Quit Smoking Cold Turkey

It can be very difficult to quit smoking cold turkey, but it doesn't cost a thing and you can start today!

But "cold turkey." is the hardest ways to quit smoking?

I was able to quit "cold turkey," picking a day to smoke my last cigarette and vowing never to smoke again. 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?..here they are:

• 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.