15 Facts About Allen Carr

Allen John Carr was a British author of books about smoking cessation and other psychological dependencies.

Allen Carr finally stopped smoking on 15 July 1983, aged 48, after a visit to a hypnotherapist.

Allen Carr teaches that smokers do not receive a boost from smoking a cigarette, and that smoking only relieves the withdrawal symptoms from the previous cigarette, which in turn creates more withdrawal symptoms once it is finished.

Allen Carr asserted that the "relief" smokers feel on lighting a cigarette, the feeling of being "back to normal", is the feeling experienced by non-smokers all the time.

Allen Carr's contention was that fear of "giving up" is what causes the majority of smokers to continue smoking, thereby necessitating the smoker's perpetuation of the illusion of genuine enjoyment as a moral justification of the inherent absurdity of smoking in the face of overwhelming medical and scientific evidence of its dangers.

Allen Carr left his accountancy job in 1983 and set up his first Easyway clinic.

Allen Carr wrote ten books which appeared as bestsellers on selected book ranking charts including his first book The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.

Allen Carr's Easyway is clinically tested through two randomised controlled trials.

In 2018 an Irish trial found that Allen Carr's Easyway was almost twice as effective as Quit.

Approval was granted by England's internationally renowned National Institute for Health and Care Excellence with the committee finding that Allen Carr's Easyway was not only effective but cost-effective.

Allen Carr's Clinics are run by facilitators who were once smokers and have used Carr's method to stop smoking.

Allen Carr wrote a number of other how-to books on subjects such as losing weight, stopping alcohol consumption, and overcoming the fear of flying.

In 2021, Allen Carr's Easyway assisted the World Health Organisation's year-long global campaign for World No Tobacco Day 2021.

Allen Carr had stated in his book "The easy way to control alcohol" chapter 16 that he was a chain-smoker for most of his adult life.

Allen Carr died from lung cancer at his home in Benalmadena, west of Malaga, Spain, on 29 November 2006.