Can You Quit Smoking Cold Turkey: Just The Facts
“You know that smoking will kill you!” Sound familiar? Are you one of the millions caught up in a cycle of addiction caused by smoking? Do you want to quit and just can’t seem to make yourself do it? You can actually quit smoking cold turkey if you put your mind to it. Here are some tips to follow if you’re tired of patches and gum and are ready to just plain stop. There are two forces at work when it comes to smoking. First, there’s the nicotine (and other carcinogens) at work causing you to be chemically dependent on the drug. Second, there’s a psychological dependency—like a child “needs” a stuffed toy or pacifier. Let’s look at the first obstacle first.
Nicotine, like any drug, changes the chemical composition in your body and leaves you craving more. This is because nicotine inside the body triggers a short-term increase of dopamine (the “feel good” chemical). Once the effect wears off, your body wants that feeling back. So you have another cigarette, causing the pattern to repeat itself.
Once you look at it from the psychological perspective, there are additional complications. First, you want to quit. If you’re quitting because your spouse wants you to but you don’t really want to, you’ll find a way to hang on to those cigarettes. That’s not to say that doing it for someone else is completely ineffective. There have been parents who have stopped smoking for the sake of their children. But it was because the person wanted to stop smoking. Second, a person attempting to quit smoking cold turkey needs something to keep occupied. Third, it’s a bad idea to quit smoking when you have a lot going on. The withdrawal symptoms will produce a lot of stress. And stress is clearly the thing you don’t want when you are already bogged down with things to do.
This brings us to another issue when you quit smoking cold turkey—withdrawal. The main reason a person gives up and returns to smoking is being unable to handle the withdrawal symptoms. If you are a smoker, your body is addicted to the nicotine in cigarettes. Suddenly cutting off the body’s supply will cause a number of possible symptoms: headache, sleeplessness, dry mouth, low energy, bad temper, lack of focus, sore throat or gums, increased appetite, and tightness in the chest. Basically, you must have a very strong will to quit in order to have a decent chance for the cold turkey method to work.
The good news about ending your addiction cold turkey is that the withdraw symptoms will have mostly subsided in roughly a week. And a few weeks later, your body will be totally nicotine free! If you have the power to control the cravings, your body will definitely thank you down the road—before serious health problems begin.
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