Amazing stories of happy non-smokers – Robert Tulip, UK

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From the desk of John Dicey, Worldwide Director, Allen Carr’s Easyway

It’s great to hear from so many people who use Allen Carr’s Easyway throughout the world. The endless pages of testimonials which are left on our website tell their own story (there are thousands and thousands of them).

Having said that – it’s even more wonderful when we receive even more detailed information about those who quit smoking with us.

Hi there my name is Robert and I’m from Chesterfield in Derbyshire. I first started smoking at the age of around 15. Growing up in a smoking house plus a bit of peer pressure and curiosity is all it took really. I was one of the “cool kids” sneaking off for a fag at break time and spending all my dinner money on cigarettes. I can’t really remember my first smoke so I can’t comment on how it was.

I continued smoking until I was 36. I had tried a few times to quit smoking but to no avail – even with two children I would smoke. I kept it in the kitchen but who am I kidding…..it must’ve had an effect on them. Whenever I would speak to someone who had managed to kick the habit I would say with much bravado “I’ve never been a quitter”.

Here’s how my day would be…. Wake up, kettle on, have a smoke, have a coffee, then another smoke, get ready for work then have a smoke before leaving the house – that’s about 3 fags in the space of an hour! I’d get to work and have a smoke before I clocked in because of the darn smoking ban (I couldn’t smoke in work time so I had to get that precious smoke in again).

During break times at work I’d have a smoke or even 2 if I have enough time then back to work. Lunch break was easily long enough to get a 3 or so smokes squeezed in – then back to work. As soon as I got home I’d have a smoke then about one every hour unless I was drinking and we had friends over then it was a lot more.

I started to struggle to breathe when in bed at night and my chest was rattling loudly. I had real problems when I walked any distance.

I decided to have a go at stopping smoking going cold turkey. I lasted about five days then rang the NHSquit smoking number. I tried the nicotine lozenges and purchased one of those electronic cigarettes because I thought I’d need something to do with my hands. I continued for about 12 weeks on the NHSquit smoking club and was very frustrated because I felt I had become dependant on the lozenges and could see no way off them.

My brother who had quit had mentioned this book weeks before and I thought “What’s a bloody book going to do for me?” But – I was frustrated and clutching at straws when I asked him if I could read the book. Needless to say – it was Allen Carr’s Easyway To Quit Smoking book – and to say that the book blew my mind would be an understatement! As soon as I finished the book I was filled with a euphoria I had never known but I immediately knew that I would never smoke or need nicotine lozenges, patches, orANYTHING ever again!

Three weeks after reading the book it was as if I had never smoked at all.

I feel really sorry for smokers who remain slaves to their addiction and my breathing at night is now amazing and my breathing when I walk is too. I’m free and loving every minute of it!


We never tire of hearing stories about how those who attend Allen Carr’s Easyway To Quit Smoking Clinics or read the books quitted smoking. For information on how you can quit smoking easily – without having to suffer and feel like you’ve quit anything or feel like you’ve quit smoking – click on your country’s flag at the top of this page.