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

Published on: 13 April 2021 Last Updated on: 26 December 2025

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.

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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5 Little-Known Founder Habits To Advance Your Career & Personal Life

Inspirational quotes are, well, inspirational. But they usually don’t offer any great insights into the minds of the people they’re attributed to. When they’re properly attributed at all. More often than not, quotes are apocryphal, which means they’re attributed to someone famous who didn’t actually say them (or, at least, wasn’t the first). So let’s dispense with the inspirational quotes and go deeper. Let’s try our best to understand what actually makes successful people successful. Specifically, people who’ve founded and scaled successful businesses. These Five Little-Known Founder Habits Are The Perfect Place To Begin There are multiple five little-known founder habits that will be going to be perfect to begin a successful roadmap. Below I am going to discuss the five little-known habits that are a perfect place to begin. 1. Staying Humble, No Matter How Far You Get Many entrepreneurs have humble origin stories. Throw an iPhone in Silicon Valley and you’ll probably hit someone who works for a company started in some guy’s garage. What sets truly humble entrepreneurs apart from everyone else is what they do after hitting the big time. Founders like Steve Streit, who famously launched fintech pioneer Green Dot from his home, managed to stay down to earth after his company became a market leader. Truly humble founders also tend to know when to step back. Streit now lets others run Green Dot and devotes his time to philanthropy and early-stage investing. Many others, from Bill Gates to Craig Newmark, followed similar paths. 2. Never Being Afraid to Ask Questions There’s a fine line between projecting competence and being overconfident. The first is a good thing, on balance, for founders. The second is not. What does this have to do with not being afraid to ask questions? Well, competent people are more than happy to ask questions they don’t know the answer to. That’s how they learn. Overconfident people are scared of looking like they don’t know something, imagining it to be a sign of weakness. But the opposite is true — being so scared as to be unwilling to learn is a sign of weakness, and likely to hold you back from the success you might otherwise deserve. 3. Being Good at “Two Things” (Instead of One) “Cross-disciplinary” capabilities are in high demand among founders (and their backers) these days. What this means is that investors and other stakeholders prefer leaders who are neither “a mile wide and an inch deep” nor “an inch wide and a mile deep.” People who can do at least two things very well — say, systems engineering and public communication, or marketing and supply chain management — tend to be better placed to lead growing teams. 4. Cutting Out the Business Jargon A word of advice: Don’t use terms like “cross-disciplinary.” Instead, say “being good at two things at once.” Sure, it’s more of a mouthful, but everyone understands what you’re talking about, and you don’t sound like a know-it-all. Even if your down-to-earth style turns off industry insiders, it’ll endear you to the broader market. 6. Building a Team That Reflects Your Audience Warren Buffett famously hires for “integrity first.” But integrity alone won’t get your team over the hump. Nor will competence alone, though it certainly helps. The most resilient teams have a broad range of skills, perspectives, and influences, so much so that they can be said to accurately reflect the composition of their addressable markets. In a word, they’re as diverse — or nearly as diverse — as the broader public. Anyone who tells you “diversity” is a dirty word is selling something you don’t want to buy, or perhaps doesn’t understand the true meaning of “diversity.” What’s Your Hidden Superpower? Self-promotional founders might exaggerate a bit and call these six little-discussed habits “superpowers.” If they make the difference between success and failure, well, that’s a reasonable position to take. Let’s turn the conversation back to you. Thinking about your own strengths and weaknesses, your own routines and work habits, does anything you do (or feel you’re capable of) rise to the level of “superpower”? Probably so. The bigger challenge, once you’ve identified your own superpower, is to figure out how it translates to success in life and business. You’ve got the goods; now it’s time to use them. What Are The 10 Habits Of Successful People? Did you know that some successful people want to be involved in cultivating certain habits? Below, I will discuss the ten habits of successful people that will help you become successful. 1. Organization One of the most significant habits of successful people is organization. In this case, organization includes planning and setting priorities along with goals. After researching the fact, it has been seen that Addicted2Success.com’s founder, Joel Brown, says that he always used to follow his self-made to-do list. This helps him to become a successful person. 2. Taking Action Did you know that success comes from taking Action? Ultimately, taking Action is one of the most significant habits of almost every successful person. It means a person who dreams of achieving success and goals always has calculated plans. In this case, they also consistently implement their calculated plans. After that, they can see the future’s bright and prosperous light, which usually fills with joyful motivation and omnipotence. 3. Relaxation When this is about relaxation, then it means not just taking naps. But this points to meditating for long hours by closing your eyes. This helps you to become successful in an easier manner. After all, meditation is a big medicine to get your life back; even this can turn your messy thoughts into something streamlined. This will help you think properly, make plans, and move ahead to move right. 4. Personal Care If you have plans to be passionate about any significant domain, then it will not happen. In this case, always remember that taking care of yourself and keeping yourself clean is also part of achieving success. It is a fact that almost every successful person somehow takes care of their health. This can be done in any way, such as exercising regularly, practicing self-care, eating healthy foods, maintaining a good routine, etc. 5. Positive Attitude What do you mean by positive habits? Well, this could be anything, right!! In this case, by becoming humble, expressing properly, talking with others politely, and so on. You always have to showcase your positive habits in your workplace. In this way, you can become successful. Not only that, but this is the easiest way to get courage. 6. Networking Building a network would be an essential part of life. Some successful people always want to add value in exchanging their lives. Networking is mainly known as the value of teamwork and collaboration. 7. Frugality Frugality is one of the most essential habits for being thrifty. This can happen with anything, such as resources and money. This is another habit that will help you learn economics by avoiding multiple wastages. This would automatically give results in this type of efficiency. 8. Rising Early Did you know that you won’t be able to succeed without rising early? In this case, a late-morning person can’t get that success compared to an early-rising person. This habit will repeatedly help you to achieve success. This is one of the most remarkable and notable successes among other habits. 9. Sharing Sharing is another way to become a successful person. Successful people will always have the habit of believing in their success and passions. This would help them to accumulate wealth, especially for themselves. 10. Reading Books will help you to enhance your knowledge. After all, knowledge transfer and garnering knowledge are also notable habits of a successful person. In Conclusion I have discussed 5 Little-Known Founder Habits to Advance Your Career & Personal Life and ten Habits of a Successful Person. Building a good habit is a practice of becoming rich. This old proverb, “failure is the pillar of success,” means you must face failure to reach a thriving destination. Otherwise, it won’t be possible to become a successful person. I hope you liked this article! Learn More About: The 7 Habits of People Who Live Debt-Free Lives Books & Self Development – How Words Can Help Motivate Yourself The Lifeline Of Hope: Exploring The Power Of Life Supports Counseling

Holi Powder: How To Make Natural Eco-Friendly Holi Powder At Your Home – Step By Step Guide

The festival of Holi signifies the end of winter and the arrival of beautiful spring. The natural colors of Holi fill everyone’s life with joy and happiness. However, this does not mean that you will start flooding the market and your home with inexpensive synthetic colors. The best way to spend Holi this year is by making your own Holi powder that not only prevents many health hazards but also will keep your environment neat and clean. Color is regarded as the synonym of Holi and these colors are very easy to make at home. According to the dermatologist, some synthetic Holi colors contain ingredients that can be harmful to your skin. This can cause several allergies because they are made up of chemical-based colors and are toxic to the environment. This is one of the disadvantages of artificial Holi color nowadays. This is the reason why you should choose natural eco-friendly Holi. Disadvantages Of Artificial Holi Color According to beauty experts, artificial Holi colors can affect your eyes, lungs, and skin. If your skin is very sensitive and suffering from certain skin allergies then you must never use artificial Holi color. The common issues of artificial Holi color are as follow: The chemicals can cause serious injury to your skin. Chemical colors when applied to the hair can cause loss of hair (alopecia). Irritation of eyes Overall fatigue and weakness Dehydration Skin rashes Dry scalp and hair damage. How To Make Natural Eco-Friendly Holi Powder At Your Home – Step By Step Guide The excitement of Holi is more among children and teenagers. So, it can be useful for you if you make natural colors at your home beforehand. You must always opt for natural eco-friendly colors to protect your skin and prevent your surroundings from becoming toxic. Now, let’s start to make our natural eco-friendly Holi powder to celebrate this Holi. 1. Brown Color Holi is the time for family bonding, and this can be the best time to spend your precious moments with them. If you are willing to make some dark colors with natural ingredients, then Brown can be your suitable choice. Brown is a natural color that evokes a sense of strength and loyalty. Moreover, it affects your mind and body by creating feelings of peace, confidence, and wholesomeness. To make the brown color, you need the basic ingredients: 1 part of henna powder Four parts of amla powder Instructions: Mix 1 part of henna powder with four parts of amla powder thoroughly. You can also dissolve them in water if you want wet Holi powder. Soon you will get a brown color powder with which you can play Holi with your friends and family. 2. Purple Color There is a long history of Holi that very few people know. Nevertheless, people all over the world celebrate Holi with great enthusiasm and happiness. The purple color of Holi symbolizes pride, creativity, independence, and royalty. Actually, it is the color of mystery. Now, let’s start making the purple color Holi recipe to celebrate this colorful festival. For the purple color, you need: 1 to 2 kg of Beetroot Instructions: Cut 1 to 2 kg of Beetroot and boil it in a cooker. After a few minutes of five to six whistles, remove the water from the pressure cooker as soon as it cools down. To dilute the same, you must use fresh water, or you can also preserve it in the fridge. 3. Blue Color The blue color symbolizes stability, wisdom, and inspiration. Simultaneously, it represents both seas and sky, and this signifies freedom, imagination, determination, and bravery. It is believed that Lord Krishna is blue-colored as they fought against evil. Color is also a highly used color during the Holi festival. To know the blue color Holi powder recipe, you need: Dried flowers of Neeli Gulmohar Instructions: The Gulmohar plant yields beautiful reddish-orange or blue color flowers. These are very attractive and long-lasting violet-colored flowers. You can take these flowers and dry them in the sun. When the flowers are completely dried, you can convert them into powdery form. 4. Yellow Color Yellow is the color of sunshine, hope, and happiness. Moreover, this color stands for positivity, freshness, happiness, enlightenment, royalty, joy, etc. This yellow color is also one of the most popular Holi color powders, and you can make this natural eco-friendly Holi powder at your own home. To make yellow color powder for Holi, you need: Good quality turmeric powder Besan flour Instructions: The recipe of this Holi powder is the easiest of all. To make this, you need four parts of besan flour and two parts of turmeric powder. Your dry yellow color powder is ready! 5. Green Color The green color signifies nature and the natural world. Our environment is also green, and you should maintain this by using eco-friendly green Holi powder. The green color also represents forgiveness, unconditional love, compassion, etc. It gives healing energy to the heart. To make this color, you need: Heena powder Flour Instructions: Take a pure henna powder, which is free from artificial ingredients. Then, you can mix it with flour to get a green color powder with which you can play Holi. Closing Thoughts Holi is one of the most popular festivals for Hindus, and later it becomes popular among non-Hindu communities as well. It signifies the victory of good over evil and is celebrated as a day of spreading love and happiness. To make this festival more memorable, you can make homemade natural Holi powder and save yourself as well as your environment from pollution. More Resources:- 8 Effective Natural Stain Remover. A Brief Guide On Applications of Spray Dryers. All You Need To Know About Resurrection Plant and its Facts.

Concealed Carry Gear Is Critically Important

If you recently obtained your Michigan CPL license, congratulations. You have made a smart and responsible move to help ensure you have the ability to protect yourself, your family, and your friends when facing an imminent threat of great bodily harm. Now that you have your permit, you might wonder what to do next. Properly and legally carrying a concealed firearm requires more than having a pistol and a permit. You also need the right gear. Let’s take a closer look at the concealed carry gear you should obtain to legally carry concealed firearms all year long. Concealment Holster To Secure Your Firearm You should never tuck a pistol in your pants and count on the belt to keep it in place. You certainly do not want to carry a handgun in your pocket, because that could lead to an accidental discharge that lands you in the hospital and could trigger criminal charges. Instead, you need to obtain a dedicated concealment holster that enables you to carry your firearm securely and without tipping off others to its presence. For example, a Glock 19 concealment holster should enable you to carry while securing the firearm comfortably. The holster might fit inside the waistband of your pants and have a hook and a belt loop to keep it in place. It also might fit outside the waistband, but you would need loose clothing to cover it – or do open carry where it is legal. You also might try a shoulder holster that fits comfortably beneath a loose-fitting jacket or shirt, and a belly band holster could keep your firearms on your hip. A pocket or ankle holster could be useful for carrying a backup firearm, such as a snub-nose .38 or Ruger LCP. You might also use one type of holster during the hotter summer months and another during the colder winter weather. Read Also: What Are The Top Reasons For Hiring A Criminal Defense Attorney Clothing Is Important For Concealed Carry Your clothing greatly affects your ability to carry a concealed firearm competently. It also makes a big difference in whether or not you are legally carrying concealed. Clothing that fits too tightly could make drawing and using your firearm impossible in an emergency. That consequence might be deadly. You also need to wear concealed carry clothing that does not cause imprinting that clearly shows you have a firearm on your person. Loose-fitting jackets and shirts are ideal for carrying a concealed firearm. They give you a natural look without revealing the location of your concealed weapon. A normal-looking outfit that fits well while concealing your firearm is the perfect choice for carrying a concealed firearm. Additional: Criminal Law Enforcement Important Questions To Ask Before Hiring A Criminal Lawyer What Happens At A Preliminary Hearing Of A Criminal Case In Knoxville?

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?