Meaning: To suddenly, totally stop a bad habit, usually referring to an addiction.

Examples:

I quit smoking cold turkey ten years ago and I haven’t had a cigarette since.

Some say the best way to quit drinking alcohol is cold turkey, but some say you need to drink less and less or else you’ll get very sick.

That’s it! No more Facebook! I’m quitting cold turkey!

Pop Quiz:

Which is a good example of quitting cold turkey?

A.  To decide to maybe quit drinking beer sometime in the future.

B.  To drink fewer and fewer cans of beer a week until you reach zero.

C.  To totally stop drinking beer right now.

To see the correct answer, click on “Continue reading”:

The correct answer is C. Quitting cold turkey means totally quitting right away. So if you have any bad habits (and I know you do), quit cold turkey – right now, this very second!