As many ex-smokers can attest, it can be very difficult trying to figure out how to quit smoking cigarettes. According to an article in the New York Times (Blakeslee, March 29, 1987), cigarette smoking is harder to quit than heroin. One of the hardest ways to quit smoking is "cold turkey."
Quit Smoking Cold Turkey
Some smokers are able to quit "cold turkey," picking a day to smoke their last cigarette and vowing never to smoke again. While some smokers choose a day in advance and mark it on the calendar, many smokers decide to quit on the spur of the moment. When the decision to quit smoking comes suddenly, an important mental hurdle is throwing out that last pack of cigarettes. It's more helpful to some people to be able to remind themselves that they chose to throw the cigarettes away and never look back; this mental advantage isn't present for smokers who decide to quit smoking when the last pack is gone.
Nicotine Withdrawal
Quitting cold turkey can be very difficult, especially for people who have been smoking more cigarettes for a long period of time, because nicotine withdrawal can be a very unpleasant thing. What are some of the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal?
- Irritability
- Intense craving for cigarettes
- Insomnia
- Tiredness
- Headaches
- Tension
- Problems concentrating
- Increased appetite
- Weight gain
Increased appetite and weight gain are important to note, because they are especially troubling to many people who are trying to quit smoking. Nicotine is an appetite suppressant, so it is hard for the body to adjust to a normal level of appetite. In general, though, the positive health effects of quitting smoking far outweigh the negative health effects of gaining a few extra pounds.
The important thing to remember is that the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal decrease over time. If you can make it through the early days of quitting cold turkey, it will get easier to avoid picking up cigarette smoking again as time goes by.
Tips for Cold Turkey Success
Keeping all of this in mind, there are some things you can do to make the cold turkey method easier on yourself, and make it less likely to start smoking again.
One thing you need to do is to drink plenty of water. Not only will drinking water keep you hydrated and give you something to do with your mouth instead of puffing on a cigarette, but it will help your body flush the impurities out of your system faster.
Keep your mouth busy. Chewing sugarless gum or sucking on hard candy will keep your mouth busy when you start feeling the need to smoke. Sucking on a lollipop or chewing on a straw or a pen will also give you something to hold onto if you need to keep your hands busy as well as your mouth.
When a craving hits, try closing your eyes and counting to ten while taking some deep breaths. If that doesn't work, take a walk to get yourself away from temptation.
If all else fails, call a friend, relative, co-worker, or a smoker's help line. Get some outside support to remind you of all the reasons why you decided to quit in the first place: your health, your family, your finances, your appearance, etc. Or talk about anything but smoking to divert your attention until the urge to smoke passes.
Additional Resources
This article is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your doctor for any questions you may have about quitting smoking cold turkey. MedlinePlus and Quit Smoking were used as references for this article. For more advice on how to quit smoking, you may be interested in New Ways to Quit Smoking.
Christina Gleason - Christina Gleason is the founder of Phenomenal Content LLC, providing online copywriting services for Web content. She is a happily ...
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