Cold turkey

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For other uses, see Cold turkey (disambiguation).

"Cold turkey" is a slang expression describing the actions of a person who gives up a habit or addiction all at once. That is, rather than gradually easing the process through reduction or by using replacement medication. Its supposed advantage is that by not actively using supplemental methods, the person avoids thinking about the habit and its temptation, and avoids further feeding the chemical addiction.

The etymology derives from the phrase talk turkey, in which someone deals matter-of-factly with a subject^[1]. Some, however, believe the derivation is from the comparison of a cold turkey carcass and the state of a withdrawing addict — most notably, the cold sweats and goose bumps. It is often preceded by the verb "to go," as in "going cold turkey."

Sudden withdrawal from drugs such as benzodiazepines and barbiturates can be extremely dangerous, leading to potentially fatal seizures. In long-time alcoholics, going cold turkey can cause life-threatening delirium tremens and thus is not an appropriate method for breaking an alcohol addiction.

In the case of most other drugs and habits, going cold turkey may be unpleasant, but not life-threateningly dangerous. Terminating prescribed medication, however, may be dangerous.

Use in popular culture

In the 1975 film, French Connection II, Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) is kidnapped by the antagonist Alain Charnier and repeatedly injected with heroin. Once freed, the addicted Doyle quits cold turkey and, in a haunting sequence, goes through heroin withdrawal symptoms that include muscle cramps, chills, tremors and profuse sweating.
John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band made the term famous with the song "Cold Turkey".
The 1971 film Cold Turkey is a comedy about a small town that tries to give up smoking for thirty days in order to win a large cash prize.
Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day used the line 'Cold turkey's getting stale, tonight I'm eating crow', in the song Hitchin' a Ride.
J. Rawls of The Lone Catalysts included the song Cold Turkey on his album The essence of J. Rawls in 2001
Lodger uses the line 'sweating cold turkey in a funny hat', in the song Doorsteps.