Is cold turkey a good idea

[Bpm1003]

Do I quit cold turkey 

[noetoez]

I don't think there is any one right answer to this. For some people, cold turkey seems to work. For others, using Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) is the way to go. And others still make it with medications, like Chantix. 

Personally, cold turkey is the way to go for me. I am an all or nothing person, rip off the band aid, jump into the pool, get it over with type of person. I am currently on day 17. It sucks, because there is no step down. The nicotine is gone, that's it, push past. But I prefer it because I only have to adjust once. It's a big adjust, but it's once. I'm not going to have to adjust to 1 change and then another. Also, for me, the replacements were never "good enough" it just made me want the "real thing" even more. But that's me. Other people have more success with the steps.

Do your research and make a plan for what you think will be best for you. Truly, no one can tell you what will work for you, only what worked for them. And if your plan doesn't work? Learn from the slip, make a new plan based on lessons learned, and try again.

[Mike.n.Atlanta]

It was for me. I didn't like the idea of keeping the nicotine in my body via NRT while I was wanting to be rid of it. I just met each urge head on & challenged it. The more I did this the more empowered I was. Just say bring it on & let it wash over you. It's gone in a second no harm done. I came to enjoy it knowing I was beating the demon each time. That was 15 years 10 months ago. I've never looked back.

It's your choice Bpm1003‌

[dulthman247]

It always has been the way for me I did it once when I had a procedure in the hospital and I quite drugs same way but the only way it has ever worked is no access to it so when I went in hospital you can’t smoke so now I am trying to figure out how to do it I have what Mayo diagnosed as Central Sensation and it is really hard for me to get out and I am isolated to one room but I really want to quiet for one when I was in hospital the day after all my symptoms were gone it was like it never was there and that hasn’t happened in 4yrs and it was awesome but later I was moved to rehab “Hip surgery “ I picked up smoking again and the disease came back and my wife constantly reminds me “Danny how long do you want to live this hell” when you quite smoking it stopped but I convinced myself the surgery had nothing to do with it,very stubborn because smoking is my “Blanky” for a lot of things.

[elvan]

Welcome to EX dulthman247‌, I had to google your diagnosis, I am not familiar with it.  I certainly am familiar with addiction and the idea that smoking is a security blanket.  I was a serial quitter until this quit which has been growing for over 6 1/2 years.  I have been left with COPD which is something I would not wish on anyone.  It impacts every part of my life and it is irreversible, I am so glad to be smoke free but so sorry that it took me so long to get here.  I identified my triggers (as many as I could) and I planned what I would do when they occurred, I knew they weren't just going to disappear from my life.  I won't tell you that quitting was easy because that was not my experience but once I took the responsibility to get rid of everything that was related to smoking...all cigarettes, lighters, ashtrays, EVERYTHING, there was no way I could smoke without making a conscious decision to go to the store to buy replacements.  I was recovering from pneumonia and an exacerbation of my COPD, I KNEW that the choice had to be mine and that I had to accept that while it was not easy, it was necessary for my survival.  You need to do whatever you need to do to accept that it is necessary for YOUR survival and growth as well.

Ellen

[marciem]

The operative word here is "quit".  By any means necessary.  I once saw it posited that stapling a chicken to one's forehead was effective in keeping craves away.  I don't know if it was the chicken or the staples that did the job...   .  I don't believe any live chickens were harmed in that experiment  .

We all build our quits in our own individual ways, some have had success with cutting back, some with cold turkey, some using NRT, some, like me go "cool turkey"  (*I used nicotine replacement for 4 days only, then dropped it with the promise that if I came to a 'kill somebody or smoke" crossroads, I would slap another patch on.  Never had to... and see how cool my turkey is!! !)

Whatever way you build your own quit is the best for you.  Power tools (NRT, Chantix, etc) or by hand (cold turkey), you are still the carpenter and have to put in the work.

Best wishes to you.  Stay close to this board, cry, yell, scream for help if you need it... someone will respond asap.  In the mean time, read read read and learn all you can about this addiction and overcoming it!

[sweetplt]

I think it has to be what works best for you and keeps you quit.  That is why we always tell new people to read and plan their quit at My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX so you can make a good decision on what will work for you and keep you quit.  Educate yourself on the different NRT’s and quitting cold turkey...also, read here and stay close for support.  

We are here for you...~ Colleen 602 DOF 

[Maki]

Think you pretty much have a really good bunch of responses . I'll just add pretty much it's going to be your choice... you know you best . 

I do think any method will work that you choose but you do realize they aren't miracles ; You are the miracle ... the secret ingredient if you wish . 

I think for each of us it is a personal preference . I tried the patch , when I was trying to quit .... it would have worked , I did not .  I found my way out , I found excuse after excuse that I felt was believable the addict I was . Had I worked to stop smoking as hard as I searched for excuse not to the patch would have worked . Any method would have worked . I gave up tooo fast . 

Finally , quitting was my last straw ...all those years of just trying to quit caught up to me and I was down to two choices do it or else ... so I chose cold turkey and I decided from day one I would to what it would take . 

                                          For me that was ..... Keep it simple , keep it nope . Not one puff ever . 

Choose your method , do the work and you'll have yourself a quit ! 

[maryfreecig]

I think cold turkey has been replaced by smart turkey around here. That is if you choose to not have nicotine replacement therapy or medication. Simply stopping smoking without thinking about how you are going to handle the first day, the first week is not a good idea. Why? Because most smokers who jump right in are shocked to discover how addicted they are to smoking. Planning your quit, learning and choosing to quit are powerful tools that you can pick up and use to get you to thej kind of quit you want.

/blogs/SkyGirl-blog/2013/11/15/be-a-smart-turkey-a-very-timely-repost-eh 

Support matters, too. There is a boat load of quitters here ready to listen, to cheer you on. Quitters get one another and that can help life you up.

/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2019/08/05/give-this-the-time-it-takes 

Dopamine - the Double Edged Blade 

Quit Kit aka Tool Box 

https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/docs/DOC-1820-helpful-blogs-discussions-comments-videos-links-inf... 

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to the community!

The important thing you can do right now is to educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind. To that end, I highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” This easy and entertaining read provided a world of good information about nicotine addiction, most of which I was not aware.  I credit it in large part with my success at quitting.   You can search for it online or at your local library.

 You should also read the posts here and perhaps go to the pages of folks who you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com, quitsmoking.com and livewell.com for the good information contained there. @https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex has lots of blogs written by members of this site with their experiences and guidance. Here is a video to inform you further about nicotine addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.

After you have completed the recommended reading, it will be time to make an informed choice of the quit aid, if any, you will use. If you go that route, I personally recommend the aids that don't let the addict control the dose such as the available prescription drugs or the patch. If used properly, gum, lozenges and inhalers are fine, but they need to be used only as a last resort after you have tried to delay and distract.   I have seen folks become addicted to them if they substitute them for every cigarette they used to smoke - just trading one addiction for another.  You need to start out with a plan to reduce use of them over time - which the patch does by decreasing the dose contained in them..  For the gum, you can start by cutting each piece in half, then in quarters, then sub regular gum of the same flavor in between, adding more and more regular gum.  For the lozenge, you need to start subbing a mint in between to begin, increasing the number of them over time. I do not recommend the e-cigarette for obvious reasons.

It will be informative if you do the tracking and separation exercises recommended here on the site. As you track each cigarette smoked, note its importance, and what you might do instead. Put each one off just a little to prove that you don't NEED a cigarette just because you think you do.
 

The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced.  Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand in a place different from when you smoked. Maybe switch to tea for a bit.  If you always had that first smoke with your coffee, try putting your tennies on right out of bed, going for a quick walk, then taking your shower and THEN your coffee! Rearrange the furniture in the areas you used to smoke so the view is different. Buy your gas at a different station. Take a different route to work. Take a quick walk at break time where the smokers AREN'T.
 
You need to distract yourself through any craves.  You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), put your head in the freezer and take a deep breath of cold air, do a few jumping jacks, go for a brisk walk or march in place, play a computer game.  Keep a cold bottle of water with you from which to sip. Don't let that smoking thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. Sometimes you need to quit a minute or an hour at a time.  You will need to be disciplined in the early days to distract yourself when a crave hits.    Get busy!  Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:
 https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instea...

The conversation in your head in response to the "I want a cigarette" thought needs to be, "Well, since I have decided not to do that anymore, what shall I do instead for the three minutes this crave will last?"  Then DO it.  You will need to put some effort into this in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do.

Stay close to us here and ask questions when you have them and for support when you need it. We will be with you every step of the way!

 Nancy