How to stop with a smile on your face

From the archive, first published Wednesday 8th Jun 2005.

Clive Richards took his first drag on a cigarette as a rebellious teenager. Thirty-six years later he was still battling to give up the evil weed. But after spending a lifetime trying every stop smoking method on the market, the Worcestershire resident finally worked out his own revolutionary way to slay the `Nicotine Monster' - and is sharing the secret in a new book.

GUY Fawkes night 1995 is a memorable date for Clive Richards - but not because of the fireworks.

At midnight he had his last ever drag on a cigarette - and 10 years on, he has still not touched another since.

The 65-year-old from Pullman Close in Stourport-on-Severn says he gave up with a smile on his face and even claims that he has not had any cravings since that day.

Clive's achievement is all the more impressive when you hear that the former RAF guided missile research and development engineer used to get through a whopping 60 cigarettes a day - and even admits to waking in the middle of the night to chain-smoke.

Now he says smokers can benefit from his experience and actually enjoy giving up - and believes his 200-page book Enjoy Giving Up Smoking explains how.

"Stopping smoking was a big problem for me," he said. "I realised that the problem was in the mind, but nobody seemed to address this problem properly.

"Most stop-smoking books spoke about oral satisfaction and something to do with your hands, but I knew this was total hogwash and had nothing to do with stopping smoking, therefore, I decided to formulate my own cure."

Clive battled with giving up on-and-off for years, trying everything from nicotine replacement patches to hypnosis and acupuncture.

He even gave up for a six-month period - a time he now describes as "sheer pergatory".

"I began to realise that they were not cures at all, simply replacing one problem with another," he said.

"My mind was at war with my body, fighting a demon I now call the Nicotine Monster.

"But when I eventually gave up once and for all, it was after researching the topic thoroughly and it was all down to mental conditioning."

While in the RAF in the 60s Clive was an international-standard runner - something that smoking forced him to give up.

But he used his knowledge and love of athletics to help him develop his techniques for giving up smoking.

"Colin Jackson always used to say you have to go on the `b' of the bang," he said.

"When giving up smoking you have to act of the `p' of the pang.

"You have to get the better of it before it gets the better of you.

"When giving up you have to think about smoking all the time. That way, you can get the Nicotine Monster out of his den so you can attack him.

"By following my methods smokers will be surprised at how easy and painless giving up actually is," says Clive.

And he says his experience as a guided missile research and development engineer was also invaluable in his quest for the perfect quitting technique."If what I was doing didn't work I had to analyse it," Clive said.

"I had to try again and keep trying until I got it right. I set about analysing the problem of giving up smoking properly in order to develop my own system that never fails."

Enjoy Giving Up Smoking claims to teach readers to tap into their mental powers for a pain-free, tried and tested formula to stop smoking without anxiety, withdrawal pangs or putting on weight and start a new life full of joy, confidence and happiness.

The book, published by Enjoy Publications International, is available as hard-back book costing £29.95 or as a downloadable PDF for £19.95. Visit www.enjoygivingupsmoking.com for more information or to order a copy.

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