Allen Carr's book "An easy way to stop drinking": genre, content, reviews

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

In Russia, there were no statistical studies that would confirm the effectiveness of Allen Carr's methods. But perhaps every smoker has a friend who at least once recommended him to read the book "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking." She helped many. Less popular is The Easy Way to Stop Drinking. The topic of alcohol addiction is very sensitive. Not everyone who managed to overcome it will not be embarrassed to recommend to friends and acquaintances the work of the founder of the Easy Way clinic.

What is the uniqueness of the method

Quitting smoking is no easier than climbing Mount Everest. But Allen Carr, the creator of a unique technique, managed to refute this myth. When the book “The Easy Way to Stop Drinking” came out, many doubted. A heavy smoker can hold a cigarette in his hand and read, graduallyimbued with thoughts about the dangers of nicotine. However, it is difficult to imagine a person in severe intoxication, enthusiastically studying the book "The Easy Way to Stop Drinking."

Interestingly, the Carr method, first used in the fight against smoking and then published in the mid-eighties, is universal for all types of addiction. So says one of the former patients of the Easy Method clinic.

Illness is easy to beat

Alcoholism is a chronic disease that cannot be cured. Remission is possible, complete cure is not. This view is shared by many physicians. The author of The Easy Way to Quit Drinking was an opponent of the generally accepted dogma. But he didn't compete with Alcoholics Anonymous.

Reviews of Allen Carr's compatriots "An easy way to stop drinking" may differ from the opinion of Russian-speaking readers. In the post-Soviet space, alcoholism has always had a wider scale than in Europe and America. Therefore, the means of getting rid of it should be more effective.

Allen Carr believes that alcoholism cannot be classified as an incurable disease. Moreover, he believed that you can get rid of this disease in just four hours if you undergo a treatment session in his clinic. With the help of Allen Carr's book "The Easy Way to Quit Drinking", a person suffering from addiction will be able to overcome it. But first of all, you need to find the strength in yourself to take this book in your hands. This is not so easy for someone who systematically drinks alcohol, but does not consider himself an alcoholic. But for those who realizetrapped and decided to read The Easy Way to Stop Drinking, all that remains is to carefully and thoughtfully read each chapter.

Carnivorous Plant

This is the name of one of the chapters of The Easy Way to Stop Drinking. The contents of the book will not be recounted here. Let's take a look at the most interesting moments. Positive reviews of Allen Carr's book The Easy Way to Stop Drinking often state that the author's style is light and laid-back. There are no strict instructions. While reading, the illusion of a heart-to-heart friendly conversation is created.

The genre of "Easy way to stop drinking" is a psychological consultation. The author jokingly calls his book a detective story. After all, we are talking about addiction that kills a person.

Carnivorous plant - a trap for small insects. It is like the illusion that alcohol frees you from problems and relieves stress. Such comparisons are made by Carr in his book The Easy Way to Stop Drinking.

One of the author's goals is to help readers get rid of not only addiction, but also shame. Every person suffering from an irresistible craving for alcohol, at least once in his life, found himself in an absurd situation. Addiction often leads to job loss, family loss, and other serious problems.

It's not enough just to open a book by Allen Carr. The main thing is to recognize the existence of a problem: craving for alcohol, which you don’t have enough strength to get rid of on your own. But Allen Carr's book is also worth reading for those who rarely drink, "on major holidays." ita kind of prevention, a small course that will allow you not to make mistakes in the future.

Carr writes, "I hate the word alcoholic, but that hate doesn't extend to addicts." A drinking person experiences pangs of conscience, and this prevents getting rid of cravings for alcohol. Carr presents the information very correctly. And this is an important advantage of his book.

In captivity

Alcohol addiction is captivity. Probably everyone will agree with this interpretation. But Allen Carr's technique is rather unusual. The author of The Easy Way to Quit argues that the prison in which drunk people find themselves is created by the prejudices that prevail in society. Often doctors, trying to dissuade patients from drinking alcohol, cite a whole list of diseases that develop as a result of regular drinking. This is not the best way.

Yes, a drinker can make a list of terrible ailments and look through it every time the desire arises to sip. But sooner or later, as it happens in most cases, he will tear this terrible list into small pieces and throw it away.

In his book, Allen Carr gives an interesting example. Imagine that a doctor appeared in the cell to the Count of Monte Cristo and, after examining the prisoner, said to him: “Staying here is not the best way for your he alth, you should get out of here, or at least go out into the fresh air more often.” Monte Cristo already knows that being in prison will not lead to anything good. Such advice is stupid and useless. The prisoner in the novel will eventually get out of his dungeon. But can a drunk person do it? The problem is that he acts as both a prisoner and a jailer.

In alcohol, an alcoholic seeks relief from problems. When he realizes that drunkenness has gone too far, he cannot decide to fight it. Doctors say that it is impossible to get rid of alcoholism, and the path to remission is long, difficult, and it also negatively affects the psyche and well-being. The drunk person is in captivity of the prejudices generated by society.

Allen Carr Rules

To get rid of addiction, you need to understand three simple things:

1. The drinking person must eliminate the factors that prevent him from limiting the amount of alcohol. One of these factors is the misconception that no festive feast will take place without alcohol.
2. Trying to limit the amount of alcohol drunk by thinking about its harm, a person finds himself in the same safe prison as the prisoner in Dumas' novel.
3. The last thing an alcoholic wants to hear is how pathetic and unhappy he is. In order to get rid of addiction, you need to stop reproaching yourself.

Benefits of alcohol

In his book, Allen Carr does not so much criticize alcohol as he tries to find its positive aspects. And he doesn't find it. Carr argues that the negatives of alcohol do not outweigh the positives. But insists: the use of alcoholicdrinks has no benefits. Alcohol systematically destroys the will and dignity. It has no other effect. In the book, which was published in 1985, the author does not insist on urgent smoking cessation. Allen Carr did the same when he wrote about alcoholism. He did not recommend limiting the amount of alcoholic drinks while reading. This is the specifics 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. Moreover, drinking people lie not only to others, but also to themselves. In order to get out of the alcohol trap, you must stop lying to yourself.

Allen Carr encourages readers to make two lists. In the first place the disadvantages of alcohol intoxication. In the other - dignity. When compiling both the first and second list, you need to be extremely honest with yourself.

Brainwashing

In the 20th century, anti-alcohol campaigns were carried out in different countries. However, liquor advertising has always been very effective. Alcohol is pleasurable and relaxing. There are many interesting topics for conversation.

Allen Carr claimed it was all a delusion. He adhered to the same point of view when writing his first book, in which he argued that nicotine addiction is beneficial only to tobacco manufacturers. When it comes to alcohol advertising, Allen Carr cites American westerns as an example. The heroes of such films spend most of their time in bars. Createdthey seem to do nothing but pump themselves up with cheap whiskey.

Russian-speaking readers can remember more than one Soviet or Russian comedy as an example. Heroes of popular films, while intoxicated, do not lose their charm, and it happens that they even get into funny situations that not only complicate life, but solve a number of problems. The question arises: “What then is the harm of alcohol?” The basis of the Allen Carr method is to reject the delusions that we get used to from childhood and accept as truth.

Reviews

Oddly enough, readers in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine respond positively to the book by the British author. These reviews confirm that the method, developed by a man who was considered a scammer and a swindler in his homeland back in the 90s by adherents of traditional methods of treatment, really works.