Once a heavy smoker, Damian O’Hara had tried everything to kick the habit.

Then a day came in 2000, when he developed a terrible case of tonsillitis and couldn’t bare to pick up a French fry, let alone a cigarette.

“I couldn’t eat or drink and it hurt to breath or swallow,” he said. “That’s when I went my first full day without smoking that I can remember.

“The crazy thing is that my head didn’t explode and the earth didn’t disappear down a black hole and it kept on turning.”

He said he “made the mistake” of mentioning to his wife that he felt fine after going a 24 hour period without smoking.

Then she put an article down in front of him about Allan Carr’s Easyway, a proven method to quit smoking, which has helped millions of smokers from around the world put out the flame of nicotine addiction.

“Perhaps the pain meds were still scrambling my brain, but I told her to book me in for this ‘how to quit smoking’ seminar,” Mr O’Hara said. The move changed his life and he told The Royal Gazette he never felt the urge to light up again.

He was so astounded with the results from the programme, he called the Allan Carr Organisation and said he wanted to help others transform their lives. He received his training from the programme’s founder, Mr Carr himself.

Today Mr O’Hara spends his time travelling throughout North America as a seminar facilitator, sharing the method with nearly 19,000 people who desire to break free from the habit.

He will be on Island later this week, leading a free hour-long presentation at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess on Friday at 6pm.

On Sunday he will also be leading a five-hour seminar for $300 — about the same amount the average smoker spends on one month’s worth of cigarettes. The event is sponsored by local charity Open Airways.

Liz Boden said the charity was passionate about helping smokers quit, so they don’t have to suffer from long term diseases like emphysema.

“We look after many people in the final stages of emphysema, where they are house bound and dependant on oxygen therapy — if we can prevent just one person from this horrible disease then Damian’s visit will be worthwhile,” Ms Boden said.

“We invite Damian to come back as he is an inspirational speaker and he understands what it is like to be addicted to nicotine. He is also a successful graduate of the Allan Carr Easyway programme.

“We have had many success stories and so many people living in Bermuda are indebted to Damian for changing their lives and helping them to become a happy healthier non smoker.”

Mr O’Hara said the programme was effective for many smokers because it addresses the real issues.

“When it comes to smoking it’s not about the physical addiction or withdrawal from Nicotine,” he explained. “The real problem when it comes down to quitting smoking in they have to remove the desire to smoke.

“People get conflicted when they try and quit smoking when it’s something they still want to do.”

He said many smokers believed that cigarettes helped them to relax, cope with stress or keep them thin, but there is evidence that show that smokers are often more stressed than their non-smoking peers.

“Instead of lecturing smokers about the health risks of smoking, which they already know about, we address the reasons why they smoke,” he said. “We want people who visit of the Friday to walk out having signed up for the Sunday seminar.

“And when they walk out of the room on Sunday, we want for them to be completely free from smoking and cigarettes. We want them to go on to live a life of health, happiness and freedom.”

There are only a few spaces left for this Sunday’s seminar, which costs $300, including refreshments. People can register for that event by e-mailing Mary at oamee@transact.bm or calling 238-3261

Friday’s event is free to the public and the first 75 people who arrive will also be given a copy of the Allan Carr Easyway to Stop Smoking book. There will also be free lung screenings for smokers over the age of 40, taking place from 5pm until 6pm at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess.