Want to quit? For the price of one pack you can.
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| Review Date: June 8, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Matt Lux, OEF X, Afghanistan |
I would like everyone who is reading this review to understand some things about myself, and this game, before going any further, and before reading any more of these corrupted reviews. Also, this review is long, because I am passionate about the subject...and I would like to feel like everyone who reads it, is a future non-smoker
First off, I am in the military, I am in Afghanistan, and I have smoked for three years. If you think that it would be tough to quit smoking, imagine as a smoker what it feels like to quit in the presence of smokers. I will guarantee that the percent of people in the military compared to civilian life, is much greater.
So every time I am outside, every time I am inside, at every function, every mission, every place...there are smokers, and there are also people who chew and dip.
But, this game, alone, without the book, was the help I needed.
This help was not medicinal, did not take an incredible amount of time, was not difficult, and was not painful.
The only thing that this help required was an open mind, and the ability to follow instructions, and acknowledge understanding.
The reason I would criticize other reviews on this game is because as I am reading them, they show a lack of understanding and general knowledge of the game. This would show a half-hearted attempt, and then maybe rushing through, or quitting midway, and denouncing the methods that Allen Carr preaches.
Also, Allen Carr, 19 years of smoking to him is a joke...because this man smoked for 33 years.
I would like you to read a little about this man's personal life (from wikipedia Allen_Carr):
"In late July 2006 it was revealed that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 71. The following month he revealed that it was terminal and his life expectancy was about nine months. Carr said: "Since I smoked my final cigarette, 23 years ago, I have been the happiest man in the world. I still feel the same way today." Carr wrote to Tony Blair, urging the UK Government and NHS to accept his method, saying that the "powerful influence" of lobbyists working for nicotine replacement firms had turned them against him.
Carr died as a result of his lung cancer on 29 November 2006 at his home near Málaga, Spain.
Allen Carr was survived by his second wife, Joyce, his four children, two stepchildren, 11 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild."
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The way the game works:
First point I guess, is that it is not the most FUN game in the world, but when you find yourself ...as a non-smoker, you definitely will find that fun...
As I said before, it requires an open mind, and for you to follow the instructions, and to acknowledge if you TRULY understand what has been said. If you do not, and you continue, you are only cheating yourself.
Notice I did not say, Willpower, Drugs, Medications, Self-Motivation, to Avoid Smokers, to Stop Smoking.
Confusing yes, but consider Stop Smoking for instance.
Allen Carr's method is NOT to MAKE you quit. On the contrary, it is to reveal to you the truth about cigarettes. Give you the knowledge of what has REALLY happened, and why you ACTUALLY smoke!
Do NOT consider the reviews saying that this is "common knowledge". I promise you that it is NOT common at all.
This method does not cover the health hazards, the incredible waste of money, or the fact that its disgusting. You know all of that, so why reiterate it?
Besides, you do not smoke for those reasons. So what Allen Carr delves into, is why you DO smoke.
First the game explains the nicotine trap, yes it seems obvious, of course, you know it already, that's why you smoke! After lighting your first cigarette, did you think to yourself, I am going to do this for the rest of my life?
All of the so called "reasons" people smoke are denounced as "illusions" and they rightly are diagnosed as such. The step by step process is to remove these illusions.
Also, if you read any reviews of this game, saying that it takes an hour or less, this person did not understand the material at all. Because you have to rush through in order to beat the game this fast.
Now, as you are removing illusions you are free to take breaks and smoke. Why? because it does not matter if you smoke during the game, as long as you understand each illusion as it is being removed. AGAIN, if you LIE to the game, and say you do understand when you dont, you are not cheating the game. You only cheat yourself.
As you progress you learn...and you learn a lot, about your actual "drug addiction" to nicotine. It is incredibly informative, and it goes in depth as to how ingenius this system really is that traps you. This is known as the "nicotine trap".
Allen also talks about why smokers say things like "it relieves stress, helps me concentrate, i'm bored" and every other so called "reason" you can think of.
This is NOT the game to pass up and blow off because of reviews by people who went through the motions of the game, without actually treating it as an educational interface with an EXTREMELY valuable tool inside.
Why did I play the game again and again, as I said in a comment to another review on this game?...because, the first time I failed. It is easy to forget things we learn, and sometimes we need to learn them again. It wasn't stress, it wasn't anything but my own stupidity...I didn't follow the instructions that Allen Carr had given me...which was "DO NOT say to yourself, that one cigarette cant hurt. Once you decide to quit, you are done". What sucked though, is that I was not at all stressed out, I was not in need. My association of cigarettes with good things, a tactic used by the nicotine, and fully explained in Allen Carr's easyway system is what got me. I should have redone that section so I could completely understand. I did, and then I played it again for fun, and to reaffirm the mindset. I quit, easily and painlessly.
So after playing this game, if you feel that you do not understand completely?...play it again. It is about 2.5 hours of gameplay, and can be played over a couple days.
It is my most honest hope, that you really do consider this game, if not the game, then the book, I do not care. Download the book and the game for free, believe me you can find them. But if the system works for you, then please, give the man his due. Buy it from amazon (the book is only 5 bucks paperback) or the game... but in any case, do this for yourself...and remember what freedom feels like by returning to being a non-smoker with Allen Carr.
Thanks.
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perfect companion
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| Review Date: November 24, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Julie D. Mayo, Texas |
| this game gives the visual person something to grab on to in those tough moments. brilliant! |
Good for people with the book!
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| Review Date: December 26, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Brett D. Cullum, Houston, TX United States |
Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking is a bestselling book that many ex-smokers swear by, saying it helped them quit without any pain or regret. Tall order as any smoker can tell you! The video game here is a good way to supplement the teaching of the book, but they should be used together. What I find most helpful about this is you can carry around a DS like a pack of cigarettes and play the games any time you feel the urge to smoke.
What this game does is talk you through the basics of Allen Carr's program. It tells you about the trap, the illusion, and how to overcome cigarette urges. You pick a "coach" which is just a person who's picture appears during the text portions. There are mini-games you unlock as you go, and you can go back to them and play any time you like.
You really won't want to spend tons of time with this after you successfully quit, but it does tell you things like how much money you saved and gives encouragement if you come back to it. I'd say this makes a good supplement to someone trying to give up the habit. And it's great for them for the first few weeks. But there's not much here other than a "Hey! Don't Smoke!" message and mini-games to support it. Useful to a limited audience. |
Might work for people who have never tried to quit before.
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| Review Date: September 10, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Jeff Elliott, |
| This is my fourth attempt at quitting, so I actually understand a good portion of the lessons the game is trying to share. It weakens the overall experience of the game if you've tried other methods that point out reasons and triggers for smoking. I'd definitely recommend this game if you're making your first try at quitting, but until they figure out a way to create a "repeat offender" version of the game, I'll have to try something else. |
Only Recomended for Book Owners
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| Review Date: August 24, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Gina M. Paduano, Selden, NY |
| It's like a summary of the book in a video game that takes half the time of reading the book to play. For the price ($3.75 right now) it was worth what I paid. One thing that actually sucks about it is you cant go back into the lessons to review them. It's like if you had the book but could only read it once and never look back through it (unless you want to create a new file and redo the whole thing...). If you could go back it would be worth $6 like the Little Book of Quitting was. Thought this could be like that book except I could carry it w/ my DS. Oh well. Still cute to see the Little Monster annoying stick figure me. |
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