Stop smoking cold turkey or the sudden and complete withdrawal from the habit is perhaps the hardest thing for any smoker, heavy or light, to achieve. Most often the
withdrawal symptoms prove to be too hard to overcome and the individual draws back to the habit. Nevertheless, it is stated that stop smoking cold turkey is the method used by 80% to 90% of individuals who manage to quit the habit successfully.

Nicotine, a highly addictive chemical is contained in cigarettes and when a smoker quits the habit, the nicotine cravings that are very difficult to overcome act up. In addition to the nicotine craving, withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, insomnia, fatigue and headaches may occur and may persist heavily during the first few days when one decides to stop smoking cold turkey. Several methods such as Nicotine Replacement Therapy which administers a dose of nicotine to the body through products in the form of gums,patches and sprays could be used by an individual to relieve the symptoms and craving.

Although this is an effective way to deal with the withdrawal symptoms, it promotes nicotine addiction in the body. An individual who was previously addicted to a cigarette may now be addicted to nicotine gum or patches. Although the body is given a lower dose of nicotine to reduce merely the stop smoking cold turkey symptoms, the body demands the old level of nicotine. Therefore, it should be realized that this method creates a new level of required nicotine in the body and only places an individual in a chronic state of drug withdrawal.

Only two methods exist to relieve this state, one is to stop the administering of nicotine completely and the other is to get back to smoking.One should remember that the withdrawal symptoms would only be highly difficult to deal with during the first two weeks and it would gradually decrease after that.Thus, perhaps the best and most effective way to quit the habit is stop smoking cold turkey.

Support and guidance from friends and relatives is greatly needed by an individual who decides to stop smoking cold turkey . Furthermore for an individual who decides to stop smoking cold turkey, joining a support group or undergoing counseling and therapy sessions would prove to be very helpful.

One should remember that quitting the habit, especially to stopping smoking cold turkey is not at all an easy task. It takes pure determination and a whole lot of will power.