LaFemme

I found a very old thread on this book but thought I'd start a new one. I've seen a number of people mention his book recently and since I read it and found it very helpful I would be interested in seeing what others (who have read it) thought.

Thanks!

BTW, The book is called "The Easy Way to Stop Drinking", he also wrote a wildly successful book on quitting smoking called "The Easy Way to quit Smoking".

CarolD

As I was already happily sucessfully AA sober
years before the carr books were written....
I have no experience to share on them.

Again...there is no wrong way to get and stay sober
Wishing everyone the best recovery gives....

hope51

I haven't read it. LaFemme did you find it helpful as you were quitting drinking or had you been sober for a time already when you read it?

BobGT

Hey LaFemme, good topic. I read Carr's Easyway book before I decided to quit, but I was considering quitting or trying to moderate at the time. His idea that we needed to be debrainwashed/reprogrammed made sense to me.

The book was excellent for pointing out reasons to quit drinking other than the obvious one, that drinking was screwing up my life. So it definitely helped me decide to stop. But I don't know that it was a lot of help after I quit.

Mentally, I could ponder all of his topics, but that didn't do much to lessen the cravings/boredom that made me want to drink. The desire to improve myself, both physically and spiritually, was my inspiration. And SR was my main source of help.

However, I would still recommend the book. Everyone is different and Easyway has been a big help to others. I guess we don't know what methods will work for us until we try them.

Dee74

I think the best thing I got out of Allen Carr was looking at whether the drink did what I wanted it to for me - the answer was obviously a resounding no - but it still took me a few more months to hit my personal nadir and quit.

D

LaFemme

I read the book in April/may this year and read it with a glass of wine on hand as he expressly said not to...:-) I quit for 5 days at that time but drank again for another month and a half before re-reading and having it finally sink in. I wont say its the only reason I got sober but it was one of the more influential factors. I had been trying to quit for five years and read a lot of stuff...this was the last book I read.

I have used his tools a lot in terms of the way I perceive alcohol...as for self improvement which I consider æg benefit of sobriety...well I've always been into that but it works so much better wahen drink isn't part of the equation!

reggiewayne

I think it's a great book. I think it can be used with AA. The jist of it is that EVERYONE is capable of becoming an alcoholic with enough exposure. It also shows how there is nothing positive with alcohol and there really isn't a "normal drinker". It's a very good book!

HFA

I read the chapter on the Easy Process (Ignoring the warning to not read just that chapter). Seems mostly common sense. There were a couple new angles on some ideas that I liked.

reggiewayne

HFA - it is common sense in parts but he actually has a very different message than what else is out there. He discusses how there is nothing normal about drinking booze and that we've all been trapped into thinking that drinking is normal, that it relax's us, boosts confidence, etc... basically trying to prove that there is only cons (no pro's) when it comes to drinking and that everyone that drinks is on a slide into addiction, it just depends how far each individual has slipped... Good book.

Mattcake

I read Carr's book in one sitting, the day after my last relapse. I loved the idea of *enjoying* recovery, versus enduring it and feeling deprived. It absolutely changed my perspective... I so agree with him, we are brainwashed into believing that drinking alcohol is enjoyable. It left me feeling like "hey, let's try something new!"

Carr works on the cognitive side of addiction and, like SMART, the book helps you reframe your thoughts.

I agree with Reggiewayne, though I personally don't go to AA (I've chosen a different path to cultivate spirituality), I assume that the book can be very helpful for people who attend AA.

My basic idea is that, in recovery, it's vital to cover all bases: spirit, mind, emotions and body.

The main problem with the book, imo -and it's a big one- is that Carr assures the reader that the withdrawal process is a breeze, while that's obviously not the case. He's quite reckless in this regard - anyone who is detoxing from alcohol should seek medical supervision.

Wartrace

I give Mr. Carr's book 100% of the credit for my smoking quit. He made it all make perfect sense and over a year later I have no worries that I will ever smoke again.

I did not use his book when I quit drinking but if it is anywhere near as effective I wouldn't hesitate to try it.

LaFemme

I agree that the one point he gets seriously wrong is withdrawal...its a shame because otherwise he's so great...I can only think that he would have revised that section if he had lived longer.