In many countries, statistical studies have not been conducted that would confirm the effectiveness of Allen Carr's methods. But perhaps every smoker has a friend who at least once recommended that he read the book "An Easy Way to Quit Smoking". She helped a lot. 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 hesitate to recommend to friends and acquaintances the work of the founder of the clinic "Easy Way".
What makes the method unique
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 “Easy Way to Stop Drinking” came out, many doubted. An avid smoker can 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-eighties, is universal for all types of addiction. So says one of the former patients of the clinic "Easy Way".
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 point of view. The author of The Easy Way to Quit Drinking was an opponent of accepted dogma. But he was not competing with Alcoholics Anonymous.
Allen Carr believes that alcoholism should not be counted among incurable diseases. Moreover, 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 in your hands. This is not so easy for someone who regularly drinks alcohol, but does not consider himself an alcoholic. But those who have realized that they are trapped and decided to read The Easy Way to Stop Drinking, will only have to carefully and thoughtfully read each chapter.
"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. During the reading, the illusion of a sincere friendly conversation is created.
The Easy Way to Stop Drinking genre 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 is like the illusion that alcohol relieves problems and relieves stress. Carr makes such comparisons 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. Often, addiction leads to loss of job, family and other serious problems.
It's not enough just to open Allen Carr's book. 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 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 that hate does not extend to addicts. "The drinker experiences pangs of conscience, and this prevents getting rid 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 captivity. Perhaps 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 drinkers find themselves is created by the prejudices prevailing in society. Often, doctors, trying to dissuade patients from drinking alcohol, gives a whole list of diseases that develop as a result of regular drinking. This is not the best way.
Yes, a drinking person 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, he will tear this terrible list into small pieces and throw it away.
Allen Carr gives an interesting example in his book. Imagine that the doctor came to the cell to Count Monte Cristo and, having examined 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. "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 drinking person do this? The problem is that he acts both as a prisoner and as a jailer.
In alcoholic 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 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 who drinks must eliminate the factors that interfere with limiting the amount of alcohol. One of these factors is the misconception that no holiday feast 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's novel.
- 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 beating yourself.
Benefits of alcohol
In his book, Allen Carr does not criticize alcohol so much as he tries to find its positive aspects. And he doesn't. Carr argues that the negative side of alcohol does not outweigh the positive. But he insists: drinking alcoholic beverages has no advantages. Alcohol systematically destroys 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 specificity of the method.
Stop deceiving yourself
All alcohol addicts 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 alcoholic trap, you must stop lying to yourself.
Allen Carr recommends that readers make two lists. In the first place the disadvantages of alcoholic intoxication. In the other, dignity. When compiling both the first and second lists, you need to be extremely honest with yourself.
Brainwashing
Anti-alcohol campaigns were carried out in different countries in the 20th century. Nevertheless, alcohol advertising has always been very effective. Alcohol gives pleasure, relaxes. There are many interesting topics for conversation.
Allen Carr argued that these are all misconceptions. He adhered to the same point of view when writing his first book, in which he argued that nicotine addiction is beneficial only to manufacturers of tobacco products. 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. One gets the impression that they are doing nothing but pumping themselves up with cheap whiskey.
Readers of the book can recall more than one comedy as an example. The heroes of popular films, being in alcoholic intoxication, do not lose their charm, and it happens that they even find themselves in funny situations that do not so much complicate life as 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 delusions to which we are accustomed from childhood and take for the truth.
Reviews
Oddly enough, readers of many countries speak positively about 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 the adherents of traditional methods of treatment, really works.