In many countries, no statistical studies have been conducted that would confirm the effectiveness of Allen Carr's methods. But perhaps every smoker has a friend who at least once advised him to read the book "An Easy Way to Quit Smoking". It helped a lot. Less popular is The easiest way to quit drinking. The subject of alcohol addiction is a very delicate one. Not everyone who has managed to overcome it will not hesitate to recommend to friends and acquaintances the work of the founder of the "Easy Way" clinic.
Because the method is unique
Quitting smoking is no easier than climbing Everest. But Allen Carr - the creator of a unique technique - managed to refute this myth. When the book "Easy Way to Stop Drinking" came out, many doubted. A heavy smoker may hold a cigarette in his hand and read, gradually imbued with thoughts about the dangers of nicotine. However, it is difficult to imagine a person in severe intoxication enthusiastically studying the book "An Easy Way to Stop Drinking".
Interestingly, Carr's method, first used in the fight against smoking and then published in the mid-1980s, is universal for all types of addiction. So says one of the former patients of the "Easy Way" clinic.
The disease is easy to defeat
Alcoholism is a chronic disease that cannot be eliminated. Remission is possible, complete cure is not. Many doctors adhere to this view. The author of The Easy Way to Quit Drinking was an opponent of accepted dogma. But it wasn't competing with Alcoholics Anonymous.
Allen Carr believes that alcoholism should not be counted as an incurable disease. Furthermore, he believed that it was possible to get rid of this ailment in just four hours, if you undergo a treatment session at his clinic. With Allen Carr's book, The Easy Way to Stop Drinking, the addict can overcome it. But first of all, you need to find the strength to take this book into your own hands. This isn't that easy for someone who regularly drinks alcohol, but doesn't consider himself an alcoholic. But for those who have realized they are trapped and have decided to read The Easy Way to Quit Drinking, they just have to read each chapter carefully and carefully.
"Carnivorous plant"
This is the title of one of the chapters of The Easy Way to Stop Drinking. We will not retell the contents of the book here. Here are the most interesting points. Positive reviews of Allen Carr's book The Easy Way to Stop Drinking often say that the author's style is light and relaxed. There are no strict guidelines. While reading, the illusion of sincere friendly conversation is created.
The easiest way to stop drinking is psychological counseling. The author jokingly calls his book a detective. After all, we are talking about an addiction that kills a person.
Carnivorous plant - trap for small insects. It's like the delusion that alcohol relieves problems and relieves stress. Carr makes these comparisons in his book The Easy Way to Stop Drinking.
One of the author's goals is to help readers get rid not only of addiction, but also of shame. Every person who suffers from an irresistible craving for alcohol, at least once in their life, has found themselves in an absurd situation. Often, addiction leads to the loss of work, family and other serious problems.
Opening Allen Carr's book is not enough. The main thing is to admit that there is a problem - the craving for alcohol, from which you do not have enough strength to get rid of yourself. But Allen Carr's book is also worth reading for those who rarely drink, "on the big holidays". This is a kind of prevention, a short course that will allow you not to make mistakes in the future.
Carr writes: "I hate the word alcoholic, but this hatred does not extend to drug addicts. "The drinker experiences pangs of conscience and this interferes with the elimination of the craving for alcohol. Carr presents the information very correctly. And this is an important advantage of his book.
In captivity
Alcohol addiction is imprisonment. Perhaps everyone will agree with this interpretation. But Allen Carr's technique is quite unusual. The author of The Easy Way to Quit argues that the prison in which the drinkers find themselves is created by the prevailing prejudices in society. Often, doctors, trying to dissuade patients from drinking alcohol, provide a whole list of diseases that develop as a result of regular consumption. This is not the best way.
Yes, a person who drinks can compile a list of terrible ailments and look at it every time he wants to take a sip. But sooner or later, and this is what happens in most cases, it will tear this terrible list apart and throw it away.
Allen Carr gives an interesting example in his book. Imagine that the doctor came to Count Montecristo's cell and, after having visited the prisoner, said to him: "Being here does not reflect in the best way on your health, you should get out of here, or at least go out into the fresh air more often". Montecristo already knows that being in prison will lead to nothing good. Such advice is stupid and useless. The prisoner in the novel will eventually come out of his prison. But can a person who drinks do it? The problem is that he acts both as a prisoner and as a jailer.
In the alcoholic the alcoholic seeks relief from problems. When he realizes that the drunkenness has gone too far, he cannot decide to fight it.
Doctors say that it is impossible to get rid of alcoholism and that the path to remission is long, difficult and also negatively affects the psyche and well-being. The drinker is held captive by the prejudices generated by society.
Allen Carr's rules
There are three simple things to understand to get rid of an addiction:
- The person drinking must eliminate the factors that interfere with limiting the amount of alcohol. One such factor is the misconception that no holiday party will take place without alcohol.
- Trying to limit the amount of alcohol drunk by thinking about its harm, a person finds himself in the same reliable prison as the prisoner in Dumas' novel.
- The last thing an alcoholic wants to hear is how pathetic and unhappy he is. To get rid of the addiction, you need to stop berating yourself.
Benefits of alcohol
In his book, Allen Carr does not criticize alcohol as much as he tries to find its positive aspects. And it doesn't. Carr argues that the negative side of alcohol doesn't outweigh the positive. But he insists: drinking alcohol has no advantages. Alcohol systematically destroys will and dignity. It has no other effects. In the book, released in 1985, the author does not insist on urgently quitting smoking. Allen Carr did the same when he wrote about alcoholism. He did not recommend limiting the amount of alcoholic beverages while reading. This is the specificity of the method.
Stop fooling yourself
All alcoholics lie. Not because they are dishonest. We can say that this is one of the symptoms of alcoholism. Furthermore, people who drink lie not only to others, but to themselves as well. To get out of the alcohol trap, you need to stop lying to yourself.
Allen Carr advises readers to make two lists. In the first place the disadvantages of alcohol intoxication. In the other, dignity. When filling out both the first and second lists, you need to be extremely honest with yourself.
Brainwashing
Anti-alcohol campaigns were conducted in several countries in the 20th century. However, alcohol advertising has always been very effective. Alcohol is pleasant and relaxing. There are many interesting topics for conversation.
Allen Carr argued that these are all misconceptions. He adhered to the same view when he wrote his first book, in which he argued that nicotine addiction is only beneficial to tobacco product manufacturers. When it comes to alcohol advertising, Allen Carr cites American westerns as an example. The heroes of these films spend most of their time in bars. One gets the impression that they are just pumping themselves with cheap whiskey.
Readers of the book may recall more than one play as an example. Heroes of popular films, being intoxicated with alcohol, do not lose their charm, and it happens that they also find themselves in funny situations that do not complicate life as much as they solve a number of problems. The question arises: “What then is the harm of alcohol? ” The basis of the Allen Carr method lies in the rejection of the disappointments we are accustomed to since childhood and which we believe in the truth.
Reviews
Strangely enough, readers in many countries speak positively of the British author's book. These reviews confirm that the method developed by a man who was considered a scammer and a scammer in his homeland in the 1990s by adherents of traditional treatment methods actually works.