Should be required reading for teens and beyond!

books:


	• The Easy Way to Stop Drinking Allen Carr Sterling, 2005 - 272 pages average customer review:based on 31 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Carr's method works!

After drinking heavily for nearly 25 years, I have quit thanks to Alan Carr's Easy Way method. In a nutshell: the author examines the reasons why we drink, and then methodically exposes the flaws behind those reasons, stating again and again that our 'reasons' are, in fact, 'excuses.' Little by little he removes the desire to drink, and how can one miss what one does not want? Other reviewers have remarked on Carr's simple writing style, and it's true - he's not a great author, but he does have a great message.

buy it!

If you want to quit, buy this book now. It works. Take it from a hard drinker of 20 years. It works. Get it, turn off the TV and read it.

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Allen Carr's Easy Way Review

I read Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Drinking with a critical, but hopeful open mind. I wanted to believe that just by reading this book that he would convince me to give up drinking without regret, and without the need to use willpower. I liked that I didn't have to give up drinking during the book. That gave me some time to put off that dreadful day.

I read steadily, but had no desire to finish it in record time. I was always sober when I read it, but always looked forward to my nightly ritual of beer and scotch and falling asleep on the couch. His book really spoke to my personal situation. However, I began to dread getting to the end, but also wanted to get to the end to get the magic instructions. I read the rules to agree by before going on. I wasn't sure I agreed with them 100%. I tried rereading some chapters that really spoke to me. I read the instructions. They seemed common sense. I didn't think that was going to do it for me. I read the chapter on the final drink. A little disappointed, I went home to have my final drink. I couldn't have just one. I had my usual, and felt the usual in the morning. It sucked.

The next day I picked up the book again and started reading. I reread the instructions. I reread some chapters.

I kept reading the book, finding a lot of solace in breaking false drinking associations, and reminding myself daily that alcohol ravages time, energy, love, and money. Four things we can never have enough of. I made a habit of reminding myself of how great it is that I am free. I will not mourn the drink, nor envy those who drink.

I am wary that I may eventually let my guard down, and enjoy reading a chapter or two again to reinforce my decision. I will also say that those who like AA, may not like this book, as it is counter to what they may have been taught or what works for them. The prospect of taking it a day at a time, and learning to live with the desire to drink, to me, it seems only feeds your mind that you are giving something up and that you are the only one in the way of that pleasure. As Carr would say, "What a morbid prospect!"

To be fair, it has only been 20 days of living life outside of that prison. But I am optimistic, and I encourage anyone with an open mind to read the book, and if it doesn't speak to you on the first read, go back and reread the chapters that speak to your doubts. The book spoke to my personal situation, but I doubt would have worked for me even 10 years ago.

Did Carr convince me to give up drinking without regret, and without the need for willpower? I don't know. I would like to say, Yes, Absolutely! But I admit there is a small doubt in the back of my mind that the lessons will wear off. I believe he did give me a very logical view of what alcohol is, and what it has done to me. I feel good about my decision. I look forward to living my life without the addiction of alcohol.

***UPDATE****7/8/2008

I am still alcohol free after 7 weeks. I feel better than I have in years, and am genuinely happy that I am not drinking. Carr's method is still working for me.

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Should be required reading for teens and beyond!

This is an amazing book! I read it in one sitting
and was mesmerized. I have known many AAers and it
seems like they are waiting for the ax to fall. This
is such a freeing way of escape from devastation. My
only problem with the book is how withdrawal is treated
so lightly. Yes, most people will just sweat and feel
slight shakes, but others can experience Grand Mal seizures.
My father did and ended up in the ICU for four days and the hospital
for a week. I feel it's important to consult a doctor before instantly quitting. The principles are excellent and I enjoy the way he writes.
I had three sips of a last drink and gagged through each of them.
Poison. Yuck!

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Focus on the substance, not the drinker

Mr. Carr's approach to alcoholism is different from most--he focuses on the substance--alcohol, not the drinker. He persuasively argues that it is an insidious poison that has no beneficial qualities and threatens anyone who drinks it. He likens it to the pitcher plant, which is a type of passive Venus fly-trap, in which the insect voluntarily enters a trap. The trap contains nectar and leads towards a progressively steep chute. After entering the plant, the insect is surrounded by hairs that point only in one direction--downwards. I think the reason Carr encourages the reader not to jump to the end of the book is that much of the benefit is in being persuaded of the unredeemingly poisonous, yet gradual and insidious nature of alcohol. He also makes the case that the alcohol high for an advanced drinker is largely the absence of the temporary discomfort of abstinence. At the same time, the craving that characterizes many abstinent alcoholics is a product of a deep-seated belief that they are missing something pleasurable or psychologically necessary for their genuine happiness. By attacking this perception in its various ramifications, Carr persuades that only a person utterly convinced of the toxicity of alcohol and the illusory nature of its psychological benefits can quit and not look back with a craving. Although the book can be criticized for occasional overstatement and unnecessary asides, I think its essential points are valid and important to understand for anyone trying to quit. For those who find its factual assertions obvious and and its style poorly written, perhaps they should publish a better book with their superior understanding. So far, I've read few if any that are better.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Carr offers a startling new view of why we drink and how we can escape the addiction. Step by step, with devastating clarity and simplicity, he applies the Easy way? method, dispelling all the illusions that surround the subject of drinking and that can make it almost impossible to imagine a life without alcohol. Only when we step away from all these supposed pleasures and understand how we are being duped to believe we are receiving real benefits can we begin to live our lives free from any desire or need for drinking. The Easyway? method centers on removing the psychological need to drink?while the drinker is still drinking. Following the Easyway?:? You will not need willpower? You will not feel deprived? You will lose your fear of withdrawal pangs? You will enjoy social occasions more? You will be better equipped to handle stressThe Easy Way to Stop Drinking is a landmark work that offers a simple and painless solution to anyone who wants to escape from dependency on alcohol without feeling deprived.

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