Curiosity

Discussion created by Bec14575 on Nov 27, 2020
Latest reply on Dec 1, 2020 by indingrl

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So I see everywhere (and I already knew this) that quitting cold turkey typically has the highest failure rate over things like nrt. I’m curious as to when the failure is more likely. Is it during the actual physical withdrawal stage since NRT is supposed to help with that? Logically I would think that once you get past the physical portion of addiction that chances of success would equalize across quit types since it becomes about the psychological at that point. But I’m wondering if there’s any studies or anything to support or dispute that theory?

Outcomes

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Maki Nov 28, 2020 12:00 AM
Frankly I'm surprised although I know it's been said that cold turkey has the least success rate , I've been on line with thousands of people quitting smoking over 9.5 years and I've found the most successful long term quitters were actually people who quit cold turkey .
Btw I am a cold turkey quitter .
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YoungAtHeart Nov 28, 2020 9:29 AM
Welcome to the community!

Just as there are all kinds of people, there are all kinds of experiences with success in quitting. In my over 8 years volunteering and reading of hundreds of experiences here, I am not sure MY observations match the "research" you have found. I would question who funded the studies, too - and the veracity of their findings. The NRT companies want you to believe that their products increase your chances of success. I believe that education, planning, preparation, support and commitment are far more important to the final result. While an NRT has helped many, others found it not necessary. It is an individual choice and experience. I quit on my first and only attempt with just a month on Chantix.

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. You can gradually reduce your nicotine intake in this manner, too.

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. You might visit “Games”: https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/games. The active ones are at the top of the list going down the left side of the homepage. 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-instead-of-smoke

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
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- Bec14575 @ YoungAtHeart on Nov 28, 2020 10:49 AM
  Thanks for the encouragement. I am actually on day 27 of cold turkey and doing well. 95+% of the brain fog, exhaustion, nausea etc has diminished so I’m pretty much feeling back to normal (minus cigarettes of course). I was just wondering about the other. Seems to me at this point I should be on a level playing field (or potentially even have an advantage) over someone using NRT since at this point the nicotine itself should be out of my system and I’m not putting any more into it. I’d think it’s the mental aspect from this point and not going back.
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  - YoungAtHeart @ Bec14575 on Nov 28, 2020 11:26 AM
    Bec14575
    You are absolutely correct. The nicotine is out of your system in about three days, then it's a couple of weeks to a month for your body to adjust to life without it - then it's the psychological part of the addiction with which you have to deal. Changing up your routines and staying busy are good ways to relearn your life as an ex-smoker. Sip on cold water, exercise, maybe find a new hobby - all help you get past the mental aspect of the addiction.
    You are doing GREAT! Keep going. It does get easier and easier the longer you are quit.
    Keep going!
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  - Barbscloud @ Bec14575 on Nov 28, 2020 12:09 PM
    Congrats on your 27 days. Your question made me think your were still in the planning stage. There are successful quitters on this site that have quit cold turkey, using NRT or using medication. It's not a judgement of which is better--it's whatever works for you.
    Barb
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Barbscloud Nov 28, 2020 10:14 AM
See my response to this post.
Survey Says!
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Maki Nov 28, 2020 11:31 AM
Just a few thoughts this morning inspired by your list .

was thinking about your post . I wonder if that data is more to show that people who use NRT have a better chance at quitting rather than specifying which group has the most successful "long term " quit . I am no specialist in the field , just an Ex smoker but if this is what is implied by those studies then I do think cold turkey quitters may have an edge at embracing their quit sooner than an NRT user because Nicotene is leaving the body quicker than that of one who uses an NRT .

I feel however everyone is a winner if they are doing their best . The method by which anyone chooses to do that is still a show of strength in my opinion .

Neither group of people should be judged for the method they choose . One way is not better than the other . I think we are all unique individuals and our thoughts , chemistry and relationship to smoking are all different . What works for one may not work for another .

Thanks for letting me share some thoughts maybe not related to your post but maybe helpful to others this morning . Plus I really enjoyed thinking a bit harder on this .. as I have often wondered about some things myself .

Congratulations on your quit .
Take one day at a time .
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AnnetteMM Nov 28, 2020 12:04 PM
After I stopped smoking actual cigarettes I vaped for a few months, which I (and everyone else) consider smoking, too.
So when I stopped vaping, that's when I quit cold turkey. Some of the psychological aspects were dealt with while not using cigarettes, but nicotine is nicotine. So I never considered myself actually "quit" until I no longer used nicotine at all.
Which is why NRT never made sense to me. I get that it works for most people, but for me it seemed like it would prolong the agony, so to speak. My quit date is the actual first day I spent without using any nicotine at all.

All that is to say, hurray for you! And keep up the great work.
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maryfreecig Nov 28, 2020 12:29 PM
I believe that it's cold turkey without support that is especially hard. Smokers who want to be quitters don't truly understand the addiction ironically until they have quit smoking. That's a catch 22 isn't it????

A tactic is not usually enough--an approach, a commitment, a change of heart and support added to any method of quitting is a winning approach IMO.
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Hannahkim12345 Nov 28, 2020 6:10 PM
I went cold turkey because I just wanted the nicotine to be out of my system and for me there was no sense prelonging it. It may have been harder but it’s shorter. I guess it is a personal choice. I’m on day 24. I feel normal but obviously the cravings still come often.
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Thesegoto11 Nov 29, 2020 2:37 PM
The Surgeon General's office publishes smoking-cessation reports every few years. Here are a few excerpts from the 2020 report:

- Nationally representative data indicate that about three in five U.S. Adults who ever smoked have quit successfully.
- 68% of current smokers stated they wanted to quit.
- In the past year, about 56% made a serious attempt to quit; however, only about 7% reported they had succeeded.
- Despite progress over the past 30 years, the reach and use of smoking cessation interventions remain low, with less than one-third of smokers using any proven cessation treatments (counseling and/or medication) from 2000 to 2015.
- Despite evidence demonstrating that using smoking cessation pharmacotherapy with behavioral support is more effective than quitting without these treatments, most smokers who had recently quit reported that they did not quit using either. Some researchers believe it is because of a lack of insurance coverage and other barriers that explains why many smokers have little choice but to quit without formal treatment.
- Proponents of encouraging smokers to quit without treatment, often called quitting “cold turkey,” point to data indicating that most smokers who quit successfully do so without medications or any type of formal assistance, as well as to population surveys suggesting that cold-turkey quitters do as well or better than those who use over-the-counter NRTs.
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- YoungAtHeart @ Thesegoto11 on Nov 29, 2020 5:58 PM
  "Some researchers believe it is because of a lack of insurance coverage and other barriers that explains why many smokers have little choice but to quit without formal treatment."
  ...and did the researchers take into account that quitting smoking saves probably what the NRT's cost - depending on how much their nicotine cost them?
  Where is the education, she rants? AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN!
  ........getting down off my soapbox......
  
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elvan Dec 1, 2020 11:49 AM
I quit cold turkey but I have nothing against NRT and I know lots of people who have been successful with that. I drank lots of liquids to get the poison out of my system and my REAL issues were with the psychological withdrawal and all of the associations I had with smoking. It's a journey, not an event and it is one day at a time, sometimes, one feeling at a time. It DOES get easier.
Welcome to EX,
Ellen
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Cousin-Itt Dec 1, 2020 12:03 PM
You may enjoy reading this article No matter which way a person quits the end result that counts

Quitting Smoking Cold Turkey: Pros, Cons and Other Options
https://www.forhers.com/blog/quit-smoking-cold-turkey
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indingrl Dec 1, 2020 8:55 PM
Thanks for asking and MAYBE googling WebMD might have YOUR info - just sharing - I am so glad YOUR here and CONGRATS on nicotine freedom
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Curiosity

Outcomes

Quitting Smoking Cold Turkey: Pros, Cons and Other Options

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