Let's Talk About Cold Turkey

This video features Sonja Styblo, a social worker and healed benzo survivor serving on our Medical Advisory Board.

Sonja has a lot of on-the-ground experience campaigning around the informed consent benzo bill in Massachusetts and attending conferences on our behalf.

As such, she has encountered an issue with certain terminology being used against us in our efforts. Please have a listen to this short video and let us know your thoughts.

Why is the term "cold turkey" confusing to prescribers and outsiders?

As noted in the video, there are other issues of contention beyond just the addiction language associated with the term cold turkey. What survivors often deem to be a “cold turkey” is considered to be a "taper" by many medical professionals! It’s not uncommon for patients to be informed by their prescriber that a few day cessation is a “slow taper". Other benzodiazepine prescribed patients who have not yet attempted a discontinuation may also get confused by this nonspecific language.

What do we suggest instead?

When speaking publicly to prescribers and outsiders, give precisely the amount of time it took to come off the medication.

“My provider rapidly tapered me over a week.”
“I came off abruptly over 2 days.”

Are we language policing?

We don’t think so. We understand many may prefer to continue to use the term. We just ask to be mindful of those who may misunderstand the term, especially in spaces that may influence the public. We are all advocating for better understanding about benzodiazepine harm, including more precise communication about harm, in the best way we know how. At BIC we've observed so many in the medical field uneducated about benzodiazepines and the need for safer, slower tapers, so advocating for specific, intentional language is warranted.

We worry that calling what many in the medical field deem as a taper a “cold turkey” without qualification only serves to maintain the field’s existing belief that benzodiazepines are only harmful when discontinued abruptly. We can help doctors and the public learn with our careful choices in language.

This video has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. This video does not substitute professional medical advice, and no doctor-patient relationship is formed through the video. This video is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. This video has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. This video does not substitute professional medical advice and no doctor-patient relationship is formed through the video. This video is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

[emmanuelvacakis]

The benzodiazepine problem is far worse than the coronavirus issue. In fact the coronavirus problem doesn’t even dent the benzodiazepine problem

[NoName-puls]

Discontinuation, abrupt cessation. Happened to me n I had a seizure, doctors now scare the shit out of me!

[badsocref]

I disagree that 'cold turkey' is associated strictly with addiction (versus dependency). In my mind cold turkey simply refers to a sudden discontinuation of a med. There's no other connotation in my mind (def no negative connotation as you imply). It's a convenient term - much shorter and clearer than the long explanation that you're trying to espouse. I c/t'd - 3 syllables and totally understood. Yes, you can find published definitions that include 'addiction'. Let's get that (stigma) removed instead of inventing some new lengthy phrase that's going to add to confusion. (I'm a benzo c/t survivor, fwiw)

[karenkennedy]

Thanks! Education and awareness is so important. I am 6 year off and healed from a horrible getting off the drug, 5 years of my life .
I knew more about this drug and withdrawing than most medical professionals. I was treated as an addict! I was prescribed Xanax, got addicted in 2 weeks.

[Misfit-from-Zanti]

I went through cold turkey during COVID-19 crisis. Nobody cares, nobody knows, nobody helped me, my nobody Dr hasn't a clue. Just blows me off and treats me like I have a mental problem and won't get help. Like this is my fault.

[fishermcpack]

There’s a difference between dependency and addiction.

[sstyblo]

2 Problems with associating "cold turkey" with as-prescribed harm: (1) the mentioned addiction conflation issues AND ALSO (2) the expression is relative!!! What the harmed community describes as "cold turkey", the medical community calls guidelines. We need to make the point that the guidelines are too fast and that can only be done by being specific about cessation timelines (which "cold turkey" is not!)

[benrogers]

18 months ago I stopped 2 benzos (30mg Diazepam + 1mg Clonazepam) and 7.5mg Zopiclone plus 80mg liquid Methadone cold turkey.
Ive been through brutal wd symptoms and suffered one seizure about 2 weeks after stopping the drugs.
I slept for just 30 minutes each night for 3 months, heart palpitations, delusions, anxiety, shaking, restlessness, sweating, racing uncontrollable third-person thoughts, psychotic symptoms, depersonlisation....the list of WD symptoms goes on and so does the WD it seems.
Even now at 18 months off, i suffer bad anxiety and have trouble sleeping, and have heart palpitations. (Prescribed beta blocker) plus promethazine for insomnia.
I know just how bad it is coming off benzos, almost unimaginable to people who havent experienced it, might think we exacerate the WD but its no exaggeration....just factual information- benzos are the devil.
Was on benzos plus z drugs over 18 years and methadone 6.

[PowersBenzoCoaching]

I’m not a fan of this advice. Firstly, I’m not going to use “as prescribed harm” because it’s confusing and seems to imply that one was prescribed harm. We have a term already that works just fine and that’s “dependence”. There’s a difference between “dependence” and “addiction”. That’s the distinction that needs to be made.

Secondly, the term “cold Turkey” also works fine to suggest a person that was taken off their medication all at once. I don’t agree that this term is shrouded in drug addiction connotation and is confusing or harmful or negatively reinforcing.

Finally, I personally am working to have prescription taper protocols changed and I do not agree with the medically appropriate taper rates. Therefore, I think using terminology such as “I was rapidly or quickly tapered” (insinuating I was tapered within weeks or a couple of months) is perfectly fine. I work with many clients and they always qualify this comment by elaborating. They may say, “my doctor did a quick taper. I was on benzos for several years and my doctor tapered me in four weeks.” Which absolutely is a quick taper.

I think the language is fine and I would rather not see language correcting or policing.

[Walsh]

Dependence and addiction are 2 different things and your on board lady you need to exit ASAP —— the brain or system in our body is dependent on a pill to function - and it works and helps until it DONT NO MORE — we did not give consent to harm us - get it right ✅✅✅✅✅

[MsCarnivore]

So what language do you suggest we use if our doctors did this to us? My doctor literally took me off 6mg Ativan cold turkey and I almost died. My doctor was the one who did not follow tapering guidelines and I ended up having seizures and in the ER with a near death experience.

[sharon]

I think its important to realize that benzos are not a cure for but a aid in managing severe anxiety. So when the drug is discontinued, at least with me I not only had the original problem and symptoms but also the withdrawal. Two years after withdrawal I was still doing badly. Not really leaving my house i had to be reinstated on a small amount and got help in practicing coping skills. Very important to get support in the aftermath!

[lorig]

The poison med's, have to be tapered, very slowly over a long period of time! Without the Dr 's, pushing people to taper, faster than their brain can handle! That's a huge problem! Our brains are the slowest thing to heal on us! Thank you for this vid! Appreciate you!

[ottam]

You're simply walking on the euphemism treadmill (as Steven Pinker calls it). While I agree there is a difference between "addiction" and "dependence", the word "cold turkey" is part of the lexicon surrounding any and all forms of both dependence and addiction.

Trying to wipe it from the lexicon will absolutely not end the negative views of dependence. It serves a linguistic purpose and won't be eliminated by fiat. In fact, I think it's "problematic" (to quote the worst offenders of language police this century) to start down this path. It's not directly addressing the problem and, most likely, will cause people to hate a group that has bigger problems.

In short, you want language to dictate perception, but language will always be downstream from perception. Ask "negro*s" and "the r*tarded". Both were the very most compassionate terms in their day, yet unacceptable now. If you can answer why those words are no longer used, you'll know why trying to eliminate "cold turkey" won't work.

[THXx]

Fail. "Cold Turkey" is fully understood by all who are harmed by these drugs. There is no reason to mess with the language. Move on to more pressing issues - LIKE BANNING

[adamcochran]

So what about the people that have no problem getting there benzo from dr. But the benzo has stopped working? How can one taper like this in this condition. I need help.

[rachelkinney]

What would the replacement term be then if people stop saying cold turkey?

[timetraveler]

damn i dont care about the etiquette of what the fuck. i am DYING. and thats litteral not figurative.

[SunnyinFlorida]

In some countries a dr can not stop a pt ct or drop them as a pt.

[_blew_a_fuse_]

All I know is I almost died I never went anywhere cuz I knew there was nothing you could do so for 2 years straight I I tried to live my life the best of my ability w pins and needles all over my body shaking 24/7 psychosis seeing triple I now am 2.6 yrs since last exposure and I fear I may have brain damage too complex for anyone to understand but I know it truly is that so I pray someday I finally see this over until then I keep the fight questioning my sanity on a daily basis