Book Review: Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking
01 October 2025
The KOPI Book CLUB!
As an Osteopath, I specialise in the bio-mechanics of the beautiful human body. I am the eternal student of the body, an absolute privilege.
My book reviews are written to help you better understand and nurture your physical body. I hope you enjoy reading them, and if you have any books to suggest, I would be very interested to hear about them.
Book Review: Allen Carr’s EASY WAY TO STOP SMOKING
"If you knew that smoking that particular cigarette would literally blow your head off, would you smoke it? Of course not."
- Allen Carr.
STOPTOBER: A Personal and Professional Plea
As we know, October is STOPTOBER. While this can apply to many areas of life, it’s most often linked to smoking, and more recently, vaping.
Full disclosure: I don’t smoke. But my husband does. And believe me, I’ve shown him the science, the images, the costs; I’ve tried complaining, reasoning, ignoring, even bribing, but nothing has worked… so far.
This blog is both a personal plea and a professional one.
Allen Carr explains it succinctly: smokers are aware of the risks. They are aware of the financial and health costs. Yet we all have that thought: “It won’t happen to me.”
Understanding this helped me see why quitting is so difficult for so many.
Carr also encourages people to avoid the words “give up” or “giving up.” Why?
Because it implies denial or loss, in truth, stopping smoking isn’t about losing anything at all. Consider this: you lose absolutely nothing by quitting.
A standout moment for me during this really insightful dive into smoking (Carr himself was a heavy chain smoker for 40 years) was his question: “If you knew that smoking that particular cigarette would literally blow your head off, would you smoke it?”
Of course not. And in Carr’s view, this proves that the smoker isn’t truly addicted; it’s all about mindset.
Carr cleverly explains how nicotine works in terms of rising and falling levels (calling it the “little monster”), and why cutting down or relying on willpower alone simply doesn’t work.
He also busts the myth that smoking relieves stress; it actually does the opposite.
Exploring the psychology behind smoking, Carr focuses on changing the smoker’s mindset without resorting to scare tactics.
Easy Way to Stop Smoking has been, and continues to be, a long-standing, clinically proven resource that has helped millions become happy, permanent non-smokers.
There’s even a helpful section for non-smokers supporting someone who is trying to quit.
The key? The smoker doesn’t need nagging, bribing, or guilt-tripping; they need support, encouragement, and understanding.
So, if this book could help you or someone you love, pick up a copy. You/they literally have nothing to lose, and potentially everything to gain.
Emily
Kibworth Osteopaths