What if the book didn’t work for you?

The first rule in any life-threatening situation is, “Don’t panic!”. Yet often those who fail to quit with the book tend to read it again, and again, and again…snatching at ever despairing hopes for it to work its magic.

Now, there certainly are happy non-smokers out there who read the book umpteen times until it eventually “clicked” for them and that’s wonderful — but they are very much the exception to the rule.

More importantly though, why go through repeated, failed attempts to quit when an easy rescue option exists? You can bang a nail into wood with a sandal but isn’t it easier, quicker, less painful, and less frustrating to simply use a hammer?

Those who eventually succeed with the book having read it many times are adamant that doing so was essential to their success — but they couldn’t be more wrong. Don’t misunderstand me, they’ve achieved an amazing, wonderful, life-changing result, and I am in no way criticising them, but they did it the hard way.

Back to my question earlier, if you were shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean which rescue option would you prefer; a life jacket (life preserver), a life raft, or the coastguard? Of course, you’d grab at any option that presented itself — but given a choice — which would you prefer?

Rescue by coastguard, obviously.

What if, in the absence of any other option, you grabbed a life jacket which kept you afloat? Of course, you’d be grateful. Every ounce of your hopes for survival would be invested in that floatation aid. You’d no doubt cling onto it for dear life.

In a way, that perfectly describes the predicament of a book reader who struggles to quit. There are some that hold on tight, hoping and praying that they’ll eventually drift towards land or see a passing ship. And indeed there are some who make it to safety.

Can you imagine drifting in the middle of the ocean with only a life jacket keeping you afloat when suddenly you come across an empty life raft? You’d grab it wouldn’t you? Of course, you would! By doing so your chances of survival and rescue have improved manyfold. You certainly wouldn’t simply stick with the life jacket — even if you’d heard dozens of stories of people surviving by virtue of wearing one. It’s a no-brainer.

What if you saw a coastguard boat in the distance? Would you put all your faith in the trusty life jacket, “I’ll just stick with this”, or would you wave and signal for their attention as if your life depended on it? Again, it’s a no-brainer whether you’ve just got a life jacket or are in a life raft. In either case it would be ridiculous to ignore the rescue boat…even if you’d heard dozens of stories of shipwreck victims floating to safety in a life jacket or life raft.

Good, better, best.

When it comes to Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking the “good, better, best” versions of the method have nothing to do with the sneaky supermarket pricing policies used to manipulate consumers.

In Easyway’s case they have arisen entirely organically and it’s an absolute tragedy that the brilliant reputation of the world’s bestselling, most effective stop smoking book leaves some smokers marooned in a life jacket or life raft, drifting in hope of rescue, mistakenly thinking that’s the best thing for them to do… even when they can see a rescue boat in the distance!

Good (the life jacket): Allen Carr’s Easyway to Quit Smoking book.

Many people think that the book is the original version of the method — but that is simply not the case. The original, most effective, clinically proven version of the method is the Live Group Seminar.

One of the main reasons Allen originally wrote the book was to help cope with the number of smokers reaching out for places at our seminars. It was an amazing thing to do — virtually ‘giving away’ the method in written form to help his mission; to cure the world of smoking. The book still costs less than a pack or two of cigarettes and has helped tens of millions of smokers to freedom. We could never have reached that number of smokers via our live group seminars.

To be clear — the book isn’t simply, “good”, it’s truly GREAT. But it isn’t the greatest version of the method. Far from it!

Better (the life raft): Allen Carr’s Easyway to Quit Smoking Online Video Programme.

Despite the book’s tremendous success, we were acutely aware that some people needed more help to quit than that which could be provided in a book. Understanding that a) not everyone could afford a Live Group Seminar and b) not everyone had access to a local Live Group Seminar, we created a dynamic, audio-visual, in depth presentation of the method.

Like the book, it could never better the live, interactive, personalised, workshop nature of our Live Group Seminars — but we were determined to make it the next best thing. The current version is the most up to date, innovative, cutting edge, upgraded version of the method available outside of our Live Group Seminars and we are enormously proud that it has been endorsed by the World Health Organisation.

Anyone who has failed to quit smoking after reading the book owes it to themselves, to the length, quality, and enjoyment of their future life, to access this service. Would you really stay bobbing in the middle of the ocean in a life jacket — when a life raft is at your fingertips?

Best (the coastguard): Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking Live Group Seminars (now available via Zoom)

As mentioned already, this is the original, the absolute best, the most effective, clinically proven version of the method which is delivered by former smokers who used the method to quit and became inspired to join Allen on his mission. The Live Group Seminars are in every way superior to any other versions of the method, after all — you can’t ask the book or online video programme a question, or ask them to explain a specific issue or concern you might have, whereas the live seminar is “in the moment”, something you actively participate in, something which includes free of charge back up sessions for the few that require them, free telephone/email support, and the same money back guarantee that we’ve been offering for nearly 40 years.

It’s not merely the best, it’s not merely the stop smoking equivalent of the coastguard, it’s the clinically proven, most effective, (and showing my age here) the “Thunderbirds — International Rescue” version of the method. It is simply incomparable to anything else.

Epilogue

I recently conducted a survey of the ‘Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking Facebook Group’ members who have thus far failed to quit smoking after reading the book. Unbelievably, 79% (seventy nine percent) of them have stuck with the “life jacket”, determined to read the book again and again and again, while completely ignoring the Online Video Programme “life raft” and Live Group Seminar “coastguard” — rescue at their fingertips.

The fact that there are literally hundreds of thousands of “book-reader smokers” who need more help, yet don’t reach out for it is nothing short of a human tragedy.

Take a look at the Online Video Programme here

Take a look at the Live Group Seminars (now available — and equally effective — via Zoom) here

Don’t forget — we are always happy to offer free of charge advice and guidance to anyone struggling to succeed with Allen Carr’s Easyway. To obtain that guidance select SUPPORT on this link. You’ll then get to fill out a short questionnaire about your experience with the method — and based on that — a senior Allen Carr Therapist will provide you with bespoke, detailed, free of charge advice on how to get the method to gel for you.