. Many of them attend meetings after particularly difficult days. The atmosphere in the dentist's waiting room will seem like a fun party compared to the atmosphere in the A.A. meeting room before the meeting begins. When they begin to tell their woeful stories, everyone's mood gradually changes: laughter is heard more and more often, now in this room everything really looks like a party - even without alcohol!

Although all these people are united by a common enemy, they often discuss issues that have nothing to do with alcohol at all and relate to the daily stresses and injustices that each of us must face, regardless of the presence or absence of alcohol addiction. I am truly so impressed by the support and real help that AA provides to alcoholics that I think it is time to organize an Anonymous Society for Problem Solvers that will operate on the principles of AA. I am sure that if such a society existed, many victims would be able to avoid the alcohol trap altogether.

One of the most deplorable consequences of alcoholism is that its victims are left penniless. Fairly wealthy people whose drinking situation has gotten out of control can go to rehab, but for the vast majority of alcoholics, AA is the only way to get effective help. So why do I question the core of AA's strategy: the idea that alcoholism is a disease for which there is no known cure?

So, the magic cure that all smokers have been waiting for has finally been found:

Instant

Effective also for heavy smokers

Without severe withdrawal pangs

Without exerting willpower

No shock therapy

Requires no aids or clever tricks

Does not lead to weight gain

Long-term

If you are a smoker, all you have to do is read.

If you are a non-smoker and you buy a book for someone you love, all you have to do is convince them to read it. If you cannot convince them, then read it yourself, and the last chapter will advise how you can convey the main idea of ​​​​the book to your loved ones, as well as how to keep your children from smoking. Don't be fooled by the fact that they hate smoking now. All the kids hate it until they get addicted themselves. The Dobraya Kniga publishing house published my book “How to Help a Teenager Quit Smoking.”

If you're expecting me to tell you about the terrible health risks that smokers face, or how they spend a fortune over the years of smoking, or how smoking is a vulgar, disgusting habit, and you you are a stupid, weak-willed mattress, then I must disappoint you. Such tactics have never helped me quit smoking myself, and if it could help you, you would have quit long ago.

My method, which I will henceforth call the “Easy Way,” works in a completely different way. You may find it difficult to believe some of what I am about to say. However, by the time you read this book, you will not only believe it, but you will even wonder how you were ever so brainwashed that you believed in something else. There is a common misconception that we ourselves make this choice - to smoke. Smokers no more decide to become smokers than alcoholics decide to become alcoholics, or heroin addicts decide to become drug addicts. Yes, it’s true, we decided to smoke our first test cigarettes. From time to time I decide to go to the cinema, but I certainly don't decide to spend many years in the cinema.

Please look back at your life. Have you ever made a conscious decision that at certain times in your life you would not be able to enjoy dinner or meeting friends without smoking? What if you can’t concentrate or cope with stress without a cigarette? At what stage of your life did you decide that you need cigarettes not only for social gatherings, but that you need to have them in your pocket all the time, or you will feel insecure and even panic?

You, like any other smoker, have been lured into the most terrible and ingenious trap that man and nature have invented together. There is not a single parent on the planet, smoker or non-smoker, who would like the idea of ​​their children smoking. This means that all smokers regret ever starting smoking: before becoming addicted to smoking, no one needs cigarettes to enjoy food or cope with stress.

At the same time, all smokers want to continue smoking. No one can force us to smoke; consciously or unconsciously, we make this decision ourselves. If there was a magic button that, by pressing it, smokers could wake up the next morning as if they had never lit their first cigarette, then the only smokers on earth would be teenagers still in the experimental stage. The only thing that keeps us from quitting smoking is FEAR!

Fear that on the path to freedom we will have to endure an indefinitely long period of suffering, deprivation and unsatisfied desires. Fear that without a cigarette, without this small support, neither food nor meeting with friends will ever bring us pleasure. Fear that we will never be able to concentrate, cope with stress, or have self-confidence. Fear that our personality and character will change. But most of all we are afraid that we have become slaves forever and will never be completely freed, but will spend the rest of our lives dreaming of an occasional cigarette. If you, like me, have once tried all the traditional methods of quitting smoking and gone through all the suffering of what I call the “willpower method,” then you are not only influenced by this fear, but you are also sure that you will never quit smoking. you won't be able to quit smoking.

If you are afraid, confused, or feel that now is not the right time to quit smoking, let me assure you that your fears and confusion are caused by fear. The same fear that is not removed with the help of cigarettes, but is only generated by them. After all, you didn’t make the decision to fall into the nicotine trap? But like all traps, it is designed so that you cannot escape from it. Ask yourself: when you experimentally lit your first cigarette, did you decide to become a smoker for the entire period of time that you have been smoking since then? So when are you going to quit? Tomorrow? Next year? Stop deceiving yourself! The trap is designed to keep you in it for life. What other reason do you think all other smokers don't quit before smoking kills them?

This book was first published by Penguin more than ten years ago, and has become a bestseller every year since. All these ten years I have been corresponding with readers. As follows from this correspondence, the effectiveness of the method exceeded my wildest expectations. In addition, reader letters have revealed two issues that concern me. Later I will dwell in more detail on the second of them, and the first follows from the letters I received. Here are typical examples:

“I did not believe the statements you made and I apologize for doubting you. It was very easy and pleasant - everything was as you said. I have given copies of your book to all my smoking friends and relatives, but I can’t understand why they don’t read it.”

“Eight years ago, a friend of mine who was a smoker gave me your book, but I only got around to reading it now. I only regret one thing: I wasted eight years.”

“I just finished reading The Easy Way. It's only been four days and I already feel so wonderful! I'm sure I'll never want to smoke again. I first started reading your book five years ago, got halfway through and panicked. I knew that if I continued reading, I would have to quit smoking. How stupid I was!”

No, this girl is not stupid at all. I already mentioned the magic button. My method works exactly the same. The “easy way” is not magic, but for me and hundreds of thousands of former smokers who have discovered how easy and pleasant it is to quit smoking, it looks like a real miracle!

And now a warning. The argument about the egg and the chicken applies to our situation. Every smoker wants to quit smoking, and every smoker can discover how easy and pleasant it is: only fear prevents them from trying to quit. Getting rid of this fear is the biggest gain. And vice versa: as in the case of the girl in the recent example, as you read the book, fear can grow and prevent you from reading it to the end.

Yes, you did not make the decision to fall into the trap, but in order to get out of it, you will have to make a decision. Perhaps you are already trying to take the reins and stop smoking, but fear overcomes you. Please remember the main thing: in any case, whatever path you choose, YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO LOSE!

Allen Carr

An easy way to quit smoking

Preface

So, the magic cure that all smokers have been waiting for has finally been found:

Instant

Effective also for heavy smokers

Without severe withdrawal pangs

Without exerting willpower

No shock therapy

Requires no aids or clever tricks

Does not lead to weight gain

Long-term

If you are a smoker, all you have to do is read.

If you are a non-smoker and you buy a book for someone you love, all you have to do is convince them to read it. If you cannot convince them, then read it yourself, and the last chapter will advise how you can convey the main idea of ​​​​the book to your loved ones, as well as how to keep your children from smoking. Don't be fooled by the fact that they hate smoking now. All the kids hate it until they get addicted themselves. The Dobraya Kniga publishing house published my book “How to Help a Teenager Quit Smoking.”

Warning

If you're expecting me to tell you about the terrible health risks that smokers face, or how they spend a fortune over the years of smoking, or how smoking is a vulgar, disgusting habit, and you you are a stupid, weak-willed mattress, then I must disappoint you. Such tactics have never helped me quit smoking myself, and if it could help you, you would have quit long ago.

My method, which I will henceforth call the “Easy Way,” works in a completely different way. You may find it difficult to believe some of what I am about to say. However, by the time you read this book, you will not only believe it, but you will even wonder how you were ever so brainwashed that you believed in something else. There is a common misconception that we ourselves make this choice - to smoke. Smokers no more decide to become smokers than alcoholics decide to become alcoholics, or heroin addicts decide to become drug addicts. Yes, it’s true, we decided to smoke our first test cigarettes. From time to time I decide to go to the cinema, but I certainly don't decide to spend many years in the cinema.

Please look back at your life. Have you ever made a conscious decision that at certain times in your life you would not be able to enjoy dinner or meeting friends without smoking? What if you can’t concentrate or cope with stress without a cigarette? At what stage of your life did you decide that you need cigarettes not only for social gatherings, but that you need to have them in your pocket all the time, or you will feel insecure and even panic?

You, like any other smoker, have been lured into the most terrible and ingenious trap that man and nature have invented together. There is not a single parent on the planet, smoker or non-smoker, who would like the idea of ​​their children smoking. This means that all smokers regret ever starting smoking: before becoming addicted to smoking, no one needs cigarettes to enjoy food or cope with stress.

At the same time, all smokers want to continue smoking. No one can force us to smoke; consciously or unconsciously, we make this decision ourselves. If there was a magic button that, by pressing it, smokers could wake up the next morning as if they had never lit their first cigarette, then the only smokers on earth would be teenagers still in the experimental stage. The only thing that keeps us from quitting smoking is FEAR!

Fear that on the path to freedom we will have to endure an indefinitely long period of suffering, deprivation and unsatisfied desires. Fear that without a cigarette, without this small support, neither food nor meeting with friends will ever bring us pleasure. Fear that we will never be able to concentrate, cope with stress, or have self-confidence. Fear that our personality and character will change. But most of all we are afraid that we have become slaves forever and will never be completely freed, but will spend the rest of our lives dreaming of an occasional cigarette. If you, like me, have once tried all the traditional methods of quitting smoking and gone through all the suffering of what I call the “willpower method,” then you are not only influenced by this fear, but you are also sure that you will never quit smoking. you won't be able to quit smoking.

If you are afraid, confused, or feel that now is not the right time to quit smoking, let me assure you that your fears and confusion are caused by fear. The same fear that is not removed with the help of cigarettes, but is only generated by them. After all, you didn’t make the decision to fall into the nicotine trap? But like all traps, it is designed so that you cannot escape from it. Ask yourself: when you experimentally lit your first cigarette, did you decide to become a smoker for the entire period of time that you have been smoking since then? So when are you going to quit? Tomorrow? Next year? Stop deceiving yourself! The trap is designed to keep you in it for life. What other reason do you think all other smokers don't quit before smoking kills them?

This book was first published by Penguin more than ten years ago, and has become a bestseller every year since. All these ten years I have been corresponding with readers. As follows from this correspondence, the effectiveness of the method exceeded my wildest expectations. In addition, reader letters have revealed two issues that concern me. Later I will dwell in more detail on the second of them, and the first follows from the letters I received. Here are typical examples:

“I did not believe the statements you made and I apologize for doubting you. It was very easy and pleasant - everything was as you said. I have given copies of your book to all my smoking friends and relatives, but I can’t understand why they don’t read it.”

“Eight years ago, a friend of mine who was a smoker gave me your book, but I only got around to reading it now. I only regret one thing: I wasted eight years.”

“I just finished reading The Easy Way. It's only been four days and I already feel so wonderful! I'm sure I'll never want to smoke again. I first started reading your book five years ago, got halfway through and panicked. I knew that if I continued reading, I would have to quit smoking. How stupid I was!”

The song doesn't say goodbye to you

- Mr. Carr! Dear Sir! I heard that you have helped many people overcome the harmful habit of smoking, which kills 2.5 million people every year...
– A monstrous figure, isn’t it? Imagine, every 30 years a cigarette kills more people than the Second World War did in its time. Just think...
- Yeah, Mr. Carr. I know you are a professional. You help everyone. And not only with smoking. I saw your books in Auchan: you convince people to stop drinking and eating.
– I have a lot of experience in overcoming addictions, but let’s not rush things, my dear. Better tell us what brought you here. If anything, here's the ashtray. Oh, do you have a Zippo? I see you are an experienced player.

This happened for the first time in the last preschool summer, when I was seven years old. My older brother and I sat on the roof of a large extension that served as a store and did absolutely nothing. I twirled the bamboo stick, wanting to master the sword fighting skills every man needs to be like Leo from Turtles. The brother carefully wrote a word on the wall with a marker. I think it was the word "sex". When the artistic efforts were completed, he took out a brown pack of Astra cigarettes without a filter. We started smoking. Still not knowing how to stop, I inhaled a decent portion of smoke - the tobacco bitterness burned my cheeks and tongue, my lungs began to beat like a frightened heart, trying to resist the first portion of tar, tobacco crumbs stuck to my teeth. He cleared his throat and spat. Next I smoked don't hesitate. The first cigarette made me cough for the rest of the day, which really scared me, and there was no pleasure at all - it was better to buy some chewing gum. I was sure that I would never smoke again.

– So I write in the book that smokers do not experience any pleasure. Deprive them of cigarettes and they will start smoking maple leaves or green tea. Still, I dare to suggest that it was not that unfortunate incident that brought you to me...
- Yes, of course not that one. Other cases.

Now I can't remember when I smoked for the second time. I know that this was the summer described by Truman Capote in Other Voices... when you realize that you are starting to grow up. Summer is like a farewell concert of your favorite band. My best friend and I smoked his Metro cigarettes on the school porch. Vovchik from the first entrance had a pack of Maxim, which we lit in the attic, contemplating the sleepy life of our city and listening to an audio player with a cassette of Bricks “Capitalism 00” on two headphones. I carried the red Bond Street with me: the price is average, the show-off is above average. I had a goal to try all the cigarettes on sale (I was driven by curiosity): from the nauseating Opal puff-and-fall to the luxurious multi-colored Sobranie cigarettes. me several times burned at home: sometimes they found a pack in my pocket, sometimes they detected it by smell, although I regularly rubbed my hands with nettles and carried black Halls with me. Then the geography department completely gave up on me at a parent meeting. Then I realized that smoking made me lie and get out, and I didn’t like it at all. I decided to never smoke again.

- Mr. Carr, I wanted to ask, is it okay that I talk so much about myself? After all, I’m writing a review of LiveLib, and this is not bullshit.
- That's right, my dear. You know, I specifically wrote the book in such a way that every reader would be its main character. After all, heroes are not afraid of obstacles like smoking. Moreover, I always said: quitting smoking is easy!
- This is true. Mark Twain also said: “It’s easy to quit smoking. I’ve quit a thousand times myself.”

I started smoking seriously and for a long time in my first year at university. At first, the cigarette was a pleasant addition to drinking, and then it became a common thing, an everyday insipid task. I became a real perfectionist smoker because I finally found your cigarettes, buying several packs at a time, and began to choose lighters to match the pack. My favorite was Kent. “Kent four, two packs, please, and a mint Orbit,” I would say to the phlegmatic saleswomen at the tobacco kiosks. After two years I tried to quit. I put a nicotine patch on my arm, but it gave me such a headache that I needed to smoke. After six months, I finally stopped, and this happiness lasted about four months. I hated myself, but I couldn’t do anything - drug addiction, however. For the opportunity to enjoy the smoke, I gladly paid with a perpetual runny nose, high blood pressure, shortness of breath, yellowed teeth and a feeling of inferiority. The latter especially hurt, while a new rosy-cheeked fascist appeared in the world - a fan of healthy lifestyle, a titan and an athlete. Over the years, cigarettes became completely disgusting, all chemicals - I rolled cigarettes for a while, but it didn’t last long. Preparations for escaping from this fucking Shawshank lasted more than a year. At first, the “four” turned into a “one,” then sometimes I began to screw filters bought at the pharmacy onto the cigarette to see how many tars didn’t get into me this time. I wanted to set an exact day for the escape, but it kept getting postponed. And this could have gone on forever if I hadn’t caught your book, Mr. Carr. You know, in Russia they have started to put pressure on smokers. It’s just that if the cop also fines me for smoking cigarettes, my proud heart won’t be able to withstand such shame. So it's time to run. This is the last cigarette. I decided to never smoke again.

- Well, that's good.