Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking: Over 20 Million Copies Sold

by Allen Carr

MAKE 2021 THE YEAR YOU QUIT SMOKING, WITH THE HELP OF ALLEN CARR

'It didn't take any willpower. I didn't miss it at all and I was free' Ruby Wax

Read this book and you'll never smoke another cigarette again.
__________

Allen Carr has discovered a method of quitting that will enable any smoker to stop, easily, immediately and permanently.

As the world's bestselling book on how to stop smoking and with over nine million copies sold worldwide, Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking is the one that really works.

THE unique method:
· No scare tactics
· No weight-gain
· The psychological need to smoke disappears as you read
· Feel great to be a non-smoker

Join the 25 million people that Allen Carr has helped stop smoking.

What have you got to lose?
__________

'Giving up smoking was one of the biggest achievements of my life. I read Allen Carr's book and would recommend it to anybody trying to kick the habit' Michael McIntyre

'Achieved for me a thing that I thought was not possible - to give up a thirty-year smoking habit literally overnight. It was nothing short of a miracle' Anjelica Huston

'Instantly I was freed from my addiction. I found it not only easy but unbelievably enjoyable to stay stopped' Sir Anthony Hopkins

Genres: Nonfiction

About the author

Allen Carr was a British author and the founder of the global Allen Carr’s Easyway method, renowned for helping millions overcome smoking and other addictions. Born in Putney, London in 1934, Carr began smoking at 18 during National Service and struggled with the habit for over three decades. A qualified accountant, he finally quit in 1983 following a revelatory visit to a hypnotherapist. The experience didn’t directly cause him to quit, but it led to two key insights: that smoking was simply a form of nicotine addiction, and that withdrawal symptoms were minor and psychological in nature. These revelations inspired Carr to develop a revolutionary approach to quitting, one that did not rely on willpower, scare tactics, or substitution therapies.
Carr’s philosophy centered on removing the smoker’s fear of giving up. He argued that smoking merely relieves withdrawal symptoms from the previous cigarette, and that the supposed satisfaction gained is merely a return to the non-smoker’s normal state. Through live seminars, books, and multimedia resources, the Easyway method encourages smokers to continue smoking while they reframe their beliefs, ultimately extinguishing their final cigarette with clarity and confidence.
In 1985, Carr published The Easy Way to Stop Smoking, which became a bestseller and was translated into more than 45 languages. The success of his London clinic led to the establishment of over 100 Easyway centers in 35 countries, offering seminars to treat smoking, alcohol dependency, sugar addiction, and even fear of flying. His method’s credibility was bolstered by independent clinical trials, including studies in Ireland and the UK which found it as effective—if not more so—than standard cessation methods. This led to its adoption by NHS-approved services in England.
A key element of the Easyway clinics is that all facilitators are former addicts who successfully quit using the method themselves. They must complete extensive training and become licensed members of the Association of Allen Carr Therapists International.
Throughout his career, Carr also co-authored a wide range of Easyway books addressing various addictions and behavioral issues, often collaborating with Robin Hayley and John C. Dicey, the current Chairman and Global CEO of Allen Carr’s Easyway. Dicey, whom Carr mentored, continues to lead the organization’s development and public outreach.
Carr died of lung cancer in 2006 at age 72, though he had not smoked for 23 years. He attributed his illness to second-hand smoke exposure during seminars. Before his death, he remained committed to his mission, challenging governmental ties to nicotine replacement industries and advocating for wider access to his method.
Carr’s legacy continues through his clinics, books, and online programs, which have reached over 50 million people worldwide. His message remains consistent: quitting is not a sacrifice—it’s liberation.

Reviews

[Anna]

what just happened to my life?

I’m done smoking. Is this some sort of witchcraft? Unbelievable book straight from another world. Read it if you want to quit!

[Shawna Szypniewski]

never thought words could make that kind of impression

Just a new, amazing way to look and think. Different then any other tactic we have ever seen. Yet so simple you probably thought of this at some point in your smoking career. I’m ready to try now!

Enjoy

[Hamad]

First of all, I'd completely skip chapter 1 and anything before that because it is just full of incessant begging, asking you not to throw the book away and it is so annoying I was almost tempted to refund the book.

Second of all, there's really nothing special about this book. It's not at all the magic button everyone praises it to be. IT IS a really good list of affirmations and statements repeated just enough times to make you want to smoke less, I'll give you that, but it doesn't contain a special message that no one's ever heard of, nor does it have instructions for some kind of demonic ritual that removes the desire to smoke from your brain. It's a fine read but I am dissatisfied with the way it was written. This book could've been summarized in like maybe 70-120 pages, but Allen thinks it's worth 3.5 hours of your life. No, man.

There's a lot of great points that it gets across very well so I'm not mad at the book itself. I'm mad at Allen for not being a better writer after 39 books in the series! And he wrote other books in between, so how do you justify 211 pages? I noticed a great deal of every chapter had a lot of repeated statements and filler in between, an unnecessary amount of promises and "please"s, a lot of sentences borrowed from chapters before and, the worst offender of them all, one of the chapters at the end of the book had an entire page shamelessly copy/pasted from a previous chapter with virtually no changes made to it. It's completely unacceptable.

What I did enjoy, though, was the few stories Allen wrote here about his friend, his marriage and his two example clients. I think I would've enjoyed this read a lot more if it had a bit more stuff like this, actual scenarios that have already happened that resonate with a lot of people. Even if you don't relate to any of said scenarios, you just can't help but feel second-hand embarrassment and shame for still smoking and it helps to keep the mindset needed to quit.

Negatives aside, again, it's not a bad book but it definitely doesn't respect your time. It did help cement a no-smoking mindset and I'll update this review in the future when I'm hopefully free of nicotine and have read it again.

[Nicholas Bader]

Overall this book offers a change of perspective on smoking by talking about what life was like before you started, and how nicotine only deprives you of that life. The change in perspective is actually very beneficial and I would recommend it to anyone who smokes based solely on that.

My only issue with it: the author very clearly does not understand how antidepressants work, or at least largely ignores how they work. I think he could have used the neuroscience, and his message, to make a much stronger and scientifically sound point. This is precisely why doctors say that you shouldn’t take medical advice from someone who isn’t a medical professional.

Towards the end of the book there’s a discussion about Wellbutrin that I would recommend you skip entirely. There is a lot of scientific merit to that method of quitting smoking that the author largely ignores and sort of condemns. Ultimately, some antidepressants work with some of the same neurotransmitters that some addictions do, and the author ignores that. The same is true about the author’s discussion of nicotine as a stimulant and an appetite suppressant, but to a lesser extent.

Nicotine is a stimulant and an appetite suppressant, and antidepressants can help reduce the side effects of withdrawals. People don’t necessarily use nicotine as a replacement for a meal, but instead nicotine can make people lose the urge to eat. This much is purely chemical. Wikipedia has great resources to show what neurotransmitters are acted upon by what chemicals and to what extent. A lot of dense information.

The author’s sentiment and overall point (i.e. they’re not miracle drugs) is still valid, but the points need context. Dismissing their merit is disinformation.

I would recommend, for more accurate information, anyone to consult an introductory psychology or neuropharmacology textbook. For a more entertaining read, The Neuroscience of You by Chantel Prat, a neuroscience professor, partly discusses antidepressants and neurotransmitters in a way that is digestible to a general audience, and written very cheerfully. She also discusses problems with the industry.

Overall, good read!

[Bunni]

You want to read this book!

Do not quit the book. That is not the thing you want to quit. Some things are repeated multiple times, but it is NECESSARY. You will remember it. This book provides a whole new way of thinking about smoking, and every bit of the book is worth it. Yesterday, I once again decided I want to quit. I’ve done this time and time again. I got online and found an app to track how long I haven’t smoked, and downloaded it.
I quit last night.
This morning, I picked up a brand new pack of smokes.
On the same website I found the app, I also leaned about this book. I decided, why not? I hesitated about spending the money, but I’m glad I did.
As I was reading and smoking (yes, I smoked. He tells you to keep smoking as you normally would until you finish the book. Wild!!)
I smoked 9 cigarettes today as I was reading that book. The more I read, the less I wanted to. As I started to understand why I smoke, and unraveled my own thoughts about it, the more I wanted to tackle this monster and got excited about living my life smoke-free. I smoked my 10th smoke for the day right after finishing the book, and I’m glad to say that nasty thing was my last. I’m so happy, and so excited to be a non-smoker. (Shh shh shh. Don’t speak, nicotine monster. Goodbye.)

[Sandi]

This book isn't a magic wand. It's basically CBT. It helps you to reframe how you view cigarettes and smoking.

I did quit smoking. While I did find the reframing helpful, I believe quitting was more due to the fact that I was at a place where I was really ready to quit. The book was just a helpful extra nudge in the right direction.

My biggest complaint about the book was how repetitive it was. I often found my mind wandering or skimming pages because I was so tired of reading the same thing over and over. Maybe the repetition is what helps some people?

I just want people to go into this book with a realistic view of what it is. Either way, I'm a non-smoker now, so I can't be mad at it.

[M B]

An easy read

So I had already quit smoking a couple weeks before picking this book up but it helped me realize a couple of things. The easy way is an easy read it's not going to tell you all the reasons to quit smoking which any smoker already knows. It's more about reframing how and what you think about cigarettes. Definitely worth a read if you're a smoker.

[Kat]

havent really craved a cigarette that badly let’s see how well i do

[David]

Not a smoker but interesting read. Tried applying it to gaming -- we'll see how it goes 😁😁

[Ross Connell]

Nearly a year on and I'm still not back at the old habit. The most phenomenal thing, is that it was easy!

[Christine]

I quit! 29 years of smoking and I just quit. 3 months out and very grateful. Was not hard at all!