Going Cold Turkey
Source: Drug addiction (substance use disorder) - Mayo Clinic (adapted)
"The risk of addiction and how fast you become addicted varies by drug. Some drugs, such as opioid painkillers, have a higher risk and cause addiction more quickly than others.
As time passes, you may need larger doses of the drug to get high. Soon you may need the drug just to feel good. As your drug use increases, you may find that it's increasingly difficult to go without the drug. Attempts to stop drug use may cause intense cravings and make you feel physically ill. These are called withdrawal symptoms.
In informal English, when someone decides to quit something suddenly (a bad habit or drug dependency), instead of tapering it off, we say the person is going (or quitting) cold turkey.
Going "cold turkey" means abruptly and completely stopping a habit or addiction, such as smoking, drinking, or using social media, instead of quitting gradually.
The phrase dates back to the early 1900s. It is believed to refer to the cold, clammy skin and goosebumps experienced during sudden withdrawal from an addictive drug, which resemble the skin of a plucked turkey."
Using "cold turkey" in context
Cold turkey means stopping a habit or addiction abruptly and completely, without gradually reducing it.
Drug addiction
After ten years of smoking, he decided to quit cold turkey.
She went cold turkey and stopped taking the pills overnight.
Doctors usually don't recommend quitting certain drugs cold turkey because withdrawal symptoms can be severe.
Smoking
My grandfather quit cigarettes cold turkey when he turned fifty.
I tried nicotine patches, but my brother quit cold turkey.
Alcohol
He stopped drinking cold turkey after his health scare.
Quitting alcohol cold turkey can be dangerous for heavy drinkers.
Coffee and caffeine
I went cold turkey on coffee and had headaches for three days.
Instead of quitting caffeine cold turkey, I gradually cut back.
Technology and social media
She deleted all her social media accounts and went cold turkey.
Sometimes the best way to break a scrolling habit is to quit cold turkey.
Diet and sugar
He gave up sugar cold turkey after his doctor warned him about diabetes.
Going cold turkey on sweets was harder than he expected.
Common Patterns
1. Go cold turkey
I went cold turkey on cigarettes.
She went cold turkey after years of gambling.
2. Quit something cold turkey
He quit smoking cold turkey.
They quit social media cold turkey.
3. Stop something cold turkey
She stopped drinking soda cold turkey.
He stopped playing video games cold turkey.
4. Do something cold turkey
You don't have to do it cold turkey; you can reduce it gradually.
I did it cold turkey, and it worked for me.
Contrast
Cold turkey: stop completely and immediately.
Gradually: reduce little by little.
He quit smoking cold turkey.
= He stopped smoking completely from one day to the next.
He gradually cut back on smoking.
= He smoked fewer and fewer cigarettes until he quit.
A useful expression often heard in American English is:
"I tried cutting back, but in the end I had to quit cold turkey."
