Confessions from an Ex-Smoker

CHAPTER 3

THE ROAD TO LIBERATION

Allen Carr’s Easy Way to Stop Smoking Book Cover

..continued from Chapter 2.

I am not exaggerating. Allen Carr’s Easy Way To Stop Smoking has been my saviour. It saved me from further damaging my physical health. It saved me from countless moments of stress thereby reviving my mental health. At the peak of my smoking practice, I was spending almost 1000 AUD per month on cigarettes. So it saved heaps of money. Most importantly, it saved me from being a slave to cigarettes all my life.

All my previous approaches failed because the methods required faith. Faith in the concept that if you are strong enough to endure the cravings; if you have the willpower to not give in to the temptation, one day you will come out of misery; and if you can’t then you are not strong enough or lack willpower. This approach has a major flaw. It does not tell how will you know that you have permanently quit smoking. Or how many days do you have to keep faith before you can call yourself a non-smoker? A week? A month? A year ? or till you die? This approach promises you salvation but the result is lifelong misery. I was seeking liberation from my misery.

Allen Carr’s method is quite the opposite. It is based on reason and hence guarantees liberation.

First, Allen Carr describes the nature of the trap. Second, he describes why people remain in the trap even after realising they have fallen into it. Third, he offers a solution to come out of the trap. Fourth, he shows the path to break free from the trap. All you got to do is walk on the path and you’ll know the moment you liberate yourself from the trap. Permanently.

The solution works for all. The time required by every individual to liberate themselves would vary depending upon how deep they are stuck in the trap. Individuals stuck for years may require more time and practice while those who have recently fallen into the trap may easily come out with a little practice. Lucky would be those sitting on the fence who can avoid falling into the trap altogether.

Each chapter of the book, when understood fully, frees your mind from a nicotine-related mental association that was built over the years. With each subsequent chapter, you start feeling lighter. Allen Carr asks you to carry on smoking while you read the book. The more you walk on the path, the more you realise the futility of smoking. A moment will arrive when you will know that you are done with cigarettes. You don’t want them anymore. That’s when Allen Carr asks you to smoke your last cigarette.

After 4 readings of the book, which took me around 5 months, I smoked my last cigarette on 21st November 2022. I had the first puff. I coughed. Coughed again. I vividly recall I hated it. I couldn’t even finish it. I threw it after 2 puffs. I knew I would never have it again.