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Show Of Hands November 28th, 2012 12:00am

Better way to stop a bad habit: gradually reduce it or quit cold-turkey?

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wetheslaves Live each moment fully
12/02/12 1:59 pm

Christine, thanks for thinking about your child and actually stopping. Now you need to value yourself and take care.

iBakes California
12/02/12 8:34 am

Gradual is always better because you're training your body to go without. Cold turkey sets you up for a much higher chance of starting again.

sighcy Eugene, OR
12/02/12 3:08 am

Sudden: 60% of the time it works every time

Happy Hong Kong
12/02/12 1:05 am

I quit smoking cold turkey. I was on a pack a day, then I just got bored with it and stopped.

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EnginE3r Texas
12/01/12 9:11 am

As long as it is not an addiction that your body has become dependent on like alcohol or cigarettes, the sudden stop is the best.

ishady 86451132020
11/30/12 6:59 pm


It's called a like button people. Lets get to it. C'mon you know you want to. First 10 likes get a prize.

Rio76 Wild West
11/29/12 11:14 pm

That's wonderful, happylife. I hope he is doing well.

ishady 86451132020
11/29/12 3:04 pm

Best way-nicorette gum. Worked for me. 6 years and no cigarette.

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PeppyHare Do a barrel roll
11/29/12 11:43 am

Cold turkey is hard but gradual doesn't work. With gradual it's hard to limit yourself and you feel guilty anytime you do it so you can't even enjoy it.

EarlyBird Portland
11/29/12 8:17 am

That must have been tough. I agree with you that coffee may be one of the few where weaning would be better.

happylife
11/29/12 5:48 am

My dad was a severe alcoholic for many decades. When I was 18, his dr told him quit drinking or die very soon (he was 63 @ the time). We assumed dad was going to die w/ that choice but he just said I guess I'll stop drinking. Sober for 18 yrs this April Fools Day!

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pinkyusuck The Carribean. I wish.
11/29/12 5:33 am

Cold-turkey is better I think. But not many have the willpower to do it.

116
11/29/12 3:48 am

I went from coffee every day to no caffeine at all the next. I felt like absolute s**t for two weeks. Gradual reduction could have probably prevented that.

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2katz I live in Nebraska
11/29/12 1:30 am

If it involves severe withdrawal symptoms gradual is better. The whole process is gradual anyway. You might stop the substance or behavior quickly but relearning alternate coping behaviors takes time. Sometimes months and years.

Sakura-chan Reading and Writing.
11/28/12 11:13 pm

*Sees my favorite Asian junk food, Pocky*

SCREW THE DIET IM EATIN' IT ALL

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Sakura-chan Reading and Writing.
11/28/12 11:11 pm

Cold Turkey. . . Thanksgiving reference or coincidence? If not a coincidence, pretty clever Tony!

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chile safer than congress
11/28/12 10:59 pm

How do you wean yourself from posting on ...

galen83
11/28/12 10:29 pm

If you are dealing with an alcoholic or drug addict that is a good way if you are looking to kill them. Complete abstinence with a medical detox if necessary.

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galen83
11/28/12 10:22 pm

@shovel, obviously haven't done heroin!

JDoe Its a gift
11/28/12 9:55 pm

Big difference between a habit and an addiction.

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RayX quit
11/28/12 9:22 pm

I gave up Twinkie's overnight.

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elusive Sactown
11/28/12 7:52 pm

Severe alcoholism can result in death if the addict isn't weaned. Same with some other drugs.

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kdaddy Cape Cod
11/28/12 7:08 pm

I once tried quitting cigarettes warm turkey...f&$@ing catastrophe!

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JesusH
11/28/12 6:32 pm

my quit plan is I'll lose one lung, then I'll lose the other...and that's it

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kdaddy Cape Cod
11/28/12 6:03 pm

Is adding comments to SoH polls suddenly a bad habit!?!

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EarlyBird Portland
11/28/12 5:45 pm

In all honesty, I need to learn an easy way to start good habits. :-)

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thelowend imitation is flattery
11/28/12 5:38 pm

easy to say if you're not a smoker. my wife works in the substance abuse/addiction field and she would rather work with a heroin addict than a cigarette smoker.

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timeout Boston Strong
11/28/12 5:32 pm

The only bad habit I had was smoking. After trying to taper down gradually I just stop one day, cold turkey. It's tough but 20 years latter still off the butts.

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babyboomer1 The flatulance express
11/28/12 5:22 pm

All habits are part of the lifestyle. Changes in lifestyle should be accomplished gradually unless life threatening. Cold Turkey leads to obsessive desire.

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catey Pennsylvania
11/28/12 4:28 pm

Overeating: "Today I will eat healthy."
An hour later: " Krispy Kremes? Screw it."

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wetheslaves Live each moment fully
11/28/12 4:28 pm

Sometimes the habit is not the real issue.

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producto
11/28/12 4:21 pm

Any habit that I have broken successfully was cold turkey. For me, gradual is too enticing to resume previous behavior. But like some others have commented, it depends on the habit and the person.

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praetorianus65
11/28/12 4:09 pm

A habit should be quit cold Turkey but an addiction sometimes gradually to cushion severe withdrawal. Quitting a street drug is way different from quitting jaywalking.

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Bulleiver Earth
11/28/12 3:43 pm

Sauce! Wtf spellcheck!! I'm walking away from my phone for a minute!

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Bulleiver Earth
11/28/12 3:42 pm

I dot know bout u guys but I like my Tabasco sausage! Lol

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Bulleiver Earth
11/28/12 3:41 pm

Exactly. Alcohol as well as many other addiction withdrawals can kill you. Tabasco is one of the hardest, but I was able to quit cold turkey about 10 years ago. I still get cravings almost everyday, and I had only 1/2pack a day for about 8 yrs. I know people can have it a lot worse, but u won't die

steelcity Pittsburgh
11/28/12 3:34 pm

Depends on the habit and the person.

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luluforever06
11/28/12 3:21 pm

It doesn't matter what u quit u should just get it out of your life


11/28/12 2:52 pm

I quit biting my nails one finger at a time

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snuffulufugus Missouri
11/28/12 2:47 pm

Well depends on the habit. Some there aren't steps

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snuzzy
11/28/12 2:35 pm

For me it has to be all at once. Every bad habit that I have kicked has been cold turkey including stopping smoking.

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CSGraham
11/28/12 2:24 pm

If the determination is there, either should work. If its not, either will fail miserably. Like a fat person declaring they are going on a diet, starting on January 1st. If you really wanted to lose the weight, you'd start today.

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thehopedivision Atlanta
11/28/12 2:16 pm

This really is subjective. Different strokes for different folks.

Hope Minneapolis
11/28/12 2:03 pm

Anything I ever quit, I quit cold turkey. It's too easy to quit the gradualness when you're quitting anything gradually :) Mind you, I don't have an addictive personality so I've never really been addicted to anything illegal or life-threatening per say & all of my addictions are fairly short-lived

Wes28 CBus
11/28/12 1:51 pm

Good for you!

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