Smart Turkey
Ready to begin? Will this be smart turkey? In other words, are you keen and wise to core cold turkey recovery insights?
Have you accepted that you're dealing with real drug addiction in every sense, involving the need to reclaim the same brain dopamine pathways as the recovering alcoholic or heroin addict (Chapter 1)?
Have you mastered recovery's sole determining principle, the Law of Addiction (Chapter 2)?
Have you discarded the two most destructive relapse rationalizations: falling for the tease of "just one" or "just once" and the dependency engrained mirage that nicotine relieves stress when dependency actually inflames it (Chapter 4)?
Have you reviewed other common hazards and pitfalls such as early alcohol use, avoidable blood sugar swings, an awareness that your blood caffeine level is about to double, and how extra food can become a replacement crutch (Chapter 6)? If so, you're ready!
Still apprehensive? Relax, it's totally understandable.
The following cold turkey tips are a summary of key recovery insights. After each tip is a reference to the chapter where you'll find a more in-depth review.
Summary of Basic Recovery Tips
1. Law of Addiction - "Administration of a drug to an addict will cause re-establishment of chemical dependence upon the addictive substance."
Nicotine addiction is "real" drug addiction. It's every bit as real and permanent as alcoholism. The brain dopamine pathway wanting that's felt for nicotine is no different than the wanting felt by other drug addicts for their drug.
The same dopamine pathways that make thoughts of ending food use unthinkable have been taken hostage by nicotine. It's their job to make activities that activate this circuitry nearly impossible in the short term to forget or ignore.
It's why withdrawal and recovery are necessary. It's the time needed to get clean and move beyond this brain circuitry's influence. It's why there is no such thing as just one, or just once. Remember, without food we die, without nicotine we thrive. (Chapter 1 and Chapter 2)
2. Measure Victory One Day at a Time - Forget about stopping "forever." It's the biggest psychological bite imaginable. Instead, adopt a do-able "one day at a time" recovery philosophy, or one challenge or hour at a time if needed. (Chapter 5)
3. Record and Carry Your Motivations - Panic is a possibility if suddenly challenged. Rational thinking is suddenly abandoned as the body's fight or flight response is activated. Your primitive impulsive mind suddenly in control, it can feel like time has slowed to near standstill. Instantly, you've forgotten the reasons that motivated you to want to take back control of your mind and life.
But wait. Just as the situation is feeling hopeless, you recall that you'd made a list of your reasons and that you have that list with you. You pull it out, begin reading it, and before finished the challenge peaks in intensity and begins to subside. Victory is once again yours! (Chapter 5) (Appendix: Recovery Form)
4. Don't Skip Meals - While still using, you may have thought you were skipping meals but you weren't. Each puff of nicotine acted as a spoon pumping stored fats and sugars into your bloodstream. Why cause low blood sugar to add hunger cravings atop nicotine cravings?
While learning to properly fuel your body again, strive to eat smaller portions of healthy food more frequently, 3-5 times daily. (Chapter 6)
5. Three Days of Natural Juices - If your health and diet allow it, consider drinking extra acidic fruit juice for the first three days. Cranberry is excellent. It will both help stabilize your blood sugar level and accelerate nicotine's elimination. (Chapter 6)
6. Stopping for Others - We cannot quit for others. It must be our gift to us. Trying to quit for others creates a natural sense of self-deprivation that's a recipe for relapse. (Chapter 5)
7. Attitude - Strive to embrace your healing, not fight it. Accept the fact that noticing and feeling your healing for a few weeks or months is good and wonderful.
8. Get Rid of All Nicotine - Reflect upon the insanity of an alcoholic in withdrawal keeping a bottle handy. Keeping a stash is begging for relapse. Totally destroy all nicotine products. (Chapter 5)
9. Caffeine/Nicotine Interaction - Nicotine doubles the rate by which the body depletes caffeine. Consider reducing caffeine intake if troubled by anxiety or sleep issues. (Chapter 6)
10. Aggressively Extinguish Nicotine Use-Cues - Most cues are extinguished by a single encounter during which the subconscious fails to receive the expected result: nicotine.
11. Crave Coping Techniques - Try distraction, slow breathing, visualization, or mental exercises such as alphabet associations.
12. Early Alcohol Use - Alcohol is associated with roughly half of all relapses. Be extremely careful with early alcohol use. (Chapter 6)
13. Avoid Crutches - A crutch is any reliance that becomes necessary for staying nicotine-free. Avoid letting recovery depend on them. (Chapter 6)
14. Extra Fruit & Veggies - Healthy snacks reduce weight gain risk and may improve cessation success.
15. No Legitimate Excuse for Relapse - Recognize that nicotine will not solve any crisis.
16. Reward Yourself - Spend saved money on yourself. You've earned it. (Chapter 5)
17. Just One Rule - There is only one recovery rule which guarantees success: no nicotine today! (Chapter 2)
Now, all the smart turkey needs is commitment.