Why It’s So Hard To Quit Drugs Cold Turkey?

Published on: 13 April 2021 Last Updated on: 11 December 2024

The endurings of life in modern society have made it common for people to develop addictions to drugs and alcohol. It all starts with one drink, one puff, or one sniff to get over a bad mood or event. Before you know it, several months down the line, you’ve lost everything.

Fortunately, some people get to a point where they feel they’ve simply had enough of drug or alcohol abuse. Now, they are ready to make the changes to get over the addiction.

However, some people choose to cold turkey. But, there are several side effects of going cold turkey on drugs.

In this article, we look into the cold turkey approach of quitting, what it means, why it’s so hard, and the risks it poses to the addict. If you want to find a rehab center to help you quit using drugs, you can learn more here.

Quit Cold Turkey To Get Over Addiction

Some people choose to go cold turkey. They feel that it’s easier to stop using their substance of choice rather than to get off it gradually. While ambition and dedication to recovery are powerful on their own, they are simply not enough to overcome withdrawal symptoms.

Quitting substance abuse cold turkey is very difficult and can impose significant risks. It becomes extremely difficult when your body develops a certain level of dependence on the drug; it’s difficult to quit.

What Does It Mean To Quit Cold Turkey?

The term ‘cold turkey’ comes from one of the withdrawal symptoms of quitting substance use. Sometimes, a person may get goosebumps that look like the skin of a plucked turkey after they cut themselves off their drug of choice.

As such, quitting drugs ‘cold turkey’ means putting an abrupt stop to drugs and alcohol use.

Most approaches are done at home without medical assistance or intervention.

People who use this technique do so in the belief that it will be easier to stop using the substance immediately. Some believe that if they disassociate themselves from the drug entirely, they will feel less compelled to start using it again.

For others, detoxing at home is the most convenient method because they don’t have medical insurance and are unable to afford treatment services.

As painful and uncomfortable the experience might be, they believe they can do it on their own without the need for specialized drug addiction treatment. Another reason for going cold turkey is that the addict prefers to do it in a familiar environment where they can feel safer and supported by friends and family.

However, quitting cold turkey should not be mistaken for detoxification. Detox is a slow process of clearing drugs from the body in a safe and controlled setting.

Detoxing allows the body enough time to purge physical cravings and the freedom to go through several uncomfortable feelings and changes brought about by the body breaking free of the drug.

Why Quitting Cold Turkey Is So Hard?

If you’re trying to quit drugs, cold turkey may seem like a fast and easy option at first. You get to go through the process privately at home without subjecting yourself to judgment or scrutiny from people.

However, the technique is very difficult to do. Factors that make it hard include:

Withdrawal symptoms.
Intense cravings.
The drug of choice.
The level of addiction.
Co-occurring mental health conditions.

The Addicted Phase

If you’re addicted to alcohol or a particular drug, your body has likely developed an undesirable mental and physical dependency on the substance. At this point, both your brain and body need those chemicals to sustain a level of equilibrium.

Withdrawal Symptoms

Once you go cold turkey, your body begins to try and go back to its non-addicted state by purging itself of the drug or alcohol substances. This purging process produces intense withdrawal symptoms and physical cravings that can affect you emotionally, physically, and psychologically.

Examples of highly common physical and mental withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, nausea, depression, seizures, hallucinations, vomiting, mood imbalances, agitation, mental fog, insomnia, irregular heart rate, and changes in blood pressure.

Drug of Choice

The type of drug involved also makes it hard for the addict to recover from their addiction through the technique. The drug your body is dependent on will determine the withdrawal symptoms you experience and the degree of severity.

Level of Addiction

Drugs such as heroin and benzos are highly addictive, and experts recommend that addicts of these drugs refrain from using the approach since they can lead to highly dangerous withdrawal symptoms.

Co-occurring Mental Health Condition

The co-occurring mental health condition of the addict can also complicate drug withdrawal and can lead to a highly unpredictable behavioral response from the addict.

The severity of the addiction also makes it difficult for addicts to achieve success from the method. The degree of dependence on a drug, as well as the amount of time you use the drug, will determine how your body and brain will respond to being cut off.

Simply put, the more severe the addiction, the more intense the withdrawal symptoms will be.

Is It Safe To Quit Cold Turkey?

Quitting cold turkey may not be the safest or most effective approach to staying sober, especially for people who have developed a dependency on a particular substance. Quitting too soon can cause uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms and a strong urge to resume substance abuse.

In certain cases, the withdrawal symptoms can be so severe that they cause life-threatening medical conditions such as seizures and heart problems, as explained earlier in this article. Even substances that pose a low risk of addiction, such as nicotine, can cause highly unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

This is not to say that quitting cold turkey cannot be successful. The technique can be highly effective with the right support system and the rate at which the addict can overcome the withdrawal symptoms.

Withdrawal symptoms last for varying lengths, and some people can get past the withdrawal period faster than those who decide to quit gradually. But if a person is addicted to potentially harmful drugs such as meth or heroin, cold turkey may not be the best idea.

Risks You May Face If You Go Cold Turkey

There are addiction-specific risks you should be aware of if you are going cold turkey. The common ones would include –

Smoking

Smoking cold turkey doesn’t have any direct and significant withdrawal symptoms. When someone abruptly decides to quit smoking cold turkey, they won’t face any life-threatening symptoms.

However, people quitting smoking cold turkey have a lower success rate than people quitting with external support. But, the nicotine withdrawal symptoms you get from quitting smoking cold turkey are difficult to cope with.

Alcohol & Cold Turkey

Alcohol cold turkey can be really difficult. It leads the person who’s quitting alcohol to serious health risks under certain conditions. Sometimes, the effects can be life-threatening. The most serious form of alcohol cold turkey is delirium tremens.

This is something that leads the person who’s quitting alcohol into rapid onsets of extreme levels of confusion. It also meddles with how their brain regulates blood circulation and breathing.

It is common for people to do cold turkey on alcohol to get DTs within 48 hours of quitting the drink. Also, this can last for 5 days straight. They can experience severe levels of confusion and extreme levels of hyperactivity. Loss of consciousness, hallucination, fever, issues with sleeping, etc.

Drugs & Cold Turkey

Similar to quitting severe alcohol addictions, drug cold turkey can also have severe onsets of drug addiction withdrawal symptoms. It’s common for someone with a drug addiction to use more than one substance. Typically, these people use opioids, heroin, cocaine, and other stimulants.

But, if someone stops taking drugs abruptly, it’ll seem extremely serious life-threatening medical condition. These conditions include seizures, heart disease, dehydration, etc.

Drug Addiction Treatment:

Recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction is not an easy thing to do. But this doesn’t deter people from going cold turkey without any external help or medical intervention.

While it may seem like a fast and easy solution, a medically managed drug addiction treatment approach is highly recommended, drug addiction treatment centers is equipped with professionally trained staff who are committed to helping addicts recover and live a life of sobriety.

If you or someone you care about needs help with their addiction, get in touch with a professional drug addiction treatment facility to help you achieve a successful recovery altogether.

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Soumava Goswami

A passionate writer and an avid reader, Soumava is academically inclined and loves writing on topics requiring deep research. Having 3+ years of experience, Soumava also loves writing blogs in other domains, including digital marketing, business, technology, travel, and sports.

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All You Need To Know About Resurrection Plant And Its Facts

Selaginella lepidophylla, or resurrect plant, is a desert plant that belongs to the Spikemoss family, Selaginellaceae. Across the desert of Mexico and the United States, you will find this plant. However, it is considered that the desert of North Africa is the native place of this plant. It is also called the False Rose of Jericho. The creeping stems of this plant grow horizontally, and the leaves are like scale. What Is A Resurrection Plant? Any poikilohydric plant that is able to survive extreme dehydration is called a resurrection plant. These plants can survive without water for several months and even for years. For example, the Rose of Jericho, which is native to the North African deserts, is an example of the resurrection plant. The scientific name of this plant is Anastatica hierochuntica. Overview Of The Resurrection Plant Common NameResurrection plant, Rose of Jericho, false Rose of Jericho, stone flower, dinosaur plantBotanical NameSelaginella lepidophyllaFamilySelaginellaceaePlant TypePerennialMature Size2-6 in. tall, 3-6 in. wideSun ExposureFullSoil TypeNone neededHardiness Zones10Native AreaNorth America Some Interesting Facts About The Resurrection Plant Here are some interesting facts about the resurrection plant that will surely amaze you. Scaly Stems These plants have scaly stems that are arranged in the form of a rosette. A few stems that the resurrection plant produces always grow close to the ground. The entire plant covers a diameter of less than only 1 foot. Just like other plants, this plant also uses its roots in order to extract nutrients and water from the ground. Resurrection plant is a primitive plant that falls between the category of ferns and mosses. You can not see any leaves on the resurrection plant. All you will find are small, scaly extensions of stems that look like junipers. Absorb Water After rainfall, the resurrection plant quickly absorbs the water and enters the phase of rapid growth. As this plant is unable to accumulate water in the roots and stems, once the soil dries out, it also dries shortly. The dry plant curls up into a tight ball with a very small amount of water that is stored in the center.Though the curled ball looks like it is dead it is only dormant. During the whole period of dormancy, the plant minimizes metabolic activities and can last a few years or till the time of the next rain. Reviving Ability Due to its reviving ability, this plant is called a resurrection plant. This plant is able to rehydrate. Once it is exposed to moisture, after a few hours, it unfolds its stem and reactivates its metabolism. After it absorbs the water, the stem starts swelling and unfolds itself. Even if the stems do not have any live protoplast within them, this will indeed happen. “Siempre Viva,” which is another name for the resurrection plant. The phrase mentioned earlier means “everlasting.” Reproduce Sexually Resurrection plants do not produce flowers, fruits, and seeds. This plant reproduces sexually. Strobili, which is a club-like structure and produced via spores. 400 million years ago, this plant appeared on the planet. Most of the ancient lycopods were giant plants. But as a result of climate change, all of them became extinct. Small lycopods like resurrection plants have managed to survive without any morphological changes till the modern days. Dinosaur Plant Another name for the resurrection plant is the “Dinosaur plant" because it has lived side by side with dinosaurs. Tea made from the resurrection plant can treat sore throat and the common cold due to its antimicrobial properties. The resurrection plant is the longest-living plant on earth. Does the Resurrection Plant Need Soil? When you will buy a resurrection plant online or from your nearest nursery on the resurrection plant for sale, you will receive a brown ball of dried moss. This brown ball of moss does have roots, but the roots are not attached to anything. So, in order to grow, this miracle plant does not need soil. Similar to a hydroponic system, when there is no water or moisture for a really long time, the plant will curl into a ball and turn brown with a diameter of around 6 to 10 inches. which generally has a height range of 15 to 35 centimeters. This plant is very convenient in terms of taking care of and growing. Can a Resurrection Plant Die? From the earlier discussion, it may be clear that this plant is really hard to kill. You can simply put the plant in the dark corner of a room without water. But once you bring it out and leave it in water, it will get relieved once again. There is one way to kill this plant. That is overwatering. You can leave this plant in water for a few days, and it will start rotting, and eventually, it will die. How to Grow the Resurrection Plant? In order to grow and to care for a resurrection plant, all you need are: A broad and shallow container that should not have any drainage hole. Another wide container that should have drainage holes. For spreading at the button, gravel or pebbles. Distilled water at room temperature. A bright but shady place. And lastly, a dried resurrection plant. Process First, fill the wide and shallow container that has no drainage system with water. Do not fill it wholly. Put in two-thirds water. Place pebbles or gravel up to the waterline. Now, put the dried resurrection plant on the pebbles. For a completely dry and brown plant, it will take around 3 to 4 hours to turn green. Now, take the wide container that has drainage holes and spread the gravel or pebbles upto the level of water. Mix peat moss. Add humus and sand and spread it on the pebbles. Now, place the resurrected plant on the top. Do not place it in direct sunlight. Instead, place it in a shady place that has a temperature of higher than 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you notice the plant is getting brown, continue to water it. Conclusion This plant is super convenient for plant lovers who can not afford much time to take care of plants. Due to its relative properties, this plant can come back to life just after receiving water. That is why this brown dry ball of moss is so popular among plant lovers. More Resources:- DIY Ways To Control Pests In Your Garden Maintain A Bright And Beautiful Garden During Winter 5 Best Vegetables You Should Try Growing In Your Garden

How to Eliminate Hassles of Outstation Travels

After the introduction of the internet, everything, including travel agency business, is going online. Since the breed is getting massive popularity, I have figured that it becomes too easy to travel outstation through roads even it is also easy to hire one. When it comes to planning outstation travel many of us are stuck on choosing the right destination, and some drop the idea due to hassles associated with outstation travel. However, what we think is not actually true, planning a road trip or outstation trip as easy as sipping tea on the bed with some amazing special 12 hours round trip packages from online based cab booking services like Ola with economical and pocket-friendly prices for every booking. There are so many benefits of Ola outstation service you had no idea about! Here we are going to discuss how it eliminates hassles of outstations travels. How to eliminate hassles of outstation travels: Let’s have a look- Choose perfect outstation destination First and foremost thing, you need to choose an ideal destination, which is quite daunting. For the seasoned traveler, it is very easy, but for a novice, it is difficult. In that case, you need a piece of expert advice who can share knowledge on the subject. The travel agencies have wealth knowledge of different destinations around the world, not only about the best locations but the ins and outs of traveling in the outstation, giving you lesser stress. The travel agencies are continually educating themselves to make their clients’ vacations and travel plans as better as they can be. A good outstation travel planner continues to expand their knowledge base through conglomerate sale meetings, ongoing changes in the travel trends, renting accommodations services, and more. In addition to that constantly reading upcoming content and staying updated with consumer trends, they create your trip memorable. Get amazing experience It is obvious that we don’t have any experience with outstations. On the other hand, travel agencies have professionals who eat, sleep and breathe like an individual in different outstations. Not only do travel agencies send thousands of travelers in a year across the globe, but they themselves also go and experience the different outstations and types of travels. With their personal experience in most of the world’s major restaurants and hotels, you will get the best services. So without comparing too many hotels, you can eliminate stay problems on an outstation trip by hiring travel agencies. Most importantly, the rented services are cost-effective and save a lot of your money. Accommodations and partnerships The travel agencies team up with accommodation services, cruise, and airlines give you great reliability to move from one place destination to another. Besides, if you plan the trip yourself, you can end up spending all your money on accommodation rents even if it is quite hassled to get one. The travel agencies work with hundreds of suppliers and accommodation services and get the best prices for certain outstations. Eliminates the hassle of DIY If you are planning everything by DIY, you have to do things by yourself. Thus, there is no one around to hear you. While the travel agencies are always there for you to hear your needs, dreams, and wants for a perfect outstation trip. So it is better to go with these agencies. They may show you even better destinations that you did not even think of. They have to take care of creating the best travel experience that is best suited for you and reduce the time you take while planning a trip. Whether you are planning an outstation trip with family or friends or individually, they do everything with great ease. Added bonuses! The travel agencies have established connections with restaurant and hotel chains and may have built-in perks that are added to your package. For instance, if you will book through these agencies, they always include free breakfast, even some of the resort credit of some kind to use the spa. Typically, you will get everything at better rates compared to a DIY trip. Moreover, if you don’t get these perks instinctively, you will save money. Another benefit is, you are able to arrange a room and demand a better room in case if you are not getting a more conventional view or the offered room is not as per your expectations. Bottom line Many outstation travel planners specialize in plenty of trips like Disney vacations, Cruises, European trips in particular destinations, overseas budget trips, and more. Yes, they charge extra money for their extraordinary service. This depends on their career and expertise. Ola outstation service has been in the business long enough, offering you the rates that are not easy to find. Think about the aspects mentioned above as they can help you remove the hassles clubbed with in-built discounts for outstation travel. So don’t overthink, leave the rest on them, and plan an outstation trip today! Featured Image Read Also: 6 Tips For Having A Perfect City Hall Weddings! Why Hiring Van is More Beneficial?

The Essential Services You Must Hire For Your Upcoming Wedding Day

Your wedding day is supposed to be the most special day in your entire life. Everyone gets stressed before their wedding because they want everything to be perfect on their special day. It’s important to plan everything months beforehand, and decide on what kind of services you want to be offered at your wedding ceremony for everything to go smoothly. Here are a few services that are essential to ensure that you have a perfect wedding. Wedding Planner: A wedding planner makes all the difference in the world when it comes to preparing for the wedding day. Maybe planning your wedding doesn’t seem hard but it is not as simple as you may think. The stress you are under trying to get everything to be perfect takes away the fun from the engagement period. If you’re a working woman juggling between your job, your home, and your social life, having a wedding to plan will barely let you catch some sleep. One of the most important things that a wedding planner will do is take the responsibility off your shoulders. In most cases, couples have an exact budget and a timeline they have to stick to. Trying to manage both of those things on your own can be hard to do. A good wedding planner will know how to manage both and deliver the wedding you wanted on a budget and on time. Even if you think you know exactly what you want for your wedding, wedding planners can always give you new ideas and suggest improvements that you may find better. You may not be aware of this until the big day, but the assistance the wedding planner offers on your wedding day will leave you much more relaxed, and allow you to focus solely on your bridal beauty. LED Video Wall: Many couples like to display a video montage in their wedding to show the timeline of their story and the highlights of their relationship. The people from Ellumiglow say that the best option to do this in big events is to use LED video walls. The quality of LED video walls is not affected by whether they are used indoors or outdoors. Adding them to your wedding will actually help your guests see everything that’s going on in the wedding from the comfort of their seats, as they can have the wedding videography live-streamed on them. Using an LED video wall for your video montage will add a personal and sentimental touch to your wedding as it will represent the love you and your partner have for one another. Photographer and Videographer: Many people think that hiring a photographer or videographer is not important, but that is totally false. Even if you can use mobile phones to take pictures, they will not be nearly as good as the pictures and videos were taken by a professional. A professional photographer will take pictures of the most important moments, moments that you wouldn't have thought you’d want to be photographed. The quality of the camera along with the professional shots and some editing will have the memories pop back to life years later. When speaking of memories, we must also shed some light on videography. Having a professional record of all the highlighted moments from the right angles at all the right times will allow you to relive the experience years later. A Caterer: Serving food is a big part of the wedding, especially the reception. You want to make sure that the food tastes, smells, and looks good which is why you need to hire a professional caterer. The caterer takes care of everything food-related, from preparing the food to presentation and serving the food. The caterer will only need a list of the foods you want to have at the wedding and the number of people they will be serving. Another essential thing that you will need a caterer for is the wedding cake. Cakes can be requested from bakeries, but having your caterer make the cake ensures that nothing can go wrong as they will be totally dedicated to fulfilling their commitment to your wedding with no other business at the time. To get in touch with a trusted caterer you can ask your wedding planner for options as they have insider connections with caterers and other event service givers. A Florist: No wedding can be complete without flowers. Flowers are used everywhere when it comes to weddings, in the entrance, the bride’s bouquet, the bridesmaids’ bouquets, the centerpieces, and maybe even a floral wall. One florist can take care of all that for you, and it is better than going around searching for flowers on your own as many florists have great and unique bridal options. If you’re looking to get in contact with a trusted florist, you can also ask your wedding planner to handle that for you. DJ and Music Bands: Another essential service you should hire for your wedding is a DJ. Weddings would be meaningless without music. Many people prefer to have bands and musicians play at their wedding, but DJs have their perks as well. Hiring a DJ ensures that you have nonstop music at your wedding as well as having all your favorite music player. It is preferred to have musicians play at the ceremony itself as most people prefer classic wedding ceremony music. If your budget allows it, you can have all three options; musicians for the ceremony, a band for first dances (and a more intimate gesture if you get your favorite band), and a DJ to have nonstop music during the rest of the reception. If you find the options puzzling, or don’t know which band, DJ, or musicians to go for, always consult with your wedding planner. All the previously mentioned services will help you have your perfect day, and you can always find options that fit your budget. 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Why It’s So Hard To Quit Drugs Cold Turkey?

Quit Cold Turkey To Get Over Addiction

What Does It Mean To Quit Cold Turkey?