Ask the Addict: How Long Does it Take to go Cold Turkey?

Posted by Kevin C. on Saturday, January 14, 2012 · 2 Comments 

We received this note from Joe G.

I recently decided that I was going to quit my 4-year Chapstick addiction once and for all, cold turkey. I hadn’t done much research on lip balm addiction, the only thing I knew was that it was a real thing, but I hadn’t seen your website until today. I’m currently in the 48th hour of no Chapstick, and the blood has started to flow out of my lips, but I’m still going strong.

My question is… how long should a cold turkey recovery take? Because while this website is certainly helping, I don’t know how much more I can take of this. If it’s a couple more days, fine. But if it’s any longer than that I might have to consider switching over to weening.

Great site by the way, informative, interesting, and humorous all at once!

Thanks Joe. We’re not sure what you’re talking about with the humor, but we’re always happy to hear from someone who is trying to kick the habit and get their life finally under control.

Cold turkey is a strange thing. There’s no set formula for how long the “withdrawal” of not having Chap Stick will last. But 48 hrs seems like well under what you should expect. I think 4-5 days or maybe up to a week would be most typical. But, seeing how your lips are bleeding, I would say that visiting a doctor might be wise.

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Comments

2 Responses to “Ask the Addict: How Long Does it Take to go Cold Turkey?”
  1. Tiffany (RSVA) says:
    February 10, 2012 at 10:52 am

    It´s been 2 days since I stopped using my chapstick. I haven´t had cold turkey (I´ve been using chapstick just for 2 months 24/7), so I can´t say I´m really addicted. Actually, I never enjoyed using chapstick or its flavour, I just used it TO AVOID chapped lips…

    The fact is that, ironically, my lips look really awful right now, worse than ever: chapped, cracked, blood, irritated all around my lips, have a “ouch!-feeling” every time I smile or open my mouth to eat… guess the skin on my lips got used to have some oily protection all day long, so they lost their natural hability to “remove old cells”.

    My question is: will they ever get to normal again?? Will my skin recover its “natural protection”?? Will I have chapped lips for the rest of my life? Thanx!!

  2. Kevin C. says:
    February 11, 2012 at 4:52 pm

    Yes, Tiffany, you lips should return to normal. As always, if there are issues be sure to see your doctor.

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