Cold Turkey
“Cold Turkey” means you abruptly stop smoking, chewing or vaping and remain tobacco-free and nicotine-free. Cold turkey, however, does not mean quitting as soon as you first think about it. Cold Turkey means that you set a quit date, preferably several weeks in advance, and stop completely on that date. For example, if a person smokes one pack of cigarettes or dips ten times today, if they quit Cold Turkey, they won’t smoke any cigarettes or take any dips tomorrow or any the day after, and so on.
Pros and Cons: The Cold Turkey method doesn’t require you to keep track of how much tobacco or nicotine you’re using like the tapering methods require. This method will also get you through the withdrawal period more quickly; however, the withdrawal may be stronger. And the thought of suddenly going without nicotine may be too daunting for some nicotine users. This method is considered to be the most effective quitting technique, but other methods can be successful.
Combination of Approaches
In this method, participants try a combination of methods including Cold Turkey, Tapering, Postponing Time, and Postponing Location, until they find one that works (i.e., use tapering until nicotine use is low enough to go cold turkey).
PROS AND CONS: A combination of approaches allows the participant to find the method that works best for him/her. However, a lack of commitment may limit success.