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Allen Carr's Easy Way to Control Alcohol
Allen Carr established himself as the world's greatest authority on helping people stop smoking and his internationally best-selling Easy Way to Stop Smoking has been published in over 40 languages and sold more than 10 million copies.
In his Easy Way to Control Alcohol Allen applies his revolutionary method to drinking. With startling insight into why we drink and clear, simple, step-by-step instructions, he shows you the way to escape from the "alcohol trap" in the time it takes to read this book.
His unique method removes the feeling of deprivation and works without using willpower. Allen dispels our illusions about alcohol, removes the psychological dependence and sets you free to enjoy life to the full.
In his Easy Way to Control Alcohol Allen applies his revolutionary method to drinking. With startling insight into why we drink and clear, simple, step-by-step instructions, he shows you the way to escape from the "alcohol trap" in the time it takes to read this book.
His unique method removes the feeling of deprivation and works without using willpower. Allen dispels our illusions about alcohol, removes the psychological dependence and sets you free to enjoy life to the full.
188 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2001
1,205 people are currently reading
2,021 people want to read
About the author
Allen Carr
391Ìýbooks266ÌýfollowersAllen 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 233 reviews
May 18, 2024
This worked for me!
I’ve been completely sober since reading this book - ten years ago! My drinking was destroying my life and my relationships. I felt out of control. It actually took me months to finish this book because I was afraid it would work - that’s how much I felt I needed/enjoyed alcohol, despite all the awful repercussions.
Not only do I not drink, I don’t miss it. Not even a little. That is the greatest thing about this.
Edit: it’s May 2021 - I’m still sober, no relapses. I’ve never regretted quitting drinking. I still don’t understand how this book helped me so effectively, but I continue to recommend it to people all the time. Whether you’re doubting it’s efficacy or you’re scared of a sober life (I was) you’ve really got nothing to lose in giving it a go. I hope it works for you! Stay strong & remember every single day sober is progress, even if you relapse. Keep going, keep trying - you’ve always got that potential to get where you want to be.
May 2024 - as above. Still sober, no relapse. Whatever age you are - 21 or 71 - whatever stage you’re at - thinking about it, preparing for it, trying for the first time, trying for the tenth time - keep going.
I’ve been completely sober since reading this book - ten years ago! My drinking was destroying my life and my relationships. I felt out of control. It actually took me months to finish this book because I was afraid it would work - that’s how much I felt I needed/enjoyed alcohol, despite all the awful repercussions.
Not only do I not drink, I don’t miss it. Not even a little. That is the greatest thing about this.
Edit: it’s May 2021 - I’m still sober, no relapses. I’ve never regretted quitting drinking. I still don’t understand how this book helped me so effectively, but I continue to recommend it to people all the time. Whether you’re doubting it’s efficacy or you’re scared of a sober life (I was) you’ve really got nothing to lose in giving it a go. I hope it works for you! Stay strong & remember every single day sober is progress, even if you relapse. Keep going, keep trying - you’ve always got that potential to get where you want to be.
May 2024 - as above. Still sober, no relapse. Whatever age you are - 21 or 71 - whatever stage you’re at - thinking about it, preparing for it, trying for the first time, trying for the tenth time - keep going.
November 6, 2012
This book gives you ironclad common-sense-based reasoning for quitting drinking. The premise is that all drinking, whether it causes you harm at that particular point in life or not, is perpetuated solely by a set of cognitive errors ingrained in our culture. It makes loads more sense than the common viewpoint presented by Alcoholics Anonymous and most doctors (who ultimately encourage drinking by reinforcing the myth of the "normal drinker" and that there really is something you're missing out on if you quit--which is a lie), and gives clear, non-judgmental advice about actually stopping.
Even if you're a casual drinker, reading this will take the magic away from drinking. Most of that magic is highlighting that alcoholics are alcoholics purely because of alcohol and nothing more, and the fact that all the things you enjoy--yes every single thing, including Christmas and parties--are exactly the same without drinking, and would likely be even more fun without it. And there is absolutely no credible argument against Allen Carr's reasoning here. That sounds obvious but again, the cognitive errors are so deep and automatic that in order to remove them, such obvious advice is necessary.
It works like a charm, but only if the reader is already in a state to objectively analyze their attitudes towards alcohol.
Even if you're a casual drinker, reading this will take the magic away from drinking. Most of that magic is highlighting that alcoholics are alcoholics purely because of alcohol and nothing more, and the fact that all the things you enjoy--yes every single thing, including Christmas and parties--are exactly the same without drinking, and would likely be even more fun without it. And there is absolutely no credible argument against Allen Carr's reasoning here. That sounds obvious but again, the cognitive errors are so deep and automatic that in order to remove them, such obvious advice is necessary.
It works like a charm, but only if the reader is already in a state to objectively analyze their attitudes towards alcohol.
May 7, 2015
There was no way this book was getting more than a couple stars. While I appreciated some of his points on personal, corporate and social brainwashing, there was far too much repetition and outright untruths to totally buy in on the methodology.
On the former, I see it every day in my life, my consumption of marketing and entertainment and the area I live in. We are inundated with alcohol related media/advertising, businesses that near or solely exist because of it and the odd social reality that every occasion must involve drinking. When the area you live in proudly opens a new craft brewery every other month, when the plethora of outdoor events and sponsored competitions are always preceded by or concluded with a drink fest - it's not hard to see the heavy and insistent influence and conviction of 'normalcy' in a life filled with alcohol consumption.
But the latter... he can call it DEVASTATION and poison all he wants as that's true for many people. But he also insists that any and all alcohol doesn't taste good to anyone ever, and if we think it does we're just lying to ourselves. There are many straight spirits, beers and wine varietals that I find unpleasant or foul. But a lovely Scotch, herbal gin, sweet cabernet, or bourbon barrel aged beer can taste fantastic. My taste buds aren't lying to me - it's actually very enjoyable to consume.
So my positive takeaway is a new clarity regarding my relationship with alcohol. It's a choice and not a necessity.
On the former, I see it every day in my life, my consumption of marketing and entertainment and the area I live in. We are inundated with alcohol related media/advertising, businesses that near or solely exist because of it and the odd social reality that every occasion must involve drinking. When the area you live in proudly opens a new craft brewery every other month, when the plethora of outdoor events and sponsored competitions are always preceded by or concluded with a drink fest - it's not hard to see the heavy and insistent influence and conviction of 'normalcy' in a life filled with alcohol consumption.
But the latter... he can call it DEVASTATION and poison all he wants as that's true for many people. But he also insists that any and all alcohol doesn't taste good to anyone ever, and if we think it does we're just lying to ourselves. There are many straight spirits, beers and wine varietals that I find unpleasant or foul. But a lovely Scotch, herbal gin, sweet cabernet, or bourbon barrel aged beer can taste fantastic. My taste buds aren't lying to me - it's actually very enjoyable to consume.
So my positive takeaway is a new clarity regarding my relationship with alcohol. It's a choice and not a necessity.
January 5, 2016
"If we discovered alcohol today, we would restrict and criminalise its use in the same way we have for drugs such as heroin. Objective examination of harms associated with 20 of the most commonly used legal and illegal drugs ranked alcohol as the most dangerous."
This book, similarly to the Easyway to quit smoking, will exploit the brain-washing that tells all of us that drinking is good, normal and social, to make you aware that alcohol is indeed a poison.
I was an alcoholic, albeit not a final stage one - you could have called me social drinker, or heavy drinker, but once I realised I was actually addicted to the drug - to the point that I couldn't enjoy a social moment if alcohol wasn't present - then I decided to stop this mindless consumption.
This book helped me immensely, and I recommend it to anyone.
As with every drugs, addiction lurks right behind. Be mindful in what you put into your body, and in what quantity!
This book, similarly to the Easyway to quit smoking, will exploit the brain-washing that tells all of us that drinking is good, normal and social, to make you aware that alcohol is indeed a poison.
I was an alcoholic, albeit not a final stage one - you could have called me social drinker, or heavy drinker, but once I realised I was actually addicted to the drug - to the point that I couldn't enjoy a social moment if alcohol wasn't present - then I decided to stop this mindless consumption.
This book helped me immensely, and I recommend it to anyone.
As with every drugs, addiction lurks right behind. Be mindful in what you put into your body, and in what quantity!
August 7, 2021
If anyone out there is struggling with drinking and you want to slow down or quit, I suggest the audio version of this. The content itself seems unbelievably simple, and a little dated and regionally specific even, but after listening to it, I have no desire to drink. At all. Was it hypnotism? Subliminal suggestion? I don't know about you, but if it worked, I don't really care why in this case.
UPDATE: I have been fully sober since January 1, 2016.
UPDATE: I have been fully sober since January 1, 2016.
November 25, 2020
Someone on Joe Rogan's podcast mentioned Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking and praised it. This was not the first time I'd heard good things about the book. Since I don't smoke anymore, I checked out if the author had written about alcohol. It turned out he had.
There are some really good points and new perspectives in this book that I honestly hadn't considered before. Unfortunately they are shadowed by some equally bad logic and absolutely absurd assertions, which makes it hard to trust the author even on the better content.
For example, I can agree that pure alcohol tastes bad - but to argue with a straight face that therefore everything with alcohol tastes worse than without, is like saying that everything with salt tastes bad because salt by itself doesn't taste good.
For another example, at one point Carr argues that if alcohol really makes people happy, they should get happier the more they drink ad infinitum, and thus this can't be the case. By the same logic eating ice cream can't make a person happy, because eating a thousand ice creams will make him sick.
It's hard to believe that this book was written by a person who has been an actual alcoholic. The way he talks about alcohol sometimes reminded me of Steve Carell's character in The 40-Year-Old Virgin describing breasts to feel like bags of sand.
However, if one is ready to believe everything this book says without question, the method will most probably work. So if you find it helpful, more power to you - but I, for one, will not be recommending it to people who actually need help with quitting drinking.
There are some really good points and new perspectives in this book that I honestly hadn't considered before. Unfortunately they are shadowed by some equally bad logic and absolutely absurd assertions, which makes it hard to trust the author even on the better content.
For example, I can agree that pure alcohol tastes bad - but to argue with a straight face that therefore everything with alcohol tastes worse than without, is like saying that everything with salt tastes bad because salt by itself doesn't taste good.
For another example, at one point Carr argues that if alcohol really makes people happy, they should get happier the more they drink ad infinitum, and thus this can't be the case. By the same logic eating ice cream can't make a person happy, because eating a thousand ice creams will make him sick.
It's hard to believe that this book was written by a person who has been an actual alcoholic. The way he talks about alcohol sometimes reminded me of Steve Carell's character in The 40-Year-Old Virgin describing breasts to feel like bags of sand.
However, if one is ready to believe everything this book says without question, the method will most probably work. So if you find it helpful, more power to you - but I, for one, will not be recommending it to people who actually need help with quitting drinking.
October 27, 2018
This book is an effective CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy). It can and it will immediately get you rid of your desire (the cravings) to drink alcohol.
For this CBT (and any other CBT) to work, you have to actively question your cognitions, hence it does not work for a everyone. Not everyone succeeds at questioning their cognitions for one reason or another (even when they think they do).
If you are the type of person on whom CBT is effective, then this book is for you (it will work like a magic pill).
If you do not know what CBT is, or have never tried CBT, then you should definitely try it out.
If you have tried CBT 10 times with different therapists and none of them could help you, then this book won't be of any help (for this group of people, the book will feel very repetitive).
I had to read the book twice for it to work on me. That's just how it is with therapy sometimes.
For this CBT (and any other CBT) to work, you have to actively question your cognitions, hence it does not work for a everyone. Not everyone succeeds at questioning their cognitions for one reason or another (even when they think they do).
If you are the type of person on whom CBT is effective, then this book is for you (it will work like a magic pill).
If you do not know what CBT is, or have never tried CBT, then you should definitely try it out.
If you have tried CBT 10 times with different therapists and none of them could help you, then this book won't be of any help (for this group of people, the book will feel very repetitive).
I had to read the book twice for it to work on me. That's just how it is with therapy sometimes.
October 21, 2020
I actually think there is more positive in this book than not. It did help me have a shift in thinking about alcohol as an addictive substance just like all other 'vilified' addictive substances out there (think heroin, nicotine). Best I can explain - I don't use heroin because I have decided at some point in my life that the high is not worth the risk of using it. I'd imagine that it's vilification and it being illegal played a large role in that. The other way I'd conceptualize it is comparing it to smoking cigarettes- i don't smoke bc I've decided that the health risk of cigs are not worth the health effects of smoking cigarettes. Now I understand alcohol in a similar way- addictive and dangerous. Of course I knew these things about alcohol on some level but I do feel like this book made a shift in my mind regarding alcohol. I also agree that for most people there is a psychological addiction to alcohol (what he calls The big monster) and that the physical addiction is for most people minimal. I do believe this to be true but he also bases a large portion of the book on the premise that most people get that restless, antsy, anxious and "I want a drink" feeling because alcohol is leaving their system this they are, on some level, physically addicted (he calls this The little monster). He states that once one stops drinking it will only take days (up to 10) to 'kill the little monster' (i.e. Withdraw) and that any withdrawal symptoms on has are mostly psychological and that even physical symptoms of withdrawal are psychological. This is where I have a MAJOR issue with the book. While I agree that likely most people are not so physically addicted that they will be at rush for 'the shakes' as he calls them (Read potential seizures or DT's) he majorly minimizes this and this could be dangerous and potentially life threatening for a portion of people who are THAT physically addicted. He is irresponsible in not mentioning this. Period.
That said, I could see how this book would be very helpful on a journey to sobriety in many ways. So I'm not saying don't read it- I just had to speak my thoughts on the potential dangers of unmonitored withdrawal for some people.
That said, I could see how this book would be very helpful on a journey to sobriety in many ways. So I'm not saying don't read it- I just had to speak my thoughts on the potential dangers of unmonitored withdrawal for some people.
October 10, 2019
This is Amber's husband Chris. Let me start off by saying I hate reading. It has been the bane of my existence throughout my educational experience. I couldn't comprehend how someone can make something as tedious and boring as reading and make it worse till my wife introduced me to audiobooks. Then again I never thought I would be married with a baby a girl on the way either let alone someone who struggled with addiction. But, like anything else, under the right circumstances anything is possible. Just as incomprehensible as listening to an audiobook willingly was for me, so was allowing my life to be destroyed by something that seemed to be the norm for most people. I realize most of you won't understand my perspective since you are all readers just like most drinkers won't understand why people are alcoholics. The reality is we don't know. We don't know what sets us down the paths that we go...we just realize it once we're there. I don't think humans understand why we do the things we do. I feel life is just a series of choices we make. Unknowingly, my choices led me down a path that I ended up not wanting to be on. The strange part is that even though I didn't want to be doing it, I still did and I'm not referring to continuing an audiobook. Most reviews are about the book itself but this isn't about the book, it's about the path that led you to this book. This is your life and you decide how you want to live it. This is for those who know they want to change but don't know how. I've had two DUIs, totalled my car, had alcohol poisoning, been through rehab, ruined (almost) all my relationships with friends/family which some I will never get back but none of it helped. I accepted whole heartedly that I will drink till my last day regardless. That irrationality sounds insane to most but an alcoholic understands it. This book brings back the rationality. So sit back with a few beers and listen to this thinking it's impossible because that too is irrational and sounds insane to most but an alcoholic will understand as well.
January 25, 2020
Lulls you into a false sense of security before demanding you once and for all give up ever drinking alcohol.
Read this as I'm 25 and I feel like it's time to start pursuing other ways of finding exhilaration on the weekends besides getting shitfaced.
Result: so far, I've been a lot more cautious about even drinking any hard alcohol. Carr's method effectively shoots down any argument you might have for drinking with one logical counter: it's literal poison. You didn't enjoy it when you were young either, but you trained yourself to like it. You still have to water down spirits. But society tells us kids drink juice boxes and soft drinks and adults drink alcohol and that's just the way it has to be.
Another thing that really changed my mind about getting shitfaced was when he said, since you love alcohol and it reduces your senses sometimes to the point of unconsiousness, then you must think going a few rounds with McGregor in the Octagon is positively charming.
Don't really know what else to say about this book as I don't normally review self-help books. Can't even say for sure I'll stick to my guns. But it has filtered through on some level, which I think is what I needed. So based on that, yes it good.
Read this as I'm 25 and I feel like it's time to start pursuing other ways of finding exhilaration on the weekends besides getting shitfaced.
Result: so far, I've been a lot more cautious about even drinking any hard alcohol. Carr's method effectively shoots down any argument you might have for drinking with one logical counter: it's literal poison. You didn't enjoy it when you were young either, but you trained yourself to like it. You still have to water down spirits. But society tells us kids drink juice boxes and soft drinks and adults drink alcohol and that's just the way it has to be.
Another thing that really changed my mind about getting shitfaced was when he said, since you love alcohol and it reduces your senses sometimes to the point of unconsiousness, then you must think going a few rounds with McGregor in the Octagon is positively charming.
Don't really know what else to say about this book as I don't normally review self-help books. Can't even say for sure I'll stick to my guns. But it has filtered through on some level, which I think is what I needed. So based on that, yes it good.
December 1, 2020
Well, now that’s out of my life� (this is not sarcasm, it really is that easy, but you’ve gotta read the whole book, in order. No cheating and just skimming the quotes).
Paraphrase: reasons don't drive behavior, choices do.
Quotes:
Like all confidence tricks, drug addiction can fool intelligent people. But once he has seen through a confidence trick, even a simpleton won’t be fooled.
We actually start to grow old the moment we are born but we don’t feel old for many years. Have you considered the possibility that the reason we can’t work out exactly when we lost control is because we were never in control in the first place? Perhaps all the billions of drinkers in the world that lie between grandma and Uncle Ted are on the same downwards slide.
That’s the nature of all such drugs: the more they drag you down, the greater the apparent need for them. The greater this need seems the more you have to try and justify it by pretending � to yourself and to everyone else � that you are in control. But why would you need to do that if you really did feel in control? You didn’t lose control: YOU WERE NEVER IN CONTROL!
We have defined an alcoholic as a drinker who has lost control. Let’s now adjust that definition to: A DRINKER WHO REALIZES THAT HE IS NOT IN CONTROL.
Put aside any self-recrimination for anything alcohol has caused you to do in the past. You haven’t been abusing alcohol; on the contrary, it’s been abusing you.
There is only one real culprit. No it’s not alcohol, but the ignorance that surrounds it. It is this misconception that we drink because we choose to.
The only real answer is to remove the reasons that cause us to drink, or to drink too much.
I’m taking nothing away from you. Alcohol never did give you courage or confidence; you only thought it did. In reality, it has been imperceptibly and systematically destroying your courage and confidence for years.
Inebriation is a process of gradually deadening your senses until you are rendered insensible or, to use the vernacular, until you are blotto. True relaxation is having no worries, cares, tensions, stress or pain. It is impossible to feel truly relaxed, or anything else for that matter, if you have been rendered senseless.
You don’t satisfy your thirst by having a drink. On the contrary, you create a little monster inside your body that has an insatiable thirst, and the more alcohol you give him the thirstier he gets! It is not the flawed genes of alcoholics that, if they take just one sip, makes them want another and another, ad infinitum; that is the effect alcohol has on every living creature, including you!
I took the attitude that I would rather have the shorter, sweeter and more exciting life of the drinker and smoker, than the longer more mundane life of the abstainer. I must emphasize that if that were the real choice, I would still be smoking and drinking heavily. Correction, I wouldn’t be here.
I felt like an old man when I was 46 and I feel like a young boy now I’m in my seventies. What’s more, I look forward, without trepidation, to many more happy and exciting years. The only material change between then and now is that I ceased to poison my body on a daily basis.
Surely a miracle is an event that is not beyond the powers or laws of nature, but beyond the comprehension of mankind.
So much of modern medicine is based on pills or medicines that remove the symptoms of the disease and not the cause.
Our taste-buds are flexible and we don’t have to be slaves to them.
I would define cowardice as: failure to act as my conscience dictates, because of fear of physical injury or ridicule.
How could alcohol possibly make you feel truly brave? Bravery involves surmounting fear. So if you reduce the level of fear, doesn’t it follow that it takes less bravery to surmount it?
Fear is a warning of danger, a warning which, as in the case of the burglar alarm, could either prove to be real or unfounded. To remove fear through any means other than removing the cause of the fear, is like believing that you put out the fire merely by turning off the alarm.
You cannot gain the trust of a wild animal until you have convinced it that you won’t harm it physically. Likewise it is only natural that children should be wary of strangers until they are convinced that person will do them no harm, be it physical or mental. It was nice to learn that my shyness was quite normal and as a result I stopped worrying about it. It also helped me to realize that what I had always assumed to be stand-offishness by other people at social gatherings was really due to their own shyness. By concentrating on helping them to get over their shyness, I become oblivious to my own and get a great pleasure from breaking the ice.
It is an illusion that alcohol gives courage. It does remove fear and inhibitions: the illusion in this case is that this is a good thing.
When in England, I’m in the habit of driving on the left side of the road. When I cross to the Continent, I immediately break that life-long habit without any hassle whatsoever. I confound the platitude that habits are difficult to break.
Christmas can be a wonderful high, but do we get into a terrible panic because there is no Christmas for the rest of the year? The heroin addict has to go through that terrible ritual to try to end the awful lows that the first dose created and the following doses perpetuated.
What you really enjoy in an alcoholic drink is not the drink itself, but the ending of the irritation of wanting that drink. Non-drinkers enjoy that all the time.
People are suffering from the same disease, and that is the disease: the belief that alcohol does something for you and that you are dependent on that so-called benefit. You are cured once you see alcohol for what it is: a poison that does nothing whatsoever for anyone.
There is not one single item of hard evidence to show that a chemical defect or an addictive personality is the cause of anyone becoming addicted to any drug.
So if “normal drinkers� occasionally lose control and alcoholics occasionally gain it, the difference is surely not in an inherent physical or mental defect, but one of degree.
All drug addicts feel uncomfortable in the presence of people who aren’t addicted: they know that what they are doing is stupid and people who aren’t in the same prison remind them of their stupidity. For this reason alone drinking is an anti-social pastime. It creates barriers between drinkers and non-drinkers, at parties and other social functions.
The chief effect of alcohol is to deaden you to everything you are going through, and indeed to impair your critical faculties. That is why alcohol seriously compromises your ability to enjoy genuine pleasures.
This is the enigma of all drug addiction: because we know that we could enjoy social occasions and cope with stress before we got hooked, we sense that alcohol does nothing for us. But because we also know that we cannot enjoy certain occasions without it, we tend to close our minds to the fact.
Once you can see alcohol not as the pleasure, crutch or friend that we’ve been brainwashed to see it as, but as it really is DEVASTATION, then the fear about never, ever being allowed to drink again ceases to exist. I can remember this fear about never being able to drink again turning into the joy of never having to drink again.
There is a disease called alcoholism but there is nothing intrinsically or physically wrong with the alcoholic. Alcoholism is an entirely mental disease.
You cure your alcohol problem the moment the desire to consume alcohol is removed permanently.
Once you discovered that the ointment was the cause of the rash rather than the cure, you would be delighted that you had discovered both the cause and the cure, and you would never be tempted to use that ointment again.
It is essential that you realize that your failure to solve the problem isn’t due to your physical make-up. It is due to your mental perception. But it is just as essential to realize that it is not an innate mental flaw like an addictive personality, and that with an open mind the flaw can be remedied.
But we don’t drink for the reasons we shouldn’t! We drink for the reasons that we do. And if you are convinced that you won’t be able to enjoy social occasions or cope with stress without alcohol, then you won’t be able to. The solution then is to remove all of the brainwashing and return to the blissful state we enjoyed before we fell into the trap.
The fact that certain people can’t enjoy certain situations without alcohol doesn’t mean that alcohol provides genuine pleasure. They were perfectly capable of enjoying those situations before they fell into the trap.
I tend to leave certain social functions earlier and not attend others at all. Initially this worried me. It seemed to indicate that I wasn’t enjoying myself so much without drinking. I realized it was the exact opposite. The true reason was that they were boring functions. The only way I could suffer them previously was to inebriate myself.
I could never get hooked again even if I tried for the rest of my life; because what hooks you is not the drug itself, but the illusion that you get some crutch or pleasure from it. Like any other confidence trick, once you understand the trick, you can’t possibly fall for it again.
Drinkers see alcohol as a tug-of-war. On one side fear: it’s ruining my health and wealth. On the other side: it’s my crutch and pleasure. In reality it is fear on both sides. There is no genuine crutch or pleasure. It is a case of: I can’t enjoy life or even cope with it, without alcohol. The fears on both sides are caused by the alcohol: non-drinkers don’t suffer from either set of fears. You didn’t suffer from either set of fears before you had your first alcoholic drink.
Remember, any slight aggravation that you might suffer over the next few days is not because you stopped drinking, but because you started. Non-drinkers don’t have this problem.
Typo location Location 1300-1301: “as you want to and whenever you what to.� (what should be want)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2024
Drinking has given me my wildest moments and just as easily led me to my worst. I can immediately point to a half-dozen drunken nights that were amongst the most surreal, cartoonish, adventurous, and giggle-infused of my life, just as I can instantly name a half-dozen relationships, both romantic and platonic, that were negatively impacted, perhaps even destroyed, by way of booze.
In fact, one of the lowest points of my life was writing a date and time on my wrist as I made eye contact with the old cat of a woman I was dating and driving insane, sipping the last of my whiskey in a coffee mug before I swore off alcohol—the driest I'd been since I was a teen—and joyously swayed my way through a year of therapy. I reconfigured my relationship with alcohol quite entirely, drinking periodically and thoughtfully, and then the pandemic hit and I lost my rhythm quite substantially. I came out of lockdown dragging a relationship with alcohol that was neither bad nor good. The furious fire had been righteously extinguished for all time, and I will forever be grateful for that. But there's been a score of moments in the years since where I've gone well passed what I anticipated drinking and that's never grand.
Eventually, this year, I righted myself yet again and found my lanky ass in Baja with a friend dead-set on quitting two decades of smoking by way of Allen Carr's first book. That was over a month ago and he hasn't touched a cigarette since. So I dove into this one, thinking it could knock some sense into me, somewhere between upper hand and uppercut.
It's a fascinating read because it's essentially making the case for total sobriety—and the only way it's about how one could "control alcohol" is that less drinks are really just a temporary fix or the slowing of pace in the inevitable descent into losing control. Moderation is not seen as an all-time solution here. Carr is someone confidently walking through every single excuse or argument of why people drink and then casually, and a bit smugly, knocking down each myth.
He makes the case that alcohol, no matter how you dice it, is essentially a poison that can only provide short-term glee (good delirium) and long-term misery (bad delirium). I don't think he's wrong, honestly. I sharpened all my senses in just those months of sobriety—followed by a year of having only three or four drinks a month, ranging from a champagne wedding flute to a special holiday cocktail. That was the best relationship I've ever had with alcohol. It was like a rich dessert I would partake in from time to time. Each time, it felt culinary and appreciated, and I almost never overindulged. I'd like to get back there or dry out even more so—and this book really got me reviewing the whole of my drinking life and self. It was an interesting dive as both writer and drinker, as I've been the former one year longer than the latter, and I have a great deal of thoughts about both, naturally.
When it comes to writing, there's an inherent fallacy in thinking you've already proved your point, and this book asks a lot of rhetorical questions from on high. At times, Carr struck me as someone impressively effective, and other times as someone who believed he was. That's the problem with asking, "Isn't it obvious?" (And more so if done repeatedly.) I came to think of this dude I used to work/clash with in advertising who once said, "If your ad starts with a question that leaves room for someone to answer, 'No,' you've already lost them."
But the effort seen here is stellar, really. It's thorough and conversational. Carr really goes to bat for you quitting alcohol. He even encourages you to drink while reading his book because he wants you to have real-world moments of evaluation with tangible takeaways that aren't entirely his doing. I can't think of any other point that could be lobbed after this, really. The only reason you don't quit drinking here is you simply don't want to or you disagree, but there's not much of the case that's been overlooked here.
So, no matter what comes or how it all shapes up, this thing was absolutely and astoundingly worth my time. It reframed my view of booze—truly!—simply by tirelessly wading through each potential point to explain why it doesn't work. Alcohol is a nosedive of a thing, surely, and I get it, but when you ask me to pay attention to the boozers in my life and take note of how miserable they are, and we're all, say, sipping host-made martinis on a Mexican beach at sunset, howling laughter and reminiscing about life with our inhibitions down for the count, it's hard to take it as the ultimate truth.
I don't think alcohol makes or breaks a moment, no sir. I've been on both sides of the table—sometimes the drinker with a non-drinker; sometimes the non-drinker with a drinker—and either way's good with me. I support whatever makes a person happy in their blip of time in the universe. But I do think it takes real introspection to understand who's in control, whether it's the drink or the drinker. I don't see booze ever leaving my life for good, but I'd like to be more active in my selection what poisons I put in me and when (and how much).
I think booze and drugs can be downright terrific. I also think they can be absolutely ruinous. I don't think they're required for happiness by any means, but I believe altering one's brain for departure, insight, or any noun you've got lurking in between can prove wondrous. I don't like the idea of relying on any substance, but I think lowering one's inhibitions a tad or letting your body roll a bit can give a person something that may not be the truth, but perhaps truth-adjacent—as if you were to come to terms with something in a dreamscape.
Sobriety can rule just as hard. It's not a matter of what's better either way. It's about what serves and works for the individual. Ideally, I want to be somewhere in between, and drugs have largely left my life, mostly by the natural course of life, but alcohol's still winning the battle. It's just so heartily woven into what existence is as I understand it. I come across it practically by accident. So it's time for a change.
In the end, happiness is all that matters. Whatever gets you there wins. Sometimes that's booze, sometimes that's drugs, and sometimes that's sobriety. You get one life. Live it how you want. If you feel it's not what you want, try your best to correct course. That's what I'm doing here. Life is the shortest and longest thing you'll ever do. How you spend your blip is your call. Just, above all else, be happy—or work towards it. Good luck out there.
(Can't believe I drank an entire bottle of merlot before writing this.)
In fact, one of the lowest points of my life was writing a date and time on my wrist as I made eye contact with the old cat of a woman I was dating and driving insane, sipping the last of my whiskey in a coffee mug before I swore off alcohol—the driest I'd been since I was a teen—and joyously swayed my way through a year of therapy. I reconfigured my relationship with alcohol quite entirely, drinking periodically and thoughtfully, and then the pandemic hit and I lost my rhythm quite substantially. I came out of lockdown dragging a relationship with alcohol that was neither bad nor good. The furious fire had been righteously extinguished for all time, and I will forever be grateful for that. But there's been a score of moments in the years since where I've gone well passed what I anticipated drinking and that's never grand.
Eventually, this year, I righted myself yet again and found my lanky ass in Baja with a friend dead-set on quitting two decades of smoking by way of Allen Carr's first book. That was over a month ago and he hasn't touched a cigarette since. So I dove into this one, thinking it could knock some sense into me, somewhere between upper hand and uppercut.
It's a fascinating read because it's essentially making the case for total sobriety—and the only way it's about how one could "control alcohol" is that less drinks are really just a temporary fix or the slowing of pace in the inevitable descent into losing control. Moderation is not seen as an all-time solution here. Carr is someone confidently walking through every single excuse or argument of why people drink and then casually, and a bit smugly, knocking down each myth.
He makes the case that alcohol, no matter how you dice it, is essentially a poison that can only provide short-term glee (good delirium) and long-term misery (bad delirium). I don't think he's wrong, honestly. I sharpened all my senses in just those months of sobriety—followed by a year of having only three or four drinks a month, ranging from a champagne wedding flute to a special holiday cocktail. That was the best relationship I've ever had with alcohol. It was like a rich dessert I would partake in from time to time. Each time, it felt culinary and appreciated, and I almost never overindulged. I'd like to get back there or dry out even more so—and this book really got me reviewing the whole of my drinking life and self. It was an interesting dive as both writer and drinker, as I've been the former one year longer than the latter, and I have a great deal of thoughts about both, naturally.
When it comes to writing, there's an inherent fallacy in thinking you've already proved your point, and this book asks a lot of rhetorical questions from on high. At times, Carr struck me as someone impressively effective, and other times as someone who believed he was. That's the problem with asking, "Isn't it obvious?" (And more so if done repeatedly.) I came to think of this dude I used to work/clash with in advertising who once said, "If your ad starts with a question that leaves room for someone to answer, 'No,' you've already lost them."
But the effort seen here is stellar, really. It's thorough and conversational. Carr really goes to bat for you quitting alcohol. He even encourages you to drink while reading his book because he wants you to have real-world moments of evaluation with tangible takeaways that aren't entirely his doing. I can't think of any other point that could be lobbed after this, really. The only reason you don't quit drinking here is you simply don't want to or you disagree, but there's not much of the case that's been overlooked here.
So, no matter what comes or how it all shapes up, this thing was absolutely and astoundingly worth my time. It reframed my view of booze—truly!—simply by tirelessly wading through each potential point to explain why it doesn't work. Alcohol is a nosedive of a thing, surely, and I get it, but when you ask me to pay attention to the boozers in my life and take note of how miserable they are, and we're all, say, sipping host-made martinis on a Mexican beach at sunset, howling laughter and reminiscing about life with our inhibitions down for the count, it's hard to take it as the ultimate truth.
I don't think alcohol makes or breaks a moment, no sir. I've been on both sides of the table—sometimes the drinker with a non-drinker; sometimes the non-drinker with a drinker—and either way's good with me. I support whatever makes a person happy in their blip of time in the universe. But I do think it takes real introspection to understand who's in control, whether it's the drink or the drinker. I don't see booze ever leaving my life for good, but I'd like to be more active in my selection what poisons I put in me and when (and how much).
I think booze and drugs can be downright terrific. I also think they can be absolutely ruinous. I don't think they're required for happiness by any means, but I believe altering one's brain for departure, insight, or any noun you've got lurking in between can prove wondrous. I don't like the idea of relying on any substance, but I think lowering one's inhibitions a tad or letting your body roll a bit can give a person something that may not be the truth, but perhaps truth-adjacent—as if you were to come to terms with something in a dreamscape.
Sobriety can rule just as hard. It's not a matter of what's better either way. It's about what serves and works for the individual. Ideally, I want to be somewhere in between, and drugs have largely left my life, mostly by the natural course of life, but alcohol's still winning the battle. It's just so heartily woven into what existence is as I understand it. I come across it practically by accident. So it's time for a change.
In the end, happiness is all that matters. Whatever gets you there wins. Sometimes that's booze, sometimes that's drugs, and sometimes that's sobriety. You get one life. Live it how you want. If you feel it's not what you want, try your best to correct course. That's what I'm doing here. Life is the shortest and longest thing you'll ever do. How you spend your blip is your call. Just, above all else, be happy—or work towards it. Good luck out there.
(Can't believe I drank an entire bottle of merlot before writing this.)
August 20, 2016
The reason I gave this book a 4 is because he does bring up some really good points that make you think about why you even drink in the first place. Like are there any actual positive reasons? He goes through many examples that make you think just a little bit differently.
I didn't give it a 5 because I think he is a terrible writer, uses poor examples and arguments, and makes a lot of assumptions. Despite this, if you read it with an open mind and try to understand where he is coming from, you will get value out of reading this book.
I didn't give it a 5 because I think he is a terrible writer, uses poor examples and arguments, and makes a lot of assumptions. Despite this, if you read it with an open mind and try to understand where he is coming from, you will get value out of reading this book.
May 20, 2020
Don't bother reading this if you are truly addicted to alcohol. This may be a helpful book for people who would like to cut down their alcohol use. But if you're addicted to alcohol or are using alcohol to self-medicate deeper issues, this is not the book for you. Firstly because "control" is something you are unlikely to be able to achieve. Secondly, because this contains NO tools whatsoever to deal with life sober.
September 18, 2013
I read the book then immediately quit drinking. No cravings, no willpower. The week before I did the same thing with his 'quit smoking' book. That was 2 years ago and its effects and lessons are entirely undiminished.
November 12, 2021
This book was ridiculous: full of false analogies and misuse of the word “schizophrenia.� The “easy way� boils down to knowing alcohol is a poison that offers you no benefit and therefore deciding to never have another drink. Wow, thanks Allen 🙄. He tries very hard to distinguish the “easy way� from the “will power method� but ultimately it takes some kind of “will� to continuously repeat the negatives of alcohol to yourself and use that as the basis of not drinking. Also to tout anything as a universal solution?? Unwise.
September 6, 2019
Terrible writing, but a very interesting and helpul read for people who are struggling with alcohol addiction.
For a better written book with the same content, go and find Annie Grace's The Naked Mind.
For a better written book with the same content, go and find Annie Grace's The Naked Mind.
May 19, 2015
Awesome alternative to AA. Allen employs an attitude of reverse brain washing by looking at alcohol for what it really is, rather than what we've been culturally and socially conditioned to believe. Instead of 'giving up' drinking Allen talks about freeing ourselves from the shackles of alcohol, rather than spending the rest of ones life resisting the next drink, one day at a time, he proposes that we celebrate the liberation and all the benefits a sober life provides: waking up feeling rested and well, having a clear head, not regretting or wondering what might have been said in a discussion or at a social gathering. Essentially, there are no benefits to drinking alcohol whatsoever, and Allen addresses and removes each of the excuses why we drink beyond doubt.
February 28, 2015
It's a great way to understand why thinking of quitting drinking might be so hard. For me Friday evening drinks were sacred and if you would tell me before to stop buying Friday night beer, I'd laugh. That was a long awaited treat.
Now I'm free!
The book contains many great ideas, but also lots of bullshit. Some parts writer could have just skipped. But I'm giving this book 5 stars because it was a very effective way to rethink alcohol.
Now I'm free!
The book contains many great ideas, but also lots of bullshit. Some parts writer could have just skipped. But I'm giving this book 5 stars because it was a very effective way to rethink alcohol.
June 23, 2023
Using simple logic and rational decision making this book helped me remove the brainwash I had with regard to alcohol. Simple, effective conditioning that avoids relying on willpower. Post reading this book reminds me of how I felt before I started drinking and I hope I can maintain this mindset indefinitely.
July 30, 2024
Let’s see if it worked shall we
September 15, 2022
OcSober prep phase 1 complete
January 17, 2021
I read this book with the intention of it helping me with my 2021 new year's resolution of not drinking alcohol. Now that I've finished this book, I'm certain I'll never drink alcohol again.
September 18, 2017
I stopped smoking because of this man, this was 4 years ago (I think). I've never craved cigarette (despite the first weeks), which is more of a habit than anything else.
He has unique style of writing which really suits me. Maybe there were some weird examples and comparison here-and-there, but overall I really agree with him. I think the content of book can easily be mapped to any other addiction YOU consider harmful or not positive.
Let's see what happens from now on. :)
He has unique style of writing which really suits me. Maybe there were some weird examples and comparison here-and-there, but overall I really agree with him. I think the content of book can easily be mapped to any other addiction YOU consider harmful or not positive.
Let's see what happens from now on. :)
January 10, 2019
It is quite repetitive, but I understand that it's necessary for person who is in the alcohol trap. Now I know that I really don't want to drink any of this poison, not even a bit 🙂
I recommend this book for everyone who had a drink at least once a month or simply feels that they need to drink on any social event.
I recommend this book for everyone who had a drink at least once a month or simply feels that they need to drink on any social event.
June 26, 2022
A very dangerous book. Carr seems to have very little understanding of alcohol and the dangerous effects of withdrawal. Egregiously applying his 'easyway' product to this topic with evidently little research is very reckless.
March 21, 2012
This book was very helpful and gave me a refreshing perspective. I have recommended it to lots of people who also have enjoyed it.
March 4, 2015
Good basic information but a bit heavy handed and repetitive.
August 12, 2015
Absolutely the best book I ever read!!!
July 30, 2018
Two years after quitting smoking, thought I'd give this book a try to see if it can guide me towards cutting out alcohol from my life completely.
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