Allen Carr 'Easyway'
About the book
'Easyway' suggest that it has helped 50 million Smokers Worldwide cease Smoking
'Easyway' has just announced a partnership with WHO:- Allen Carr's Easyway Partners With the World Health Organisation for a Global Year-long Campaign to Support More Than 100 Million People as They 'Commit to Quit' Smoking https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/allen-carr-s-easyway-partners-with-the-world-health-organisation-for-a-global-year-long-campaign-to-support-more-than-100-million-people-as-they-commit-to-quit-smoking-806429693.html?fbclid=IwAR3Kb9gvi7NUroMGE7CEN9fdjT1xA52LAQOK9YsQklsBF5FhXzEmnym5QL0
Its success rate
It should be noted that an RCT exists, [Controlled Trial Using Best-Selling Smoking-Cessation Book] that did not find that 'Easyway' was particularly, if at all effective
A RCT exists that is altogether more positive
Another very recent 2020 entry Comparison of Allen Carr's Easyway programme with a specialist behavioural and pharmacological smoking cessation support service: a randomized controlled trial is neutral in its conclusions 'There was no clear evidence of a difference in the efficacies of the Allen Carr's Easyway (ACE) and specialist smoking cessation support involving behavioural support and pharmacotherapy'.
A much older appraisal of 'Easyway' exists, produced by Dr Jonathan Foulds is shown
- "In general, we would summarise that Allen Carr Easyway is another quitting method that enjoys a good measure of popularity, however, where it fits in this perceptive summary from Dr Foulds Generally speaking, a 1-year quit rate above 10% is not bad, 20% is very good, and 25% is awesome unclear and debatable, unsubstantiated data from Carr's clinics claim 90% success rate in aiding smokers to stop for three months."
From an email we received from Jonathan Foulds 28th December:
- "FYI,
- A long time ago, in a galaxy far away, (well 1996 actually, London) I lived less than half a mile away from Allen Carr\u2019s original smoking cessation clinic, and was allowed to conduct a small evaluation. I also met Mr Carr and I may even have visited him at his home. (He died of lung cancer some years later). He appeared to actually believe that his books/treatment could achieve the near miraculous quit rates that were claimed and had little hesitancy in allowing me to send smokers for the evaluation, and cold-call ex clients from his records.
- I had a feeling it wasn\u2019t going to work out as he expected, partly because at the time he also had a book titled \u201cThe Easy Way To Lose Weight\u201d, but was obviously a bit on the chubby side himself.
- Anyway, for those who are interested, I attach the summary evaluation report.
- The bottom line is that anyone who claims they have a 80% or higher success rate in helping typical smokers to abstain long-term is kidding themselves or trying to fool you. Same goes for anyone claiming >50%, particularly if there is no pharmacological component to the intervention. This includes varenicline, e-cigs or anything else we currently have. Generally speaking, a 1 year quit rate above 10% is not bad, 20% is very good, and 25% is awesome.
- Jonathan"
Cost of the easyway program
Costs of Stop Smoking Seminars are of the order £299, the small book ~£15, Free Advice
video
Clive Bates on morning TV discusses the method.