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[Q53]Quitting Smoking Cold Turkey

by Sacha Tarkovsky, Sac

How effective is it and how can you increase your chances of success?

Let's find out.

Quitting smoking cold turkey means to stop smoking without using any nicotine replacement therapy aids like gum, patches or inhalers.

Quitting smoking cold turkey is the most popular method – but not the most successful.

"Cold Turkey" is the most difficult method of quitting smoking, due to the extreme symptoms the receiving no nicotine causes.

You can improve your chances for permanently quitting cigarettes, with the cold turkey method, if you follow a few guidelines, which we outline below.

First let's look at how difficult it is to stop using cold turkey.

Withdrawal of nicotine causes the following problems that include: irritability, fatigue and nausea and they will be intense and always be there in the first few weeks after giving up.

The most difficult period is the first the first 72 hours - however, the symptoms and severity reduce and eventually cease altogether.

Ways to increase your chances of success

1. Drink lots of water to flush out your system several liters a day is recommended

2. When cravings hit - THINK of all the reasons you are quitting and concentrate on why you don't want to smoke. Focus totally, on the benefits of why you have given up for a few minutes.

3. Get support. If you can do cold turkey with someone else or get support and help from groups, either on the Internet or in your community.

4. Keep yourself busy and occupy your day. The busier you are, the less time you'll have to think about the withdrawal symptoms.

Your chances of success depend on:

Simply, how much you really want to quit.

In addition, whether or not you believe you can do it – if you think you can do it you will. If you think you cant you will not succeed.

If you want to quit smoking more than you want the cigarettes – and you believe that you can quit, then you'll be successful.

Waiting for Nicotine levels to drop

If this level of nicotine is not maintained, then the smoker will experience varying degrees of drug withdrawal.

As long as any nicotine remains in the bloodstream the body will keep craving it and give the feeling of cold turkey. Within a few weeks withdrawal sypmtoms will cease altogether as Nicotine levels drop to zero and cravings disappear.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Many smokers can't take cold turkey and go for patches, gum and inhalers to feed the body Nicotine as they stop smoking.

Chances of success with NRT are double that of quitting smoking by "cold turkey"

At the end of the day, it depends on willpower – cold turkey with the right mindset works. If you lack will power try NRT.

When you are forced to give up smoking!

Many smokers are forced to stop smoking for long periods as they cant smoke.

For example, when flying, in restaurants and when there at work, or they choose not to smoke, when their with young children.

NRT is helpful for them and there are also a number of herbal ways of giving up smoking and one that looks set to become very popular is Nicotine water, which is simply water with Nicotine.

So, when cravings set in the smoker can simply sip it and many will find this a very simple convenient method.

Finally

Cold turkey is effective but needs willpower for those who are forced to cut down or lack will power there are a number of products to help beat the craving, if you choose not to smoke or can't smoke.

The familiar term "cold turkey," as we know, refers to the act of abruptly quitting some type of activity, most often smoking, and while some swear by this method, others are not so sure it would work for them. So, how does one go about quitting smoking cold turkey, and how is it possible to deal with the inevitable side effects from nicotine withdrawal?

Here are the answers to those and other questions about this timeless and "simple" method of quitting smoking and ending a losing battle to nicotine addiction:

Where to Start

If you're like most smokers, you have absolutely no idea where to start when to comes to trying to actually quit cold turkey, and hopefully, for the very last time. While it might sound like a clich?, quitting smoking with this method really does take one day at a time to get through it successfully. Each and every day you don't smoke is a triumph and should be viewed as such. With this mindset, it's far easier to face the rest of your life as a non-smoker if you simply look at it as handling each day as it comes rather than worrying about the future, which none of us have control over anyway.

How to Continue

While quitting smoking shouldn't involve completely changing who you are or altering the things you like to do, if it helps to stay away from smokers during this critical phase of kicking the habit for good, then by all means, steer clear of those places you know people will be smoking until you're better able to handle your cravings. One rather helpful thing is that the less you smoke and the longer you don't smoke, the worse it's going to smell, and before long, you'll be wondering how in the world you ever actually inhaled that stuff directly into your own precious lungs.

Another simple method that many using the cold turkey find helpful is the "five minute rule." While battling cravings and trying your best to not smoke, keep your eye on the clock and simply wait for five minutes for the craving to pass. Read, jog around the room, chew gum, eat a piece of fruit, call a friend, watch a funny television show, paint your fingernails, knit a scarf, just do something to keep your hands busy while glancing at the clock for those five, intense minutes of cravings.

Studies have repeatedly shown that although nicotine withdrawal may seem like it lasts for hours, five minutes is really all the longer it is, and if you can take those five minute increments and keep yourself occupied until it passes, you'll find yourself one step closer to becoming smoke-free.

Becoming Smoke-Free

Finally becoming smoke-free, or an ex or non-smoker, or however you want to label it as, is such a monumental achievement coupled with so many health benefits that you should take great pride in being able to break away from such a strong addiction. There is a reason that quitting smoking has been likened to quitting the drug heroin, as the withdrawal symptoms, although different, are still similar in their intensity.

Being able to breathe, smell, and taste foods better, not to mention decreasing the risk of suffering from a painful disease, are all more than well worth living through the intense, but temporary cravings while finally quitting smoking cold turkey.

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Both Sacha Tarkovsky & Herbert Philips are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Sacha Tarkovsky has sinced written about articles on various topics from Learn Trading, detox diet and Forex Trading Forex. LIVE LIFE SMOKE FREEFor smokers who choose not to smoke or cant smoke there is a NEW alternative a new organic nicotine water with a refeshing lemon taste and no additional added chemicals. Try niclite at. Sacha Tarkovsky's top article generates over 110000 views. to your Favourites.

Herbert Philips has sinced written about articles on various topics from Quit Smoking. For more information on ,. Herbert Philips's top article generates over 5400 views. to your Favourites.