Best Method to Stop Smoking: Cold Turkey or Gradual Withdrawal?
Basically, there are two major methods of stopping smoking: the “cold turkey” approach when you quit abruptly and do not take another puff anymore (can be recommended for those whose nicotine addiction is still relatively weak) and the method of gradual withdrawal.
Many people opt for the second approach, especially those who have smoked for many years, who consume more than a pack a day, whose nicotine addiction is too strong in order to attempt the abrupt cessation, and those who have already failed, maybe several times, in trying to quit smoking “cold turkey”.
The method of gradual withdrawal is best suited for people who do not want to abruptly change their smoking habits. They can continue smoking, but the trick is to slowly and gradually cut down the number of cigarettes they puff every day. Say, if a smoker is used to consume two packs a day, which are 40 cigarettes, he can start his smoking cessation process by consuming just one cigarette less the next day. He can continue smoking 39 cigarettes a day for about a week, after which one more daily ‘lung rocket” is out. With this approach, the former smoker will become completely smoke-free in about nine months, without any unpleasant symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. The process can be facilitated by reducing the amount of consumed cigarettes at a higher rate, if the smoker tolerates that well, but a faster rate is usually not recommended because it can easily trigger full-blown withdrawal symptoms since the body won’t have enough time to adjust to a reduce intake of nicotine.
Most smoking people will agree that the gradual withdrawal method is a very efficient and comfortable approach to smoking cessation. Remember that the key to success is not to reduce the amount of daily smoked cigarettes too abruptly, but to stretch the whole process for nine plus months so that quitting smoking should come naturally and pain-free.
Darlene Marlow
Posted on February 9, 2008
Filed Under How to Quit Smoking
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4 Responses to “Best Method to Stop Smoking: Cold Turkey or Gradual Withdrawal?”
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Who died and made this Darlene Marlow an expert on nicotine addiction? A smoker cannot “adjust to a reduce intake of nicotine.” It is like saying an alcoholic can be cured by gradually drinking less. You have got to be kidding!
Actually, you are not right. I am a former smoker and I tried several times to quit “cold turkey”, but it was too hard and I felt so miserable that I started smoking again. 2 years ago my doctor said that I had to quit due to my heart problems. I smoked about a pack a day then. So, I applied “gradual withdrawal”, very slowly, and was able to reduce my smokes to about 10 a day in three months. It required some discipline but I still was “rewarded” by daily smoking. Later, I just sort of lost my interest in smoking. For a while, I was carrying with me a pack with three smokes there, but did not have any desire to puff. So, I am smoke-free now and don’t miss my former addiction at all! But, without this gradual withdrawal method, I’d probably have never succeeded…
The author here is mere fiction writer, has no clue how addictions work. This gradual quit crap DOES not work I am yet to come across anyone who truely quit by simply reducing cigrattes at will! I tried this myself, the brain simply will seek out new saturation point for nicotine so 90% of smokers gradually will go to smoke more and not less over the years.
Atleast my first had experiences - many times at quiting tells me this is load of bull - there is no GRDUAL Quitting, Do it and Do it NOW is the only approach, best you can do is use patch or gum but even then at some point you will have to face it.
The first and third comments are obviously from morons. If you have any medical education, you would know that slowly quitting is the best way, and no it is not the same as alcoholism! Two different drugs, two different ways of ingesting into the body and two different ways of quitting. First off, quitting gradually is better on the body and mind, it is possible if you have determination. quitting cold turkey is probably the worst way of quitting because in doing so you put an overwhelming stress on the nervous system which in turn makes you more susceptible to cancer. I will note that I do know what I am talking about for I am a doctor and I once was a smoker, I researched the methods of quitting on every level, and gradually quitting is the best, not only natural, but safer way. sorry for the mentioning of moronic, but you cannot judge something because you have tried, you just haven’t tried hard enough. i specialize in Infectious Disease and my brother specializes in oncology (study of cancer). He also agrees. he has had more lung cancer patients who have quit cold turkey opposed to those who have gradually quit on a ratio of 7:1. 7 standing for cold turkey.