Cold Turkey Help

[mmossien3]

Quit date is Sept. 22.  I am doing it cold turkey. Is it possible? Has anyone done it? I have tried so many times. I have been smoking for 20 years. The last time I tried to quit I tried Wellbutrin and I became manic. Chantix made me suicidal. I can't afford Patches or nicotine gum.  So I am scared that I am not going to be able to handle the withdrawal.  Please help.  Thanks.

[TW517]

Yep.  I am a cold turkey quitter as well.  Tried 6 times before using Chantix, Welbutrin, patches, etc. and relapsed every time.  I am 480 days free today!  Welcome to EX!

[SaraPeach]

Cold turkey is the best way to go. I quit for 9 years, and I did it cold turkey. I foolishly started again this April, but I am again 10 days into a cold turkey quit. It has the highest success rate and you aren't prolonging the withdrawal from nicotine, like you would be by using the patches, gum, or other nicotine products. After 3 days, all of the nicotine is out of your body. Please go to www.whyquit.com if you haven't already and check out Joel's daily quit videos and read through the information there. It is all about quitting cold turkey and educating yourself about nicotine addiction. Take it one day at a time and you will do just fine. Don't look farther ahead than one day the first week. 

[Giulia]

I too am a cold turkey, or should I say /blogs/SkyGirl-blog/2016/11/23/a-smart-turkey?sr=search&searchId=e5ec50df-039a-465b-848f-dbc61d3afde...‌ quitter.  /blogs/Giulia-blog/2018/03/01/quitting-is-a-skill-that-can-be-learned?sr=search&searchId=4c322d8c-ae...‌    You say you can't afford patches or gum.  But you can afford cigarettes?  Just curious.  You might do a google search for "free nicotine patches," and you can see what's available in your state by calling 1-800-quitnow.

Welcome.  Chin up and have heart.  Lots of us have been able to do this.  You can too!  Believe it!

[elvan]

Giulia‌ I cannot believe that I forgot SMART Turkey...I love that.  You are right this IS a skill and it CAN be learned which means it can also be taught.  After all these years, thanks for sticking around to teach us.

Hugs,

Ellen

[Giulia]

Thanks to you and all who have stuck around the help.  We are ONE against the NicoDemon!  And there is power in numbers!  Hug back.

[maryfreecig]

     Cold Turkey here, too. Five years coming up.

     I quit cold turkey, but I planned especially for what I would do when a crave or urge to smoke came up. As you plan your quit, accept that you may have some cravings--after so much smoking, it becomes automatic to think cigarette and so planning and committing to doing things other than smoke is so important. Getting yourself grounded in a commitment to quit, a plan to quit, and then taking it one day at a time has worked for many. 

     No need to be too fearful. Ex is here to listen. And there is a lot of solid quit experience here 24/7/365. 

[MaureenA]

Hello, I just quit “cold turkey’ also. I am hoping that doing so will shorten the withdrawal period . Patches and gum when I tried to quit earlier this year did not work for me - might have been the timing. Anyway really need to do this! Day 3- here I come,

[elvan]

MaureenA‌  Starting day three means you already have TWO DAYS WON!  That's really excellent.  One day at a time, sometimes, one hour or one minute...there are no shortcuts on this journey and "the only way out is through."

Ellen

[Aew1031]

mmossien3 Ok, I’ve been on lozenges and all the previous posts have inspired me to go cold turkey with the lozenges.  I’m DOF 6 right now and it’s the right time to do it.  Sucking on cut up lemons works!!!  So does the Zand brand natural zinc and vit C lozenges (from your local health food store or Amazon - they are inexpensive and offer many flavors).  Drinking tea if you are used to coffee helps.  Lots of flavors to try.  The Yogi brand is a good brand.  Try Mango Ginger.  Has a bit of sweet spice and no caffeine and no calories.  Cook, walk (it’s raining here but I might have to walk anyway), read everything on EX, as much as you need to.  Knowing there are others out there craving is very helpful.  Quitting is so worth it. 

[CommunityAdmin]

Don't forget to check out Re: How do I get my quit date to show on the community?‌ to get your quit date to sync to the community so your Quit Stats show and so that others can see your current quit date on your profile.

Mark
EX Community Manager