Going Cold Turkey: Breaking Free from the Chains of Unhealthy Behaviors

Going “cold turkey” means the abrupt ending of an old habit pattern that you’ve been stuck in for a long time. It often refers to the complete cessation of unhealthy habits such as drinking, smoking, gambling, junk food, or drug use.

Rather than a gradual reduction of a bad habit (which can be an effective method in certain situations), going “cold turkey” implies a radical change that can often shake up our entire daily routine.

Imagine the shock you feel during a hot summer day diving into cold water. The initial sensation can be unpleasant and overwhelming, but eventually your body adapts to the new temperature and it isn’t so bad after-all. This is similar to the experience of going cold turkey.

While going “cold turkey” can be a startling and difficult change to make, there are ways we can make the process easier on ourselves. Here are valuable tips and advice to keep in mind while embarking on this path.

Reminder: Certain side effects of going cold turkey, especially with hard drugs or alcoholism, can lead to severe withdrawals that may require professional supervision. Make sure to check with your doctor before making any major changes to your health routine.

That being said, the information below can still be helpful for everyone, but don’t mistaken it for professional medical advice.

Going Cold Turkey: How to Prepare for a Big Habit Change

• Choose a fresh start – The first powerful step you can take is choosing a landmark date for your fresh start. This could be the beginning of a new month, a birthday, an anniversary, a New Year’s resolution, or any other meaningful date that gives you the feeling that you’re starting on a clean slate. You can also pick a completely new day, like today or tomorrow. Write it down and turn it into a new meaningful date you can celebrate as the years go by.
• Avoid behavioral triggers – One of the most important things you can do to halt bad habits is to understand the triggers behind that behavior and put up boundaries to avoid them. Common triggers may include certain people or places that you associate with the bad behavior. To change your bad habit, it’s often necessary to avoid these triggers, which can mean no longer socializing with people who have a negative influence on you (including deleting numbers), or no longer going to bars, clubs, or parties that tend to bring out the worst in you.
• Seek a supportive social circle – It’s tough to make changes completely on your own. Family and friends can provide much-needed social support to help push you over the finish line. A supportive social circle can check in on your progress (“How’s that habit change going?”), provide motivation (“I’m glad you’re making a change,”), or give compliments along the way (“We are very proud of how far you’ve come!”) This encouraging feedback can remind you that you aren’t alone on this journey and many others are rooting for your success.
• Set a shared goal with a friend – If you can find one other person to make a similar change with you, that can be a world of help. You and a best friend can both try quitting smoking/drinking together, or a romantic couple can try cutting out unhealthy eating habits at the same time. This can be especially helpful if you both live together or see each other frequently – you can work together to create an environment that is more supportive of your goals. One study found that when romantic couples work together to achieve individual goals, they are more likely to achieve them. With shared goals, you can both provide each other motivation and support, as well as shared tips and advice (“This worked for me, you should try it too!”) One concept in psychology known as the copycat nudge states that when we receive tips or advice from a friend, we are more likely to listen and follow through on them.
• Find a healthy substitute – It can be difficult to make a big habit change without finding something to replace it with. When you feel an urge to revisit your bad habit, it helps to have a conscious plan on what you can do instead. For example, when you get an urge to smoke a cigarette, try just going for a walk outside, or doing a quick round of push-ups, or chewing gum. Find the psychological reason you smoked cigarettes in the first place (want to take a break, feeling anxious, oral fixation), then replace it with a new habit that satisfies the same need. When I stopped drinking a couple beers every evening, I replaced it with drinking green or black tea instead, because I realized I enjoyed having something to sip on during my “nighttime routine.” When it comes to gambling or drugs, you may need to find new habits to satisfy your need for thrill-seeking in healthier and more constructive ways, such as playing sports, intense workouts, or watching action movies. With bad habits, we often aren’t addicted to the habit itself, but some underlying need we think it fulfills – if you can find a healthy alternative to satisfy that need, it’ll be much easier to let go of the old habit.
• Give yourself time to adapt – Any big change you make in your life is going to take time to adjust to. The first few days and weeks are often the most difficult, as your body and mind are still craving the usual “high” or dopamine hit from your old habits. According to the hedonic treadmill, our brains often have a baseline level of happiness that temporarily fluctuates as we increase or decrease pleasurable experiences. This is why if you’re addicted to drugs, you often need bigger and bigger doses to get the same high; but at the same time, when you decrease drug use or go cold turkey, your brain will similarly adapt to a new baseline. Once you allow your baseline to reset, you’ll often discover new rewards and new pleasurable experiences that will be just as enjoyable as your old habit. Just give it time.
• Remind yourself of the long-term benefits – In the moment going cold turkey can be painful and uncomfortable, but remind yourself that you are working toward long-term benefits. Try to recognize the complete picture behind your habit change, how it will improve your life when it comes to family, health, career, and finances? How many years of your life will you save? How much money will you save? How will you become a better friend or family member? How will your productivity at work improve? Imagine your future self without this crutch. If you can highlight your core values and the long-term benefits, then the short-term costs of going cold turkey will seem like nothing in comparison to a better, healthier, and happier life overall.
• Tap into a higher power – If you are a religious or spiritual person, and you believe in God or a higher power, then that is a potent source of motivation and inspiration you can draw from. When people find themselves at the lowest point in their lives – or they feel that change is impossible – often the belief that God has your back can help people tap into newfound energy. From a psychological perspective, the belief in God is a powerful force for self-change. You still need to take action and put in the work, but the belief in God can inspire people to accomplish things that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to. However it’s only through faith that we can reap the fruits of God. Practice a short daily prayer, such as “Dear God, help me turn my spirit towards You so that I can find the strength to overcome my problems. Forgive my doubts and fears, and fill me with Your love and strength.” The Serenity Prayer is another common one in many recovery programs, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” You can create your own prayer too – whatever works best for you.

These are all important guidelines to consider when going cold turkey. Some of the advice may resonate with you more than others, but each can make a big habit change easier and more manageable when applied correctly.

Now you’re ready to break the chains of your unhealthy behaviors. Congratulations, it’s time to take action!

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