Experts can say all they want about new and exotic methods for smoking cessation, pharmaceutical companies can tout their nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) drugs throughout prime time, but in the final analysis, perhaps the most effective method for used to quit smoking is simply – to quit -- or go “cold turkey.”

Like all other methods of smoking cessation, going cold turkey has a very high failure rate, as much as 80 percent. Looked at from the other direction, that translates in to a general success rate of from 20 percent to 25 percent – and despite the myriad choices for smoking cessation -- quitting cold turkey, with no other help of any type, has about the same numbers.

Personal Choice

Just about every expert in the field of smoking cessation will say that the method used is not as important as the determination to succeed. For the majority of those wanting to quit, that determination translates into going cold turkey. Despite all the bells and whistles associated with more exotic treatment plans such as hypnosis and nicotine replacement therapies (NRT), statistics show something more than 50 percent of those who try to quit go cold turkey, which is generally defined as “quitting abruptly, without help.”

Despite its low success rate, some experts in the field say going cold turkey is more effective than a more gradual method, which they call “taper and fade.” Others prefer the taper and fade method because the idea of quitting all at once can seem very daunting. The main drawback to taper and fade is that, unless the quitter has a specific quit date, the “fading” could go on indefinitely.

How To Do It

Even though cold turkey is supposed to mean doing it “without help,” most quitters are going to need a lot of help, or at least a solid and studied plan. It is almost impossible to just wake up one morning and decide, “Today I think I’ll quit smoking.” Counselors say that before someone decides to quit, a definite plan and schedule should be established.

The most important part of that plan is to decide on a definite quit date. The quitter also needs to have made preparations such as telling friends and family about the decision and taking into account the times, places, and stresses that lead to cigarette cravings. The quitter must be ready to change behaviors and avoid situations that might make the desire to smoke too intense to resist. This is best done by keeping a smoker’s diary outlining when and where cigarette cravings hit.

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