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The Easy Way to Quit Sugar: The Illustrated Guide
READ THE EASY WAY TO QUIT SUGAR AND BE THE WEIGHT YOU WANT TO BE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.People are now so hooked on sugar that it's become the number one threat to health in the modern world. Using Allen Carr's world-famous Easyway method, this book shows you how to cut bad sugar out of your diet for good. This method works by unravelling the brainwashing that leads you to desire the very thing that is harming you. In challenging the cognitive association of sugar with comfort and pleasure, this book will free you from any sugar cravings so you can live a healthier, happier life. With the brilliant writing skills and illustrations of Bev Aisbett, this handy pocket book is presented here in a truly refreshing, accessible, dynamic and enjoyable way.• A UNIQUE METHOD THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE WILLPOWER• REMOVES ADDICTION TO REFINED SUGAR AND PROCESSED CARBOHYDRATES• STOP EASILY, IMMEDIATELY AND PAINLESSLY• REGAIN CONTROL OF YOUR LIFEWhat people say about Allen Carr's Easyway "The Allen Carr program was nothing short of a miracle."Anjelica Huston"It was such a revelation that instantly I was freed from my addiction."Sir Anthony Hopkins"His skill is in removing the psychological dependence."The Sunday Times
- GenresSelf Help
141 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 12, 2017
139 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
About the author
Allen Carr
386 books291 followersAllen Carr was a British author and the founder of the global Allen Carr’s Easyway method, renowned for helping millions overcome smoking and other addictions. Born in Putney, London in 1934, Carr began smoking at 18 during National Service and struggled with the habit for over three decades. A qualified accountant, he finally quit in 1983 following a revelatory visit to a hypnotherapist. The experience didn’t directly cause him to quit, but it led to two key insights: that smoking was simply a form of nicotine addiction, and that withdrawal symptoms were minor and psychological in nature. These revelations inspired Carr to develop a revolutionary approach to quitting, one that did not rely on willpower, scare tactics, or substitution therapies.
Carr’s philosophy centered on removing the smoker’s fear of giving up. He argued that smoking merely relieves withdrawal symptoms from the previous cigarette, and that the supposed satisfaction gained is merely a return to the non-smoker’s normal state. Through live seminars, books, and multimedia resources, the Easyway method encourages smokers to continue smoking while they reframe their beliefs, ultimately extinguishing their final cigarette with clarity and confidence.
In 1985, Carr published The Easy Way to Stop Smoking, which became a bestseller and was translated into more than 45 languages. The success of his London clinic led to the establishment of over 100 Easyway centers in 35 countries, offering seminars to treat smoking, alcohol dependency, sugar addiction, and even fear of flying. His method’s credibility was bolstered by independent clinical trials, including studies in Ireland and the UK which found it as effective—if not more so—than standard cessation methods. This led to its adoption by NHS-approved services in England.
A key element of the Easyway clinics is that all facilitators are former addicts who successfully quit using the method themselves. They must complete extensive training and become licensed members of the Association of Allen Carr Therapists International.
Throughout his career, Carr also co-authored a wide range of Easyway books addressing various addictions and behavioral issues, often collaborating with Robin Hayley and John C. Dicey, the current Chairman and Global CEO of Allen Carr’s Easyway. Dicey, whom Carr mentored, continues to lead the organization’s development and public outreach.
Carr died of lung cancer in 2006 at age 72, though he had not smoked for 23 years. He attributed his illness to second-hand smoke exposure during seminars. Before his death, he remained committed to his mission, challenging governmental ties to nicotine replacement industries and advocating for wider access to his method.
Carr’s legacy continues through his clinics, books, and online programs, which have reached over 50 million people worldwide. His message remains consistent: quitting is not a sacrifice—it’s liberation.
Carr’s philosophy centered on removing the smoker’s fear of giving up. He argued that smoking merely relieves withdrawal symptoms from the previous cigarette, and that the supposed satisfaction gained is merely a return to the non-smoker’s normal state. Through live seminars, books, and multimedia resources, the Easyway method encourages smokers to continue smoking while they reframe their beliefs, ultimately extinguishing their final cigarette with clarity and confidence.
In 1985, Carr published The Easy Way to Stop Smoking, which became a bestseller and was translated into more than 45 languages. The success of his London clinic led to the establishment of over 100 Easyway centers in 35 countries, offering seminars to treat smoking, alcohol dependency, sugar addiction, and even fear of flying. His method’s credibility was bolstered by independent clinical trials, including studies in Ireland and the UK which found it as effective—if not more so—than standard cessation methods. This led to its adoption by NHS-approved services in England.
A key element of the Easyway clinics is that all facilitators are former addicts who successfully quit using the method themselves. They must complete extensive training and become licensed members of the Association of Allen Carr Therapists International.
Throughout his career, Carr also co-authored a wide range of Easyway books addressing various addictions and behavioral issues, often collaborating with Robin Hayley and John C. Dicey, the current Chairman and Global CEO of Allen Carr’s Easyway. Dicey, whom Carr mentored, continues to lead the organization’s development and public outreach.
Carr died of lung cancer in 2006 at age 72, though he had not smoked for 23 years. He attributed his illness to second-hand smoke exposure during seminars. Before his death, he remained committed to his mission, challenging governmental ties to nicotine replacement industries and advocating for wider access to his method.
Carr’s legacy continues through his clinics, books, and online programs, which have reached over 50 million people worldwide. His message remains consistent: quitting is not a sacrifice—it’s liberation.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 31, 2019
This will work best if you approach it willing to be suggestible and willing to try out the ideas. Basically, it will help if you really DO want to quit but haven’t been able to yet.
Carr’s books (they seem to all take the same approach) focus on reframing your relationship to sugar/smoking/gambling/worrying/etc. He breaks down the arguments against the activity explicitly, until you’re left deciding that if you’re gonna continue this activity, it’s going to be against your own best thoughts about it. Also, the books are NOT shaming at all. Instead he acknowledges your perseverance in developing and maintaining the habit and suggests you redirect that formidable energy.
The text is accompanied by cartoons. Only white, middle-class looking people in the cartoons. I’m not sure why the cartoons are included, except maybe thinking they will heighten the emotional response as you unconsciously mirror the expressions.
I read this book on a Wednesday, finished it on a Thursday and ate my last piece of candy on Thursday. That last piece of candy was a chocolate covered marshmallow, my absolute favourite candy, and it tasted *disgusting* to me. As Shakespeare said in Hamlet, “for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” My thinking about candy has shifted and now it’s not appealing to me — a very significant shift as candy was a food group in my diet.
It’s only been a few days but this is different from every other time I’ve quit sugar in that I’m not struggling with wanting it at all and so I’m not feeling deprived. Yesterday I cleared out the cupboards of all cookies and candy (leaving a bit for the kids) and didn’t feel remotely upset. I wasn’t tempted by any of that food. In addition, I’m not having many physical side effects - just some headaches. This may be because I spent the last 6 weeks doing the Nemechek protocol to heal my gut.
I still eat fruit. I’m still willing to do some baking. But no candy, no store-bought cookies. I’m already seeing an increase in my vegetable intake (& we eat a lot of veggies).
I’ve set a calendar reminder to update this in 6 months to see if the effect is lasting.
1 month (& a bit) update: I haven’t eaten any candy, not even during pms. I’ve been mildly tempted but it hasn’t been hard to resist at all.
I have eaten some store-bought cookies (originally I wasn’t going to). But not many - my big splurge was 5 over the course of a day. That IS a lot, but it’s nothing compared to what I used to eat.
I’m not seeing any major health benefits yet. That’s disappointing, but not super surprising.
6 month update: I don’t eat candy. Every so often I’ll try a piece and I always regret it. But I still eat cookies and cereal and I’d like to eliminate those. I think I’ll go through the book again with cereal — I seem better at eliminating one thing at a time.
Carr’s books (they seem to all take the same approach) focus on reframing your relationship to sugar/smoking/gambling/worrying/etc. He breaks down the arguments against the activity explicitly, until you’re left deciding that if you’re gonna continue this activity, it’s going to be against your own best thoughts about it. Also, the books are NOT shaming at all. Instead he acknowledges your perseverance in developing and maintaining the habit and suggests you redirect that formidable energy.
The text is accompanied by cartoons. Only white, middle-class looking people in the cartoons. I’m not sure why the cartoons are included, except maybe thinking they will heighten the emotional response as you unconsciously mirror the expressions.
I read this book on a Wednesday, finished it on a Thursday and ate my last piece of candy on Thursday. That last piece of candy was a chocolate covered marshmallow, my absolute favourite candy, and it tasted *disgusting* to me. As Shakespeare said in Hamlet, “for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” My thinking about candy has shifted and now it’s not appealing to me — a very significant shift as candy was a food group in my diet.
It’s only been a few days but this is different from every other time I’ve quit sugar in that I’m not struggling with wanting it at all and so I’m not feeling deprived. Yesterday I cleared out the cupboards of all cookies and candy (leaving a bit for the kids) and didn’t feel remotely upset. I wasn’t tempted by any of that food. In addition, I’m not having many physical side effects - just some headaches. This may be because I spent the last 6 weeks doing the Nemechek protocol to heal my gut.
I still eat fruit. I’m still willing to do some baking. But no candy, no store-bought cookies. I’m already seeing an increase in my vegetable intake (& we eat a lot of veggies).
I’ve set a calendar reminder to update this in 6 months to see if the effect is lasting.
1 month (& a bit) update: I haven’t eaten any candy, not even during pms. I’ve been mildly tempted but it hasn’t been hard to resist at all.
I have eaten some store-bought cookies (originally I wasn’t going to). But not many - my big splurge was 5 over the course of a day. That IS a lot, but it’s nothing compared to what I used to eat.
I’m not seeing any major health benefits yet. That’s disappointing, but not super surprising.
6 month update: I don’t eat candy. Every so often I’ll try a piece and I always regret it. But I still eat cookies and cereal and I’d like to eliminate those. I think I’ll go through the book again with cereal — I seem better at eliminating one thing at a time.
July 29, 2024
If you are familiar with Carr's work then you sort of know what to expect, the approach in the book is the same as his other books and in my experience it works, so it definitely deserves a read.
However, allen died in 2006, this book was published in 2017 and obviously it wasnt written by him but his foundation, and they've hopped on the blueprint that he created and published several books on different topics using the same methods.
Though there is nothing wrong with that, you could tell he hasn't written this one because its pushing alternative agendas that are not the topic of the book.
For example , its labeling rice, potatoes and pasta as bad foods - they have nothing to do with sugar and its very unlikely people struggle quitting them.
Its denouncing meat consumption while pushing a vegetarian diet, again that has nothing to do with sugar consumption or addiction and is ironic as throughout the book its stated that this solution is not a diet multiple times but then the authors suggest the vegetarian diet as the optimal choice.
Apart from these agendas the book is pushing at certain times the arguments just didnt hold up unlike other books.
For example, the authors ask several time if one would ever enjoy bread on its own to try and paint a picture that we actually don't like the taste of bread but for me thats just inaccurate, as i enjoy eating bread on its own (at least european bread) or the book states that the volume of the food doesnt matter (and implies junk food like chips have a large volume) and doesnt play a role in satiating hunger but instead its the nutritional value that does which is absolutely false as volume plqys a huge roal..things like this definitely bring the book down for me.
However, allen died in 2006, this book was published in 2017 and obviously it wasnt written by him but his foundation, and they've hopped on the blueprint that he created and published several books on different topics using the same methods.
Though there is nothing wrong with that, you could tell he hasn't written this one because its pushing alternative agendas that are not the topic of the book.
For example , its labeling rice, potatoes and pasta as bad foods - they have nothing to do with sugar and its very unlikely people struggle quitting them.
Its denouncing meat consumption while pushing a vegetarian diet, again that has nothing to do with sugar consumption or addiction and is ironic as throughout the book its stated that this solution is not a diet multiple times but then the authors suggest the vegetarian diet as the optimal choice.
Apart from these agendas the book is pushing at certain times the arguments just didnt hold up unlike other books.
For example, the authors ask several time if one would ever enjoy bread on its own to try and paint a picture that we actually don't like the taste of bread but for me thats just inaccurate, as i enjoy eating bread on its own (at least european bread) or the book states that the volume of the food doesnt matter (and implies junk food like chips have a large volume) and doesnt play a role in satiating hunger but instead its the nutritional value that does which is absolutely false as volume plqys a huge roal..things like this definitely bring the book down for me.
October 27, 2021
am I cured? hopefully
February 15, 2021
More of a pep talk and re-enforcement of what we know, but haven't internalised...and a push towards how to internalise it.
October 23, 2019
"The Easy Way To Quit Sugar" by Allen Carr is an easy to digest self help book which just doesn't satiate you. The book explains about the ill effects of processed sugar and it's overuse in the food products that we consume on a daily basis. It tries to establish a certain perspective of moving away from the 'bad' sugar and embracing the natural 'good' sugar that can be obtained by consuming fresh fruits and vegetables. However, the book fails on the account of giving scientific backings to its claims. The usage of illustrations is dry and repetitive making the reading experience unsatisfactory. The book tackles the main issue of giving up on sugar in a very easy manner which is the only thing that stands out about it. For the people who are aware of the subject you don't need to pick up this book, for those of you who don't have an idea give it a try, maybe it's your cup of tea. Allen Carr tackled smoking effectively but I am pretty confident that the sugar monster won't go away that easily.
September 1, 2022
I absolutely agree that to quit on something you should change your entire mind approach. Using willpower techniques is cognitively too consuming as a result once a small crisis will come you will end up hooked again and with a feeling of guilt and self loathing. I love the way of non stop conversation with questions and answers and all the illustration. It's easily digestible that way. However the scope of that book is larger than promised. I was looking for an advice on how to quit sugar not how to also quit all carbs ( I'm as well not entirely convinced i should). It would also notice that the information provided by the author on the bad side of sugar intake are vague. There are up to the point but without some previous read on the subject i wouldn't be completely convinced. Nevertheless I REALLY RECOMMEND!
April 27, 2023
So I read both the illustrated guide and the plain text one. The main thing that pops up to the eye is that... he doesn't keep consistency! I can't remember which book said what, but sometimes it contradicted himself. That just means he changed his mind about certain specific foods, and that's perfectly fine because the stated principles are the same. Reading both books gave me a wider view and I still think the content is good.
March 21, 2024
I didn’t finish it. Horribly outdated. Super fat phobic. I had to laugh about that hadn’t it been so bad. I really wanted to learn about sugar, but half of the book was like “obesity kills” and I’m like yea I’m not obese, just tell me about sugar. And the rest was “keep on reading, my method has helped so many people!” - until like page 50 or so. Very repetitive and self absorbed. Eventually put it away.
December 13, 2024
Halfway this book i discovered it was published in 2017 while the author passed on in 2006. I kept on waiting to know what the easy way is.... I guess the answer is, it's all in your mind. What Kept me going is that i am a very visual person and it has visual pictures which were fun... reminds me of my early days as a reader, my preference was those books that had pictures in them. This book was also very repetitive.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2024
Very outdated ideas on what is healthy and what isn't. Insanely fatphobic. The easyway method is still good but I just have to disagree with the actual food recommendations in the book. It was supposed to be a book to help quit sugar, it somehow became a book written by someone who knows nothing about nutrition telling you what to eat
January 3, 2026
the same concept as other Allan Carr books. used his method for alcohol. so much easier for the sugar. loved the drawings.
quick easy read. less than 2 hours.
take it all in. would be great, if there was a follow up book, with more foods and recipes, for people new to unprocessed foods.
it's the first step to a brand new chapter. woohoo..
quick easy read. less than 2 hours.
take it all in. would be great, if there was a follow up book, with more foods and recipes, for people new to unprocessed foods.
it's the first step to a brand new chapter. woohoo..
June 28, 2019
Excelente
Con este autor deje de fumar si sentir la necesidad de que me estaba privando del cigarrillo. Ahora quise probar el mismo método pero contra el azúcar .. creo que soy libre .
Con este autor deje de fumar si sentir la necesidad de que me estaba privando del cigarrillo. Ahora quise probar el mismo método pero contra el azúcar .. creo que soy libre .
June 4, 2018
Inspiring.
Persuasive. Motivating. Spot on. Indisputable arguments.
Enjoyable to read. Discounts all arguments against giving up sugar. Very good book indeed.
Persuasive. Motivating. Spot on. Indisputable arguments.
Enjoyable to read. Discounts all arguments against giving up sugar. Very good book indeed.
July 27, 2019
Was too general.
The information provided was not backed by any scientific studies. However, it is an easy and simple read. I enjoyed it.
The information provided was not backed by any scientific studies. However, it is an easy and simple read. I enjoyed it.
January 6, 2020
It was okay, no new information for me.
March 27, 2023
Am I missing something? This book took 20 minutes to read and left me with “eat fruit, veg and nuts. Sugar is bad for you”
January 4, 2024
This book is very strange. The tone the author uses feels like I'm in school reading a textbook intended for 2nd graders.
February 22, 2024
It didn't help me.
January 11, 2025
it would be better of annie grace did it tbh (sorry allen)
November 22, 2024
3.5 stars for bow. Will need to reread it.
But y potatoes is my question. Could we not have left the potatoes and wheat (cus chapatthis duh) in moderation
But y potatoes is my question. Could we not have left the potatoes and wheat (cus chapatthis duh) in moderation
February 14, 2022
Fun, and quick to read
February 3, 2022
A very quick and easy read but also effective. I eat way too much sugar / sweets every day but after reading this the desire has diminished already. If you are thinking that way already this book will help you to change your mindset in order to give up completely.
October 22, 2018
I just didn't find it very convincing - too much inflammatory language and not enough evidence-based information.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews