This section is devoted to my views on "This book can make you quit smoking".
Express my respect and gratitude to it and point out what I think is wrong in its basic theory.
About "This book can make you quit smoking"
This book can make you quit smoking. The author is Aaron Carr, a British accountant. He named his method of quitting smoking "easy to quit smoking"-which means that smokers can quit smoking "easily" without any drugs or instruments. It is said that more than10 million people in the world have successfully given up smoking addiction.
In a word, this book has a great influence in the field of quitting smoking, and it is called the bible of quitting smoking by many smokers.
First of all, I respect and thank the author of this book, Aaron Carr. Respect is because he is the first person I know to help smokers quit smoking by correcting people's cognition; I am grateful, because his book gave me great inspiration at that time, and let me know that many of our previous "common sense" understandings about smoking and quitting smoking are worthy of scrutiny.
At the same time, I am also very willing to believe that the "simple smoking cessation method" has helped many people to quit smoking successfully. Because although its theory is wrong and imprecise, if you don't study it carefully and don't fully believe it, it can at least help you to dispel your hesitation and fear and make a choice to quit smoking.
This book can make you quit smoking, and it works mainly because of its three methods.
First, improve readers' confidence through successful cases. The author himself is said to be an "old smoker" who smokes 100 cigarettes every day. He successfully quit smoking through the "simple smoking cessation method". At the same time, more than10 million readers in the world have successfully quit smoking by this method; Then readers will naturally feel "so can I"
Secondly, a unique theory is put forward and explained, such as "smoking has no benefits and pleasure", "quitting smoking has no pain", "the reduction of nicotine causes the body to replenish it" and "brainwashing" makes us believe that smoking is happy.
Third, repeat the first and second points from all angles in the length of a book to strengthen readers' recognition of the first and second points, and even be "brainwashed".
In fact, there is nothing wrong with these three methods.
First, many smokers will be afraid that they can't quit smoking, and it will be very painful after quitting smoking. So at this time, we should give them confidence and tell them that many people have successfully quit smoking, and they have done it easily.
Secondly, many smokers do have deviations in their understanding of smoking and quitting smoking, which needs to be corrected. This is also the method adopted in this paper.
Thirdly, there is a distance from contacting a relatively new theory to internalizing it into one's own cognition, which needs to be eliminated through repeated and multi-angle exposition in a certain length.
Mistakes in This Book Can Make You Quit Smoking
I think there are some mistakes in Aaron Carr's basic theory. To be precise, there are some extremes and deviations. Let's try to analyze it.
To sum up, there are two main points:
1, about "pleasure"
Aaron Carr thinks that smoking "can't provide any pleasure". He thinks that we mistake "the relief of discomfort" for happiness. However, in fact, any pleasure is originally a relief of discomfort. Aaron Carr intentionally or unintentionally changed the concept here. He explained the pleasure again, and then claimed that none of the sentences after the explanation were pleasure, which also caused my mind to be full of contradictions and confusion when I first read this book.
In fact, I can understand Aaron Carr's intention that "giving up smoking pleasure" is one of the reasons why many smokers are unwilling to quit smoking. This "sense of deprivation" is really unbearable. Smokers always feel that quitting smoking will "deprive" themselves of the right to enjoy smoking.
But the pleasure of smoking is objective, and simple subjective negation is a bit like "self-deception". Aronka's readers accepted that "pleasure doesn't exist" before they had the courage to quit smoking. Accordingly, if they find that at some point they can't convince themselves that smoking is not a pleasure, they will doubt the whole theory, which may lead to the failure of quitting smoking.
The "I do" smoking cessation law takes another solution to the problem that "quitting smoking requires giving up the pleasure of smoking": first, put aside other interfering factors (mainly referring to the fear of smoking addiction) and make an objective examination of this pleasure of smoking, and you will find that it is actually not as irreplaceable as most people think; Secondly, face up to the word "give up". Giving up is not a big deal. In fact, our life is a process of constantly choosing and giving up.
Here is a brief mention, and the following content will explain the above two points in detail.
2. About "smoking addiction"
Aaron Carr admits the existence of physical addiction, but he takes a simple negative attitude towards psychological addiction, just like pleasure. Throughout the book, he doesn't seem to mention that people have "psychological addiction" besides physical addiction.
Aaron Carr believes that it is "the brainwashing effect of society", which makes us believe that smoking is pleasant and smoking can help us. This statement is actually equivalent to his explanation of "psychological addiction".
Through our previous analysis, it is obvious that smokers have psychological addiction. In fact, we are prone to "psychological addiction" to many things. As long as it can provide us with something that stimulates dopamine, we will "indulge" in it to varying degrees-music, TV series, variety shows, games, sports and so on. We can't say that our addiction to these things is all because of the brainwashing effect of society.
The so-called "heart addiction" actually has a physiological basis. They are related to the reward circuit of the brain and neurohormones such as dopamine, so they are also objective phenomena.
Aaron Karl denies the existence of "addiction" because it can't solve this problem-"What if I want to smoke after quitting smoking and my physical addiction disappears?" Will this craving for smoking be with me all my life? 」
This question is also very important. Compared with "giving up pleasure", smokers tend to care more and fear "the torture of smoking addiction".
As for how to solve this problem, my method of quitting smoking is similar to giving up pleasure. That is, first of all, let's put aside other interferences and face up to the so-called "heart addiction" itself to see its intensity and duration; Secondly, treat this kind of "addiction" which is very "ordinary" in itself with a normal heart, and finally let it gradually weaken and disappear with the passage of time by interrupting smoking.
Similarly, the solutions to the above problems will be analyzed in detail in the following chapters.