I was convinced that it was impossible to get free. I cynically came to regard myself as a ‘professional quitter.’ I seemed to carry it round like some ridiculous ‘badge of honour’.

“I was convinced that it was impossible to get free. I cynically came to regard myself as a ‘professional quitter.’ I seemed to carry it round like some ridiculous ‘badge of honour’.”

John Dicey, Worldwide CEO & Senior Therapist, Allen Carr’s Easyway, interviews Rob Fielding, Senior Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking Therapist London & Midlands, UK

John: Tell us about your life as a smoker? How did you come to start?

Rob: I started smoking at the relatively late age of 18 years old in comparison to my peers, and after smoking for just one year I realised that not only had all of my sporting activity ceased, but I was unfit, overweight and unhappy. Oddly I put none of that down to my smoking at the time. Within two years I was up to around 50 cigarettes a day!

John: Did you try many times to quit?

Rob: Over the ensuing years I tried all sorts of methods to get smoking out of my life, but nothing was ever really attempted with any type of commitment.

I was convinced that it was impossible to get free. I cynically came to regard myself as a ‘professional quitter.’ I seemed to carry it round like some ridiculous ‘badge of honour’.

I tried all the usual things to get free like nicotine patches, nicotine inhalators (there was no vaping back then), nicotine lozenges, hypnotism and just trying to ignore it and pretend I didn’t do it. I was in cycle of denial and raging against it, nothing seemed to help.

John: So how did you come to hear about Allen Carr’s Easyway?

Rob: I used to pass Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking Centre in Birmingham every day on the way to work, and I always used to look at it with a mixture of curiosity and fear. One day after 14 years I found the courage to book onto a seminar there.

My overriding thought at the end of my seminar was one of regret. I just wished I had done it much sooner. But I left the seminar also feeling exhilarated and totally free. It was a total revelation to me, to find this new way of looking at something that had controlled such a large chunk of my life, and to walk away from it with ease.

John: How did you come to get involved in the organisation?

Rob: I didn’t realise it at the time, but stopping smoking was a real catalyst for positive change in my own life, now here in 2016 I am fitter, healthier and more positive than I have ever been.

Around three years after quitting I realised I needed a career change so I decided to write to Allen Carr’s Easyway. The recruitment process was really tough – some say it’s easier to get into Harvard than it is to get into Allen Carr’s Easyway! I believe it. The organisation is incredibly protective of their reputation.

I was grilled and questioned by you mainly (I forgive you John). I knew that you really wanted to get to the bottom of my motivations, and understand my reasons for wanting to get on board. I was delighted to eventually be accepted as a franchisee and also as a member of the HQ team. I was elated.

John: What was the training like?

Little did I know that’s when the hard work really started. To learn the method is a big commitment. You have to understand that you are required to clearly transmit and communicate ideas with authority and confidence, sometimes controversial ones to groups of people that are often nervous and suspicious. After all, Allen Carr’s Easyway sometimes seems to be the option of last resort, with people having tried and exhausted all other possibilities.

It took me around 14 months of total commitment to get to the point where I could deliver a seminar to the required standard. The therapeutic standard that we set is world class so the effort was wholly worth it.

John: How does it feel to be part of the global team?

Rob: I feel privileged and lucky to be an Allen Carr’s Easyway Therapist, to help people bring about enormous positive change in their lives never loses its sense of satisfaction for me. My favourite type of smokers are the ones that are convinced that there is nothing they can be shown that’s new to them. They often leave in awe of Allen Carr’s methodology, and that gives me immense pleasure. Setting people free is sensational.

It’s fabulous to be part of such a global family – you make friends and learn about different cultures from all over the world. We all get together at least once a year to celebrate our success and to learn and develop together. So far I’ve treated more than 7,000 smokers and I’ve loved every minute of it.

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