The biography of Allen Carr, the author of books on easy ways to get rid of such bad habits as smoking, excessive drinking, and others, is interesting to many people. This man was not only a theorist, but also a practitioner. His books describe techniques developed on the basis of personal experience. Read more about the biography of the writer Allen Kara in the article.
General information
Citing a biography and photo of Allen Carr, it should first be noted that his main merit is that he did not just write books in which he gave advice on getting rid of bad habits. He helped people in reality. Being a persistent fighter against smoking, he created a network of clinics internationally.
The technique proposed by him is based on the introspection of a smoking person, as well as on the basis of life experience. Its author, Allen Carr, whose biography we are considering in the article, is a former smoker who has been working for more than 30 years. In addition to books on quitting smoking (the main one being The Easy Way to Quit Smoking, 1985), he has written several other best-selling books. Their subject is related to getting rid of excessive drinking and excess weight, as well as a number of phobias (far-fetched fears). For example: “Easy way to lose weight”, “Easy way to stop drinking”, “Easy way to enjoy air travel.” The writer also has books on psychology: "An easy way to succeed," "An easy way to live without anxiety and excitement."
A. Carr died in 2006 from inoperable lung cancer. After him there were four children of relatives and two adopted. As well as 11 grandchildren, 1 great-grandson and a second wife, Joyce.
Facts from life
Here are some facts from the biography of Allen Carr. He was born in London in 1934. After being drafted into the military at the age of 18, he became addicted to smoking. In 1958, Allen received the specialty of an accountant. After 30 years “with a cigarette in his mouth,” in 1983 he finally decided to end his addiction. This happened after a visit to a hypnotherapist when Carr was already 48 years old.
According to A. Carr himself, it was not the hypnotherapist who helped him, but he himself. He said that he did not succeed because of this visit, but in spite of him. Coming out of the specialist, Allen immediately lit a cigarette. In his opinion, success in quitting smoking was facilitated by two main thoughts that captured him.
- The first is that, in fact, smoking is a nicotine addiction. This was reported to him by a hypnotherapist. And until that moment, Carr did not possess such information.
- The second was prompted to him by his son John, who invited him to read one medical manual. It explained that the so-called withdrawal that a person experiences without receiving nicotine causes a feeling of insecurity and emptiness.
According to Carr, having learned these two important facts, he came to the conclusion that quitting smoking is not so difficult. And this aroused in him a strong desire to share his method with other smokers.
About the essence of the technique
Continuing to review the biography of Allen Carr, let's talk about the philosophy of his method of quitting smoking. According to him, the fear of abandoning this habit makes people continue to smoke. At the same time, they have the illusion that they get great pleasure. It is on this that the moral justification of the absurdity of tobacco smoking is based on the facts of scientific and medical evidence of its deadly nature.
According to Allen Carr, contrary to some subjective sensations, a person does not feel pleasure from a cigarette. When he inhales the smoke, there is only a withdrawal of withdrawal symptoms following the previous cigarette. And after this, a new syndrome occurs, and thus drug addiction is maintained.
Return to normal
Why is a smoker relieved by lighting a cigarette? This is because he is returning to the so-called normal state in which non-smokers are constantly without tobacco.
Thus, while lighting a cigarette, the smoker is actually trying to achieve the state of equilibrium inherent in a non-smoker. In fact, withdrawal symptoms are created due to fear and doubts that you can end up without a cigarette. Therefore, the main thing is to overcome them, and then the pain of quitting smoking goes away.
Willpower not required
At Allen Carr's Clinics, patients are prescribed smoking until they can overcome fears and doubts. This is a kind of encouragement and the path to the formation of consciousness inherent in a non-smoker. It precedes the final ritual of the “last cigarette”.
Allen Carr is convinced that without a full understanding of the mechanism of the "nicotine trap" quit smoking is quite difficult. Since there is a belief in the pain of failure and dependence on nicotine. Another unique statement of the author of the methodology is his opinion that voluntary efforts are not required to quit smoking.
Clinic Network
A notable fact in the biography of Allen Carr is the network of international clinics he created. In them, he helped people get rid of tobacco dependence, leaving accounting practice in 1983. The start of the Carra Medical Facility distribution process was facilitated by the success of the London clinic. In total, the network has hundreds of clinics located in 35 countries.
If the method fails, the administration guarantees a 100% refund to patients. According to the statistics of the clinic itself, the number of all recoveries approaches 90%. According to an independent study, within one year after completing the course, 53% did not return to addiction. This indicator indicates the effectiveness of the Allen Carr technique.
Marketing trap
The clinics employ specialists who used to be smokers and have tried the Carr method on themselves. A psychotherapy session here lasts about 4-5 hours. The size of the group can reach 20 people. The vast majority of smokers are enough and one session.
Therapists are obliged to use psychotherapeutic techniques and suggestions (not related to hypnosis) that destroy the stereotypes of smokers that they enjoy during the smoking process. Thus, they remove the fears of patients from the emergence of symptoms of weaning.
One of Carr's important innovations is the conclusion that nicotine addiction is a trap that has been specially created by manufacturers and distributors of tobacco products. Thanks to its successful operation, they secured fabulous profits for decades to come.
In conclusion of Allen Carr's biography, it is worth noting that his most popular book, The Easy Way to Quit Smoking, won first place in sales in 9 countries. This applies to books, which are non-fiction. To date, of all publications devoted to the fight against smoking, it remains one of the best-selling worldwide.