Going Cold Turkey! What Does It Mean?

“COLD TURKEY” For many years when you mentioned cold turkey you thought of Christmas and more especially Boxing Day or St. Steven’s Day. We tended to cook a huge turkey on Christmas day and the following day and even for days afterwards we ate cold turkey sandwiches. We even made turkey stews and casseroles.

These days cold turkey is an expression used when describing the actions of a person who gives up a habit or addiction all at once.
It literally means stopping the habit all at once rather than gradually easing the process through reduction or by using replacement medication.
It has been reported that the term cold turkey may originate from an earlier expression talk turkey which meant you said it how it was. When cold turkey was first introduced as an expression it was used strictly for abrupt withdrawal from drugs or alcohol. Shortly afterwards it was incorporated into quitting any addiction or habit.

One of the most popular and well known ways smokers chose to quit smoking is by going cold turkey. Most of them say it is better to do it this way rather than cutting down or using replacement medication. They set out with a single minded purpose to give up smoking. They may set a certain date like New Year’s Eve or the birth of a baby etc, to do it. Though this does not make it the most successful method for giving up smoking it is certainly the most challenging. This is because of the severe withdrawal symptoms they face. For most people they can’t do it alone but there are guidelines they can follow. But the good news is it can be done. It has been proven time and time again that it is possible to quit smoking.