The Easy Way to Stop Smoking

I don't normally leave reviews, but this book deserves all the reviews it can get. This is kind of long, but I felt the need to say everything I've left in this review. If you want to skip my "smoker story" leading up to the book, scroll down to where it says "The point of this review." I've tried quitting cigarettes for years, even though I didn't want to quit at all, because of knowing I needed to, or because I was sick of the price going up. I am 26 years old and I have smoked 3 packs a day, sometimes four packs a day, since I was 19. I simply tried ONE little cigar the day I turned 18 because I was old enough to legally buy one and a lottery ticket. Well, I lost on the $10 lottery ticket and developed a nasty habit for the next few years. I smoked cigars for the first year, then switched to cigarettes a little before or after I turned 19. I loved them. I honestly enjoyed every second of smoking and my friends would laugh because you would NEVER see me without a sweet tea and a cigarette in my hand. My cigarettes of choice were either the non-filtered Lucky Strikes or Camels, as I always thought the non-filters had a much better "throat hit," flavor, and were just "classic." I defended smoking more than anyone I knew. Even when my dad developed lung cancer after 50 years of smoking 3 packs a day, I would say "Well, I know of people who died of lung cancer who never smoked," or "I know of people who died of complications normally caused by alcohol who never drank," which is TRUE, and I wasn't making it up, so I believed very strongly in what I was saying. We all die eventually, so why not smoke away, right? That was my attitude for years. (For the record, my father was lucky enough to have the cancer found in it's earliest stages, so they removed half of his right lung and had to perform heart surgery as well. He is alive, but has severe COPD and it kills me to watch him run out of breath so easily.) For me, the biggest reason to quit was because of the ridiculous smoking bans everywhere. I live in South Carolina, where it's not so bad, but I travel to New York and New Jersey every week for work, and every time I lit up, I felt like I was about to be fined or lectured by a stranger. My band played a show one night in Georgia and there was a sign on the front of the club that read "No smoking within 250 feet of building." 250 feet!? Obviously someone hated smoking enough to put that sign up, because there was a four lane highway exactly 250 feet in front of the entrance...hardy har, guys. On top of that, my girlfriend constantly told me I smelled like an ashtray. When I was single, my friends who didn't smoke would say "Doesn't it bother you to smell like smoke all the time?" and I would say "Who am I trying to impress?" Don't get me wrong, I wasn't a jerk who would light up around someone who honestly just couldn't handle cigarette smoke, I would always make an effort to distance myself enough from non-smokers to not be a problem, but after a while, it started to feel ridiculous. Long after it started to annoy me, I continued to smoke. I purchased an electronic cigarette. That worked for a little while, but eventually, I was back on the real smokes. This happened several times on and off, as the electronic cigarettes just never satisfied me the same way a real one did. I even bought some of the really nice, expensive e-cigs, as they ARE much better than the cheap ones (if you've considered it, NEVER buy the cheap gas station disposables, those things are a complete waste of money.) Anyway... So at this point, I feel like I'm out of options. The e-cigs don't cut it for me, I refuse to dip, and I've tried the nicotine gum, patch, lozenges. I don't want to try the pills because the side effects are terrible (quit smoking and develop depression or anger issues? No thanks.) I had quit as a new years resolution 4 years in a row, but always started back after a few days or weeks. At this point, I decided I would be a smoker for life. And sadly, I was okay with that. But then, I heard about this book. I bought the book for around the price I would pay for 2 packs of my beloved Luckies and had no real belief that it would help me quit. If all the other options didn't work, why would a book? But it was worth a shot. ******The POINT of this review!******* I got the book. I bought what I hoped were my "last" 2 packs of smokes (how many times have we all done that? Our "last" pack?) I got a pack of Lucky Strikes and a pack of Camel non-filters. Before I even started the book, I lit up. The main reason I even picked this book was because it said you could smoke while reading it. Go figure. As I'm getting into the book, the ash tray is piling up and my hopes are running high. The more I read, the more I "get it." I start to realize things I never thought of. I start to realize that maybe I WASN'T enjoying the cigarettes the way I thought I was, that maybe they weren't truly relieving my stress, maybe it was all in my head as a smoker. Before I even finish the book, I feel like I'm on my way to being free. I can't begin to describe how he breaks it down because I've never heard anyone else explain it the way Allen Carr does. He doesn't try to "scare" you out of smoking, that doesn't work, or at least it never did for me. He doesn't try to convince you by telling you it's expensive and nasty, we all know that. He breaks down the psychology behind why we smoke and why we THINK we are loving every minute of it, why we defend it, why we are willing to go to the grave with it. One of my favorite parts was when he talked about how he had decided he would rather live the shorter, "sweeter" life of the smoker who enjoys his simple pleasures rather than the longer life of someone who doesn't smoke but doesn't get to have as much fun. It hit the nail on the head. If you are trying to quit, have tried and failed, or are simply thinking about giving it a shot, please buy this book. From a former smoker (I never thought I would call myself that) to anyone who reads this and smokes, I promise you, it feels so good to know you can be free. You might not even feel like you need to be "free" from anything, you may love every cigarette you smoke, but give this book a shot. I honestly believe with all my heart that this guy was a genius. Now, I will get to my only disappointment with the book. I have to say, I was really, really bummed when I got done with the book and smoked my last cigarette, only to find out I couldn't thank Allen Carr myself. Unfortunately, he passed away several years ago, and even as someone who had never even heard of the guy until a few days before buying the book, I was actually pretty sad when I found out. I will never get to thank the man who helped me get rid of this habit I "enjoyed" for so many years. To everyone who purchased the book and quit as easily as I did, congratulations! To those who may still struggle with it, keep trying, I PROMISE it's worth it!

Bottom line, this book did exactly what it said it would do for me. It made quitting my nicotine habit easy! And it worked for my 87 year old dad who has been smoking, although fairly moderately, since - OMG, before I was born for sure, but probably since the 1940s! Amazing! Long story short, I had a nicotine habit that I developed on and off since the 1970s, but that turned into a real addiction. I had quit using willpower several times for up to 18 months, but always started again. I was finally able to quit smoking by substituting vaporizing several years ago. Sadly, I ended up vaping more than I had ever smoked and decided it was a real health problem for me. Someone had mentioned this book to me on Facebook a few years back, so I looked it up on Amazon. There are so many used copies out there it is super cheap to buy the used paperback version from Amazon. I ended up buying the hardcover edition with the CDs from England, but after using this book to assist me in successfully stopping nicotine, I am pretty sure any edition would have worked. If you are short on cash, get the lowest cost paperback. Whichever edition you get, if you really want to quit smoking, I think it is very likely this will help you. A quick note on the writing style. From page 1, I noticed that the author is not a professional writer. His writing is clear direct, and unpolished. He is not really a very good writer. He tends to repeat himself more than is considered consistent with good writing. You should ignore this and just read what he's written. I think that direct style with what feels like excessive repetition is part of the reason it works so well. I suspect there is some psychological technique at work here, whether hypnosis or something, that makes this system so successful where others fail so often. It is also true that his observations, though unconventional, are convincing. Highly recommended. get this book. Read it. Stop using nicotine!

I enjoyed this book and I think it will help me quit vaping. However, the writing was poor and repetitive.

This book works, no doubt about it. These words will change the way you view your habit/addiction and help you change your life! Just be aware that despite the recent update to the text, this book is not free from antiquated sexism. The author assumes harmful stereotypes about women, like women are "bored housewives" and women won't go out in public without makeup/hair done. Male pronouns are used consistently throughout the text, giving an overall impression that this book is for men only. When women are discussed at all it is generally in the context of being pregnant, raising children, running the household, looking beautiful, being graceful, etc. It appears the "For Women" version of the book is even worse in that regard, and the fact that a separate book for women even exists should give you some idea of the mindset we are dealing with. Beyond this the book is extremely repetitive, to the point that sometimes I even wondered if my Kindle malfunctioned (it did not), but the points brought up again and again were good ones and perhaps worth repeating.

This is my first Amazon review (and only probably, I usually don't write reviews), I just had to share my experience and tell others that this book and method really does work. I have smoked and used other nicotine products like snus (used A LOT of nicotine i.e very high doses as well for years) since I was 12 years old (I am not 41) and I have stopped many many times, probably around 25-30 times where I did a serious stop for a longer period of at least a couple of weeks (longest stop was 1.5 years) but I always seemed to fall into the trap again somehow. This is the first time in my life where I feel completely free of my nicotine addiction and it's all thanks to this book (couple of months free not but I have made a big shift inside my head in some way, can't explain it but I feel it). What this book did for me that all other things I tried failed to do was change or eliminate my brainwashing around nicotine addiction and why I used nicotine and now I feel no urge to ever start again, I even feel a deep emotional resolve to NEVER EVER pick it up again and that has not happened before when I tried stopping. Do yourself a favor and buy this book and study it thoroughly and trust the method, it really does work.

This $10 investment paired with the 6 hours of my time to listen to it saved my life. Never, in a million years would I have thought something this simple could change my life this dramatically. I would (and do) recommend reading or listening to this book anyone who wants to quit, even if you are 100% convinced you won’t stop, just take the time to listen to this audiobook! I’ve been telling myself for years I needed to quit but never could do it, so going into it I had the mind set I likely wouldn’t be able to, but it was worth a shot and seriously, I am still in shock at how easy it was to smoke my last cigarette and never look back. I was a smoker for 13 years and this has been the only method that has worked for me to quit. I promise if you pay attention to each chapter and listen or read all the way through the book it will surprise you too at how easy it is! As Mr. Carr repeatedly states in the book “YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO LOSE!” **UPDATE 10/2022: ITS BEEN OVER 3 YEARS SINCE MY REVIEW AND I AM STILL SMOKE FREE! I HAVEN’T SMOKED A SINGLE CIGARETTE, TOBACCO OR NICOTINE PRODUCT SINCE MARCH 2019!! Seriously, just buy the book or audiobook!

This is my first review. I just wanted to add my thoughts on this book. I spent 5 years smoking daily and three of them feeling horrible about myself for not being able to quit. I wanted nothing more than to stop. This caused a lot of stress in my life that slowly accumulated and made me feel like I did not have full control of the choices in my life. I would then comfort myself by having a smoke. When i read this book I understood the content and i quit smoking as a result - for about a month, I was free. A year went by and i still desperately wanted to quit. I re-read the book and this time the message got through. I had my last cigarette and that was it. No willpower, no intense cravings. This is a text that will, if you remain open to its teachings, make a powerful effort in setting you on the path of reprogramming your subconscious mind and ultimately dispel the belief you have deep within you, that you somehow need, want to or enjoy inhaling smoke. You will truly be free when that finally clicks for you. Reading this book over and over until it does would be my advice as an ex-smoker. I am writing this for you, because I know how you feel and where you are at and I want you to understand that you are capable of breaking the illusion that you have a special bond with inhalation of smoke caused by the burning of leafs. Thats what it is; leafs burning. So I wish you not luck, because luck has nothing to do with it. I instead wish you assertion in your own ability. A truly amazing tool to start your journey is via this book. Don't fear giving up your best friend but rather see it for what it is and enjoy STARTING your new chapter. Peace out - Oliver 25, Sweden

Just litterally finished the book. I got it recommended by a post.doc brain scientist(believe it or not) who like me had tried everything until he read this book and it worked for him. In the negative comments you actually see a lot of the inner arguments you give yourself. Yes I agree with a lot of them that it is very self-praising and repetitive, and he's not an author so the language obviously isn't so. He says that too - if you don't have the mindset or ready to stop - then don't read it now and come back once you are. HOWEVER - I can relate to a lot of what he writes and he points out numerous times the he was an accountant. And yes he might have made money on this - I would have too if I was him, and he has apparently helped a lot of people. I bought it the 24th of July and finished by evening the 25th as I write this review. Therefore I can't yet tell you if it worked for me and I will update this review if it doesn't but what I can say is this: - I have smoked avg. 20 cigarettes a day since I was 14(now 29) making it 15 years roughly. - I have tried the national hotlines, doctors appointments, nicotine patches, vaping and so on. - Out of all the above attempts none of them worked for more than a week or two. - Now though - I am more motivated than ever to give it a try, a serious one at that and genuinely feel that this book has given me a completely different view on how to give this a serious attempt. Good luck quitting out there! I will let you know if I fall back into the trap - wish me luck!

The best book I’ve ever purchased; 2 and half years after finishing the book and I haven’t even thought about smoking. And I will never smoke again.

Amazing I was recommended this book. Wish I had of known years ago. Once you get through the first few chapters it just clicks. What have you got to lose just reading it !!!

This book is absolutely incredible- smoking for 15 years. The only way I can explain it is, it sort of explains your want/need for it and how we make ourselves smoke. I remembered that I smoked to fit in with my peers and some how thinking of all this because of the book it really worked. It’s been incredible and (no bs) super easy. I feel incredible, no cravings, nothing! If you’re ready to stop, truly! GET THIS BOOK, read it! You will not regret it!

Excellent book, it stopped me smoking

I can’t believe how easy it was to stop. While reading the first few chapters I got scared because I thought that, for some reason, this method wouldn’t work on me; fast forward to few hours later, I hadn’t even reached half of the book that I extinguished my last cigarette, and haven’t smoked since, nor I have had any cravings whatsoever! It’s so mind blowing to me that an addiction that ruined my mood, lungs and wallet for 2 years was gone basically in the blink of an eye. I can’t recommend this book enough, so if you or a loved one do smoke, do yourselves a favor and buy it.