

If a person decides to quit smoking abruptly, there are no serious health risks. There are also numerous risks to the cold turkey approach. However, if a person is dependent on harmful drugs, such as heroin or methamphetamine, or has a serious alcohol dependency, immediately quitting is not a good idea. In quitting gradually, people are continuing to ingest the harmful substance in their body for a longer time, which may lead to more damage. By going cold turkey, a person’s body can begin to recover immediately from the damage the substance was causing. There are several health benefits to stopping smoking, drinking alcohol, and taking drugs.
#Remove cold turkey free
Being free of the harmful substance sooner However, they can often get past this withdrawal period more quickly than those who are quitting gradually. Withdrawal symptoms can last for varying time periods after quitting, depending on the substance involved.īy stopping instantly or going cold turkey, a person may experience more extreme withdrawal symptoms initially. It found that only 3–5% of participants who tried to quit cold turkey without help were able to achieve prolonged abstinence for 6–12 months afterward. It is important to note that the researchers provided support to study participants when they were trying to quit.Īn older study looked at people quitting smoking on their own without support. One 2016 study found that abruptly quitting smoking is more likely to lead to lasting abstinence than gradually cutting down. However, this depends on the amount of support a person receives while they are quitting. Some research suggests that when it comes to smoking, cold turkey can be a more effective method of quitting than gradual reduction.

They include: With the right support, cold turkey can be effective There are some benefits to quitting cold turkey. However, this may not be the best approach and could even lead to relapse in some cases. They may also think if they cut the substance out entirely, they will feel less tempted to use it again while quitting.Īnother reason why people use this method is that the substance is causing their body harm, and they wish to stop this effect immediately.


Some people use the cold turkey technique as they believe it will be easier to cease taking the substance completely straight away. If this is the case, there are may be serious side effects from going cold turkey that can become life threatening. However, this can be a dangerous approach if a person is quitting severe alcohol dependence or certain drugs, such as heroin. Generally, people can safely quit smoking and nicotine cold turkey.
