Quitting cold turkey is one of the most popular smoking cessation methods. But many people view it as a torturing and painful experience. But actually, it’s not. If you know the secrets to quitting cold turkey, you can free yourself from being a slave of cigarettes without having to go through the debilitating consequences of stopping nicotine addiction.
Understand the Law of Addiction
The law of addiction states that “administration of a drug to an addict will cause re-establishment of chemical dependence upon the addictive substance at the old level of use or greater.” This means that a single, powerful puff can hook you into the same habit. What is the message of this? The moment you decide to quit, you have to quit for good.
Work out Your Willpower
If you’re not sure about quitting smoking, don’t use this technique. Quitting cold turkey does not involve the use of any medication, treatment or intervention. This means you have to depend greatly on yourself. You have to be serious about your goal – quit smoking for good.
Meet Healthy, Old People
Meet someone who is at the age of 85 or 90 who is healthy and living a vigorous life. Take some time to observe their day to day living. This will help you visualize growing older without suffering from any serious illness. According to the American Cancer Society, 440,000 people die each year due to smoking. Picture how fun it is to enjoy your retirement benefits and spending your money on things other than medications and treatments!
Avoid other Smokers
This is very important. During your quit smoking period, you need to avoid people who smoke. Seeing them puff will just intensify your cigarette craving and make you ask them if they have extra cigarette for you. This also comes with avoiding places where smoking is allowed, such as pubs and bars. Find people who have positive attitude and who do not smoke.
Assess the Financial Impact of Smoking
Think of how much money you have spent on cigarettes. How much could you have saved or spent for more important things? How about your health insurance? How costly is your insurance policy because you were considered a high-risk client due to your smoking addiction? Take time to assess the financial cost of smoking. You will be surprised of how much money you could have spared.
Reward Yourself
Quitting cold turkey becomes easier if you promise to reward yourself once your goal has been achieved. You can do it on a weekly basis. This allows you to look forward to something positive. Buy a movie ticket on a Saturday night, hang out with your non-smoking friends in a non-smoking environment, cook something special, satisfy your sweet tooth, do some shopping, etc. Then, your ultimate reward after not smoking for a month or two could be your dream trip or vacation.
Lastly, adopt a healthy lifestyle. Eat well, get enough sleep, and don’t forget to relax and unwind. All these simple lifestyle tweaks can help you quit cold turkey successfully.
