There are many ways to quit smoking. The fastest method, however, is to go cold turkey. It has the highest success rate.
Shouldn’t that be the most logical path to choose?
Sadly, many people are afraid of going this route. They think it’s too hard, and they can’t deal with the pain. They choose other methods that prolong the pain for months and months.
If you don’t believe me, ask around. Does everyone tell you any differently than this? Does everyone you ask tell you they quit by using the gum or the patch?
It really is the only way to go if you want a quick way out.
In essence, you are changing your lifestyle (at first). You are starting a new life. You are heading down a new path.
By using other methods that only prolong the withdrawal by giving you nicotine as part of the process, you aren’t changing your lifestyle.
Why change your lifestyle?
That’s simple. As your old self, you were a chain smoker.
To really, truly succeed, you must change your everyday life. But only at first.
Do you go to the bars every night? Do you hangout with smokers? Are you active? Are you lazy?
When you quit, everything changes. Your whole outlook on life changes. Is that a bad thing? Absolutely not!
It’s all about changing yourself for the better.
At the beginning, you can’t expect to lead the same life you were leading before, nor will you want to once you get going.
Trust me, you’ll be more active than you’ve ever been in your life.
Do you honestly think, as an ex-smoker, you’ll watch all your dishes pile up on the counter? Will the garbage ever be taken out? How about the bathroom, will that ever be cleaned?
You’ll be amazed at the amount of energy you’ll be receiving. You’ll look at those dishes and laugh at them, because they’ll be history, and you’ll be gladly cleaning them all without flinching an eyelash.
You’re addicted to nicotine, not the tobacco itself. Nicotine is the drug in tobacco that you need to avoid all together.
It’s no wonder why they haven’t invented cigarettes that don’t contain nicotine. Ever wonder why that is?
They’ve taken it out of coffee, but why not tobacco?
The reason is simple.
It’s because there is too much money involved, and the tobacco companies would go bankrupt if they invented a nicotine-free cigarette.
Plus no one would smoke them, because they wouldn’t get their fix.
Don’t be afraid. It really isn’t the worst thing in the world.
You have to understand right off the bat that it’s going to be difficult for a few weeks. There is no escaping that with going cold turkey.
I know that’s what scares people the most, and it’s understandable. But it’s the same for everyone no matter if you’ve smoked 1 year or 30 years.
Physical withdrawal lasts around 3 weeks.
After that, there won’t be ANY nicotine left in your body.
If you were using the patch or the gum you’d still have nicotine in your body, which just prolongs things.
This is a special point of interest to bring up.
When you go cold turkey, from that point on you are moving forward. There is no prolonging and no procrastinating involved. It’s just you and your new life that awaits you, that’s all.
Think of it as Day 1 of the new YOU.
Every new minute is a new beginning. Every morning is a breath of fresh air. Every meal is a meal of new flavors.
You’ll feel yourself starting to get better, and with each passing day, your life becomes even more amazing than before.
What will Day 100 be like? Can you imagine that?
People don’t feel great because they don’t smoke. They feel great because they finally feel normal.
Cigarettes made them a different person, with different feelings. Inhale them for 30 years and you’ll never know how you could potentially feel.
You’ll never know the real you.
So think of it as the new IMPROVED you! From that point on, you’re a different person.
You’ll be acting different, you’ll be more confident, and work won’t be as stressful as before.
It doesn’t cost a penny. All you do is NEVER LOOK BACK!
There are no trips to the pharmacy, to the grocery store, or to the doctor’s office.
For something that has been your crutch for the longest time, the fact that “cold turkey” is free is a great thing.
Why pay $100’s of dollars on all those other methods when they might not work in the first place?
Just throw those nasty cigarettes away once and for all. Be done with them!
It’s been way too long and you need to stop. You’re too old to keep going that route.
Never look back, and you’ll begin your new life faster than ever!
It doesn’t matter if the cashier at the grocery store quit by using the patch. If that’s the only person you know who succeeded by doing that, then that’s a red flag.
A 10% success rate is not good enough, and it shouldn’t be good enough for you.
There are some other points to make why one of the best methods is cold turkey.
First off, you can do it right now. You don’t have to go to the store, or to the doctor, or to a hypnotherapist.
You can do it RIGHT NOW! That’s the beauty of it all. You can start immediately with no waiting.
There is no need to look at a calendar. You don’t need to save up money, or set aside your next paycheck.
All you really need to do is put that last cigarette out for good and never look back from there on out.
You don’t have to check your watch to see if the store is still open.
You don’t have to call the clinic to make an appointment, and you certainly don’t have to “look up” what a hypnotherapist does exactly before you contact them.
You can stop smoking right here, right now, in the comfort of your own home.
Another reason why it’s one of the best is because you don’t have to worry about side effects caused by other medicines.
There is so much fine print on all those prescriptions, you don’t know what you’re getting into. It’s a gamble.
Going cold turkey, all you have to worry about is some pain for the first few days leading up to a week.
Why add more pain when you don’t have to?
To be clear, just because I believe it’s one of the best, does not mean I absolutely condemn the others. They might work for you.
There is success with other methods, just not in my own personal experience. They failed for me every time I used them.
But there is always going to be someone who finds them useful, or that they work for them.
Finally, go cold turkey because the sooner you get it over with, the faster you can get to living the life you were intended to lead.
Trust me, once you put a few days behind you, your world will start opening up. And when I mean open up, I mean the entire universe will be at your disposal.
Thoughts and scenarios about yourself and your future will go through your head that you didn’t think were possible.
I’m not talking about negative thoughts, I’m talking about POSITIVE thoughts.
Maybe, because you’re feeling great, you’ll have a crazy business idea that could potentially make you a lot of money.
Before it wasn’t possible, but now it is.
“I’ll do that someday. I’ll have that life, I’ll run that marathon, I’ll get that job, and I’ll be super rich in whatever I do.”
It’s all possible folks. Believe in yourself.
I have enjoyed this article so much for I am trying to quit smoking cold turkey my 3rd day. Your article is great I am having a real hard time, after reading your advice I fell so much better. I know I can do it, it is true about patches. I try them and they don’t work. It took my sister a year to quit on the patches. Thank you much!!!!!!!!!
I agree, I have been on icanquit.com since my first 18 days.
Most are using Chantix, gum, or patch, and complaining about side effects, and cost. Still helps to vent to others on the same road. I did cut down some, over a short time, but then went cold turkey! I kept an unopened pack, my lighter, and all my normal routine stuff. I knew it had to be a choice to just stop. It was not an easy first 2 week! But, I learned to enjoy my coffee, and my bourbon, without a smoke.
I am now 30 days, without a smoke, after 45 years of smoking, and surprised at how easy it is now, to get through the day. Almost nothing in the way of cravings, or even wanting one. My trigger, was simply to admit, to myself, how stupid it really is to smoke.
Once I had that mindset, and I started listening to my brain, instead of the habit, I realized it was impossible to really enjoy the smoke. We know smoking is bad for our health, it’s expensive, it kills some of your taste and smell, and makes you stink, too. But we do not see all that, because — smoking makes you stupid — We have given that part of our brain away, but we can get it back. I did after 45 years! Just brace for the fight, and meet it head-on. Grit your teeth for just a few weeks, and it will surprise you! Do it just because you can!