Origins of term 'Cold Turkey'
Researched and submitted by Lisa

Cold Turkey: The more familiar meaning of the noun is 'an abrupt and complete withdrawal from the use of an addictive substance'. This usually refers to a narcotic such as heroin or morphine, but it may also refer to nicotine, caffeine, and even to a habit or addiction of any kind. The corresponding adverb is often used in the phrase to go (or quit) cold turkey. This use of the phrase probably comes from the earlier phrase to talk cold turkey 'to speak bluntly', the connection being the abruptness and unpleasantness of drug withdrawal. To talk cold turkey is probably a variant of the much earlier phrase to talk turkey, also meaning 'to speak plainly, directly, or bluntly, with the intent of accomplishing something'.

To "go cold turkey," meaning to stop using an addictive drug suddenly and completely, usually incurring extremely unpleasant symptoms of withdrawal, is a phrase which dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. "Cold turkey" is actually based on another colloquial phrase, "to talk turkey" (sometimes "to talk cold turkey"), meaning to face unpleasant truths squarely. It's not entirely clear how turkeys came to be associated with honesty and straightforward confrontation of difficulties, but it may simply be that turkey farmers were renowned at one time for their lack of pretense and blunt speech.

In the state of drug withdrawal the addict's blood is directed to the internal organs leaving the skin white and with goose bumps.