Natalie Clays - Director & Facilitator, Australia & New Zealand
I tried my first cigarette at the age of 15, trying to look cool and trying even harder not to choke or vomit. It was vile and disgusting and made me feel ill but I was determined to learn how to do it. Twenty years later I was still smoking.
Over the years I fell into every category of smoker; I was a regular pack-a-day smoker, a casual smoker, a secret smoker, a chain smoker.
I tried to quit using patches, hypnotherapy, gum, herbs, lasers, needles, inhalators, lozenges and some tablets that made me depressed but I always lit up, eventually. In the end I decided I’d rather smoke and be happy than quit and be miserable.
Then a friend told me about Allen Carr. I was very nervous and sceptical. Why would this be different? What if it didn’t work? What if it did? I’d never be able to smoke again!
After the session, I wasn’t sure how to feel. Had it worked? How would I know? What would happen next? And that was it. Nothing happened. No awful withdrawals, no anxiety, no inability to function, I simply didn’t smoke anymore.
Seventeen years later, I haven’t smoked a single cigarette nor have I wanted to. In fact, right now I can’t think of anything worse than having to smoke a cigarette.
That session changed my life. Not only did I quit smoking, I decided to train as an Allen Carr therapist. Now I have the pleasure of showing other smokers just how easy it can be to quit, once you understand how the smoking trap works.