One of the most popular ways smokers can to stop smoking, is known as "cold turkey" The phrase smoking cold turkey means to stop smoking instantly with no gradual reduction i.e. just stop and give your system a short sharp shock.

How effective is it and how can you increase your chances of success?

Let's find out.

Quitting smoking cold turkey means to stop smoking without using any nicotine replacement therapy aids like gum, patches or inhalers.

Quitting smoking cold turkey is the most popular method – but not the most successful.

Why?

"Cold Turkey" is the most difficult method of quitting smoking, due to the extreme symptoms the receiving no nicotine causes.

You can improve your chances for permanently quitting cigarettes, with the cold turkey method, if you follow a few guidelines, which we outline below.

First let's look at how difficult it is to stop using cold turkey.

Withdrawal of nicotine causes the following problems that include: irritability, fatigue and nausea and they will be intense and always be there in the first few weeks after giving up.

The most difficult period is the first the first 72 hours - however, the symptoms and severity reduce and eventually cease altogether.

Ways to increase your chances of success

1. Drink lots of water to flush out your system several liters a day is recommended

2. When cravings hit - THINK of all the reasons you are quitting and concentrate on why you don't want to smoke. Focus totally, on the benefits of why you have given up for a few minutes.

3. Get support. If you can do cold turkey with someone else or get support and help from groups, either on the Internet or in your community.

4. Keep yourself busy and occupy your day. The busier you are, the less time you'll have to think about the withdrawal symptoms.

Your chances of success depend on:

Simply, how much you really want to quit.

In addition, whether or not you believe you can do it – if you think you can do it you will. If you think you cant you will not succeed.

If you want to quit smoking more than you want the cigarettes – and you believe that you can quit, then you'll be successful.

Waiting for Nicotine levels to drop

If this level of nicotine is not maintained, then the smoker will experience varying degrees of drug withdrawal.

As long as any nicotine remains in the bloodstream the body will keep craving it and give the feeling of cold turkey. Within a few weeks withdrawal sypmtoms will cease altogether as Nicotine levels drop to zero and cravings disappear.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Many smokers can't take cold turkey and go for patches, gum and inhalers to feed the body Nicotine as they stop smoking.

Chances of success with NRT are double that of quitting smoking by "cold turkey"

At the end of the day, it depends on willpower – cold turkey with the right mindset works. If you lack will power try NRT.

When you are forced to give up smoking!

Many smokers are forced to stop smoking for long periods as they cant smoke.

For example, when flying, in restaurants and when there at work, or they choose not to smoke, when their with young children.

NRT is helpful for them and there are also a number of herbal ways of giving up smoking and one that looks set to become very popular is Nicotine water, which is simply water with Nicotine.

So, when cravings set in the smoker can simply sip it and many will find this a very simple convenient method.

Finally

Cold turkey is effective but needs willpower for those who are forced to cut down or lack will power there are a number of products to help beat the craving, if you choose not to smoke or can't smoke.