10 Ways to Quit Smoking - Cold Turkey

Quitting smoking is one of the toughest things to do. As a past smoker I can tell you it takes a LOT of effort, time, and you need to really want to quit. Fortunately there has been many advances over the past years to aid smokers in quitting from the patch to gum to even electronic cigarettes. What about those of us though who don't want to chew shitty gum or let the entire world see we are struggling to get rid of our addiction? For those of us who do not want to use any outside method in quitting, there's the "cold turkey" approach.  Quitting without any aids is extremely difficult, but can be done. Here are to 10 ways to help you quit smoking, cold turkey style.

1. Decrease Your Cigarette Intake Slowly - This is the method that ultimately helped me quit. I smoked (almost consistently) a pack per day. What I did was remove one cigarette from my daily routine. Once I felt completely okay for a couple of days I removed another, and another until I was down to 2 cigarettes and was able to just walk away. Took me 3 months, but it worked.

2. Eat, Eat, Eat!! - Along with decreasing my daily cigarette intake, I ate...a lot. I was stuffing my face with every food known to man when I felt a craving coming on. I ended up gaining a lot of weight in one month, but switched to celery sticks and other healthy foods and lost it quickly. If you can afford to pack on some pounds this is a great method. If not, then just be conscious of what you eat. Some people say they've been ale to stop completely right away from smoking and fill the nicotine void with food, sucking candies, gum, etc.

3. Stay Busy - Might sound stupid, but often times I found myself smoking because I was bored. Take on extra projects at work, go out every night of the week, etc. If you stay focused on something chances are you'll think less about your cigarette craving.

4. Avoid Alcohol - Quitting cold turkey might make you want to drink more, but getting drunk will only make you crave cigarettes more. Think about how many extra cigarettes you smoke when you're out drinking. If you're serious about quitting smoking, lay off the booze for a while.

5. Look at Pictures of Lung Cancer Patients - This is a very weird approach to quitting cold turkey, but does help others. We all know the dangers of smoking, but a visual example of how fucked up lung cancer can be might be the deciding factor of you sucking up your nicotine withdrawals.

6. Stay Away From Other Smokers - The smell of a smoker or seeing someone else smoke will only make you want to smoke. Avoid other smokers at all costs.

7. Identify Triggers and Avoid Them - Think about your daily routine. When do you reach for a cigarette? After a meal? While watching TV? What factors make you smoke more? Stress? Alcohol? Find what often makes you want to smoke and avoid them.

8. Buy Something Else with Your Cigarette Money - For those of you on a budget, use the money that you normally use for cigarettes towards something else. Anything else. If you don't have the money to buy cigarettes, it will significantly decrease your chances of smoking.

9. Take Up a Healthy Activity - It might sound weird, but if you start playing a sport, running, or do anything that requires more activity you'll find yourself wanting to smoke less and less.

10. Chew Toothpicks - As with eating, having something in your mouth (mind out of the gutters) when you're craving a cigarette will help to curb it.