World class addiction seminar helps islanders quit cigarettes

A world-renowned quit smoking seminar recently came to Bermuda to help ­islanders put out their deadly habit once and for all. The seminar, which took place at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, was sponsored and ­organized by local asthma charity Open Airways.

The late Allen Carr smoked a hundred cigarettes a day before he ­discovered an easy way to give up, in 1983. Since then this method has helped millions of smokers to quit, through reading his bestselling book The Easy Way to Stop Smoking or attending his international seminars.

Each year 50,000 smokers in more than 40 countries successfully kick the habit through this method. The Bermuda Sun listened to what seminar speaker Damian O’Hara had to say and asked one participant to write a ­diary, detailing blow-by-blow their experience of giving up the cigarettes through the seminar. (See below.) Next week we will follow the ­journey of other Bermuda participants.

“This is the smoker’s way to give up smoking,” promised Damian O’Hara, president of the North America branch of Allen Carr’s Easy Way to Stop Smoking.

He made a very convincing argument at the three sold-out seminars which took place in Bermuda from January 19-22.

For a start, Damian is a former chain smoker who quit smoking using the Allen Carr method himself. Speaking of the regular anti-smoking campaigners, he said: “These people try to scare you out of it — they treat you like a leper.

“These sanctimonious do-gooders have never smoked a cigarette in their lives. This seminar treats smokers with intelligence, dignity and respect.”

Secondly, attendees are allowed to smoke during allotted breaks throughout the six-hour conference, right up until they put their last one out at the end. The key to why this seminar is described as the Easy Way to Stop Smoking is that it completely trashes the age-old willpower method of giving up, according to Mr. O’Hara.

“At the end of the seminar you will have no desire to smoke — and with no desire to smoke, there is no need for willpower,” he said.

He explained the notion that smokers live their lives trying to come up to the same level as non-smokers. Each time they smoke a cigarette they slowly begin a downward journey where eventually they are going to need another cigarette to feel “normal”.

He put it like this: “It is not the cigarette that we are looking forward to here — we are looking forward to not needing the next cigarette anymore. It is like wearing a pair of shoes that are too small for y ou all day, and enjoying the relief of taking them off. Just don’t wear shoes that are too small.”

Mr. O’Hara outlined three essential points that everyone should remember in order for the Easy Way method to work.

The first is to remember that in quitting smoking, you are not giving anything up but rather gaining control of your life.

The second essential is what Mr. O’Hara described as “one of the most misunderstood concepts in modern medicine” — the notion of significant physical withdrawal from nicotine. He said that within one hour of not smoking, your body is 75 per cent free of nicotine, within six hours it is 97 per cent and within three days, it is completely free. The rest is mental.

The third essential to remember is that from the end of the seminar, each participant must wholly accept they are non-smoker —no cutting down, no having the odd cigarette. This is the start of their new life. 

• Day of conference, Friday. Time: 8:45pm — 0 hours

I am back home after the conference where me and the rest of the group put out our ‘last ever’ cigarette. You may think I am cheating but I have already ­decided that I am having my last cigarette here at home, on my terms, in my environment with a glass of wine — not with a bunch of strangers outside a conference hall.

I don’t feel like a failure — Damian said that by quitting smoking “we are not losing a friend, we are killing an enemy”.

Well, you’ve heard of Stockholm Syndrome — I came to love my kidnapper and I’m at least going to give him a good send off.

Time: 9pm — 0 hours

Well here we go — this is the start of my life as a non-smoker. As the night progresses, I keep getting little urges but something quite alien keeps kicking in saying ‘no’. It’s so quick I can’t say it’s even a conscious ­decision — it just kicks in.

I thought that the desire was supposed to be ­removed — it’s not instant. Damian did say we would think about smoking but it’s the way you think about it is that makes the difference. I keep avoiding my glass of wine in case it makes me want a smoke.

Time: midnight — 3 hours

Friday night really ­wasn’t the best night to do this. All my music reminds me of smoking. Everything I do reminds me of ­smoking now that I can’t do it. That last pang lasted a bit longer. My boyfriend has gone to the store. I didn’t go because I didn’t want to have to avoid the ­inevitable car smoke.

He asked if I wanted anything — the response was different to normal — I didn’t ask for the pack of ­cigarettes.

I just noticed that there is nothing physical in these pangs — this is just mental. Damian said ‘brush it off like a little piece of fluff’. It’s gone.

•  Day 2, Saturday. Time: 10am — 13 hours

I’ve been fine all morning — I got out of bed and ­decided to get straight out of the house. I rode to the Barn on my bike then went into town and had a great breakfast. I’m feeling good about it.

Damian told us to watch people smoke as they don’t even realize they are doing it most of the time. I saw someone outside the Barn seemingly unaware he was puffing away as he talked to his friend. What a waste of time it looks. This gave me a little boost.

Physically I have the slightest throbs in my throat. It’s a bit like a ­longing, that’s the best way I can describe it. I am ­swallowing more than ­usual — I think I am trying to replace inhaling with something else.

Time: 10pm — 25 hours

I can’t deny that the ­desire is still there. Is it harder at night or is it just because so much time has passed? I’ll tell you in a few days.

I had a function to attend tonight, the car ride wasn’t that bad. I had a three course meal and would ­always have gone for a break between courses but remained at the table. ­Unfortunately, the other guests who I didn’t know were a drag. Getting from the venue to the car was hard work — I feel like such a slave to smoking.

• Day 3, Sunday: Time: 8am — 35 hours

I woke up this morning and my lungs felt amazing. Usually on a Sunday morning I have a heavy feeling in my chest and a sore throat from drinking and smoking. This was almost my epiphany moment — every time I feel the need for one, think of this moment.

Time: 7pm — 46 hours

It’s Sunday and I love to cook my Sunday roast. I got back from shopping and started cooking. Once everything was bubbling away nicely, I poured the obligatory glass of wine, when something caught me completely off guard — my cooking cigarette break was no more.

I used to treasure this ­little reward cigarette. I ­actually cried. I had ­survived the three-course meal, the wine, the car — I thought the cooking one would be fine.

Damian told us to stop giving the cigarette the credit, and that, ‘you would enjoy the break anyway’.

He also said it wasn’t the cigarette you looked ­forward to, it was the need not to smoke anymore. Smoking just brings us up to the same satisfaction­ ­level as a non-smoker. I’m finding it hard to agree with this  ­cigarette. I did look forward to it — I wasn’t “Jonesing” for it. With hugs from my man I eventually got over it.

• Day 4, Monday. Time: 9am — 60 hours

I’m not really missing the first one of the day — ­always felt bad about this one. Glad it’s gone.

Time: 2pm — 65 hours

My first day back at work. I battled a few urges at the usual times throughout the day. Going out at lunchtime with no cigarettes is totally alien. It’s not a stressful day at work, not that a cig is supposed to help you even if you are stressed — another case of giving the cigarette credit for something it doesn’t do, as Damian would say.

After work was a tough one, getting home, winding down. Just enjoy being you!

I am having a break from the diary for a few days — I want to stop thinking about it all the time.

• Day 7 Thursday. Time: 7pm — 142 Hours

By the way, yes, night times are harder than day times. I’m starting to lose a little faith. More often than not I am thinking that this is great that I now know I can do it — at least I can be a casual smoker. I can hear you Damian — but I’m not sure I want to listen right now!

• Day 8, Friday. Time: 5pm — 164 hours

One week! It feels great in a way — a real milestone. I never thought I could go this long. Not me that’s for sure. This is not so great in a couple of other ways — I feel like I have reached a goal and, in true smokers’ fashion, feel like I deserve a reward. What better than a cigarette? Nope — not ­allowed. I went to town and treated myself to new clothes instead.

Time: 6pm, 165 hours

Just got news my friend is in town after leaving Bermuda six months ago. We always smoked together — it’s going to be a toughy. My boss, who is supporting me through this, said it would be a huge disappointment if I caved tonight. My friend was happy to abstain for the couple of hours we drank together, even though I didn’t want her to have to change her habits around me. I tried to get her to go out so I could catch a little ‘downwind’ but she ­refused to, as did my boyfriend. I’ve a good ­support group.

• Day 9, Saturday. Time: 9am – 180 hours

Waking up at the weekend is such a treat — when I breathe it is heavenly. I had been developing a very slight and occasional wheeze — often it would come in the morning. Now it’s gone!

Met a couple of friends during the Heather Nova concert, one of whom smokes when he is around me. One thing I hated was ­influencing smokers to smoke more than usual, just by my smoking. Maybe he didn’t smoke because I didn’t. It’s a nice feeling.

• Day 10, Sunday. Time: 10am — 205 hours

I got up, the sun was ­shining — I jumped out of bed and jogged for ten ­minutes to John Smith’s Bay. When I got there I jumped in the ocean for a half-hour swim then walked around to Spittal Pond — it would take a ­miracle to get me to smoke at this moment in time.

Had lunch and wine with some girlfriends, one of whom I used to smoke with a lot. She had ciggies on her and I said, ‘don’t let me stop you’. Was a little bit sad — we spent a lot of time and talk over cigs. But I’m ­determined to keep myself clear of that dangerous drug nicotine forever.