# Quitting smoking with a book? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 9, 2014, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quitting-smoking-with-a-book/685701 "2014-04-09T10:39:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![highrollinwooded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/71c47a/32.png) [@highrollinwooded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/highrollinwooded)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quitting-smoking-with-a-book/685701/1 "2014-04-09T10:39:15Z")
Have any SD’ers/former smokers quit smoking by using Allen Carrs book “Easy way to quit smoking”? I am trying like crazy to quit, and came across reviews of this book. The reviews for it are overwhelmingly positive. Would appreciate any feedback…thanks!! ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quitting-smoking-with-a-book/685701/2 "2014-04-09T10:46:19Z")
I used a different boo [How to Stop Smoking and Stay Stopped for Good](http://www.amazon.com/Stop-Smoking-Stay-Stopped-Good/dp/0091917034) by Gillian Riley. First time I attempted it using her method I was successful. I found the process entirely painless. I gather it is much like Carr’s. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quitting-smoking-with-a-book/685701/3 "2014-04-09T11:40:02Z")
I did, and in fact, read a recommendation on this board for it. I can’t recommend it highly enough. There are a lot of different ways to quit smoking - this was just one way that really clicked with me. I’ve given my copy away, otherwise I’d send it to you. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quitting-smoking-with-a-book/685701/4 "2014-04-09T11:45:03Z")
I know half a dozen people who read the book and never smoked again! And that was people over forty who had smoked over a decade! Count me a believer! ---
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quitting-smoking-with-a-book/685701/5 "2014-04-09T11:57:52Z")
Yep, it helped me completely rethink. Back in the day - like a lot of people - I smoked ‘because I enjoyed it’. On that, Alan Carr provided the BOOM! moment. I probably wouldn’t have got there myself. Obv. you still have to do the work, iirc he just gets your head in the place to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quitting-smoking-with-a-book/685701/6 "2014-04-09T12:18:17Z")
Yep! Been a non-smoker now for five and a half years thanks to that book. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quitting-smoking-with-a-book/685701/7 "2014-04-09T18:25:50Z")
I read it several times and it did nothing for me. I seem to be in the minority though. ---
**Author:** ![MostlyUseless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MostlyUseless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyUseless)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quitting-smoking-with-a-book/685701/8 "2014-04-09T18:41:55Z")
Actually, you can save yourself quite a bit of money since ANY book will work to stop smoking. Simply have someone follow you around and the second you touch a cigarette, have them smack you in the head with a book…preferably an Encyclopedia Britanica. Problem solved…no reading required.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lurking\_Quahog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lurking_quahog/32/21274_2.png) [@Lurking\_Quahog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lurking_Quahog)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quitting-smoking-with-a-book/685701/9 "2014-04-09T19:09:04Z")
Count me as a beliver, too. It really helps you to get into the right frame of mind to quit. But it might make you feel silly for falling for the cigarette companies’ crap for as long as you did. Worth the price of the book, but I borrowed one from my local library. ---
**Author:** ![Fleetwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fleetwood/32/271_2.png) [@Fleetwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fleetwood)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quitting-smoking-with-a-book/685701/10 "2014-04-11T15:33:47Z")
> [@MostlyUseless](#): > > Actually, you can save yourself quite a bit of money since ANY book will work to stop smoking. Simply have someone follow you around and the second you touch a cigarette, have them smack you in the head with a book…preferably an Encyclopedia Britanica. Problem solved…no reading required.🙂 Just what I envisioned when reading the thread title. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quitting-smoking-with-a-book/685701/11 "2014-04-11T16:54:03Z")
Carr’s book worked for me too. It was ridiculously easy, and I was really surprised. Stupidly, three years after quitting I started smoking again. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quitting-smoking-with-a-book/685701/12 "2014-04-11T17:55:02Z")
It’s basically a pop version of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which does have a reasonably good track record. It doesn’t give you the advantage of bouncing your thoughts off a good therapist or process group, but it’s a whole lot cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quitting-smoking-with-a-book/685701/13 "2014-04-11T18:10:21Z")
I totally recommend cold turkey. > **[Quit Smoking Cold Turkey!](https://whyquit.com/joel/Joel_03_02_cold_turkey.html)** > > Why cold turkey? It's fast, safe, free and generates more successful ex-smokers than all other quitting methods combined. I tried it and quit for a month. In a nutshell: if you try cutting down, you put yourself into a withdrawal cycle that gets worse and worse every cigarette you cut down. If you quit cold turkey, you get nicotine withdrawal for about 2 days, and then after that it’s purely psychological. If you avoid trigger situations, you’ll be completely free of smoking after about 2 weeks. I started smoking again because of work. I quit that job and hope to quit smoking again. ---
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quitting-smoking-with-a-book/685701/14 "2014-04-11T20:32:23Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > I totally recommend cold turkey. > I started smoking again because of work. I quit that job and hope to quit smoking again. You were completely totally free of smoking but started again? How about you weren’t totally free, that smoking or not you’ll always be an addict and, if you understand that, you’ll be better prepared to not start again “because of work”. Damn that work thing, eh. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quitting-smoking-with-a-book/685701/15 "2014-04-12T02:04:40Z")
> [@BrokenBriton](#): > > Damn that work thing, eh. Literally the job was killing me. More than one doctor advised me to quit. I made a mistake on vacation plans or I would have left in January instead of March. But what I said about triggers is key. When I was back at work, trigger points were impossible to avoid. ---
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quitting-smoking-with-a-book/685701/16 "2014-04-12T12:31:05Z")
These two pages are quite impressive: > **[Amazon.co.uk:Customer reviews: Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Allen-Carrs-Easy-Stop-Smoking/product-reviews/0615482155)** > > Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking at Amazon.com. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. > **[Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Allen Carr's Easy Way To Stop Smoking](https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Carrs-Easy-Stop-Smoking/product-reviews/0615482155)** > > Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Allen Carr's Easy Way To Stop Smoking at Amazon.com. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users.