History Main / ColdTurkeysAreEverywhere

[[folder:Live Action TV ]]

--->'''Gloria:''' Daddy, you're supposed to play fair! Michael is, and this is no picnic for him, you know!
--->'''Mike:''' Don't say "picnic", Gloria.
--->'''Gloria:''' I'm sorry, honey.
--->'''Mike:''' Don't say "honey", Gloria.

* ''{{Series/Friends}}'':

-->'''Jim:''' Wow, that is really hard. You really think you can go all day long? Well, you always left me satisfied and smiling.
-->'''Michael:''' (''blurts out'') That's what she said!

-->'''Rimmer:''' Eric Van Lustbader? What's he got to do with food?
-->'''Lister:''' Van. Bread van. Meat van. FOOD!

** In "Candy Crushed", Lola goes on a bet to never eat sweets for a month. However, candy is ''everywhere'' Lola goes, such as on commercials, the mall, even a candy store.

** In "Deal Me Out", Lincoln and Clyde try to give up things relating to their favourite superhero Ace Savvy, yet they find comics and action figures of him everywhere.
** Attempted in "No Laughing Matter" where Luan tries to give up telling jokes, and her siblings try to tempt her by setting up jokes, but she isn't tempted.

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/APupNamedScoobyDoo'', Freddy accepts a bet from the other characters that he can't go one whole case without accusing RedHerring (that's the character's actual name) of anything (it was a long standing RunningGag that Freddy ''always'' accuses Red Herring of being the VillainOfTheWeek, even in episodes that he isn't even ''in''). So the person who gives them the next case is Red Herring's aunt, and the characters constantly meet with Red Herring. [[spoiler:And it turns out Red Herring ''really did'' commit the crime that time.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends:'' Eduardo has fleas, and he's trying not to scratch. But everywhere he looks, there are people using scratch-and-sniff cards, monkeys scratching themselves in an inappropriate manner, etc.

* ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory''. There's the episode where Dexter's Mom bakes some muffins and Dexter has to prevent his dad from eating them (apparently, he's a "muffomaniac" and Mom even says that he only married her because of her muffins). Dad starts to hallucinate that's he's in a land of muffins and is crowned king. All in all, it was a very bizarre episode.

** In "Hip Hip Parade", Candace is forced to solemnly promise to Linda to not once think about the boys on their girls' day out, otherwise she will suffer the "Pharaoh's curse". Candace tries as hard as she could to restrain herself when she sees the boys in the Tri-State Area Unification Day parade, but it soon gets the better of her and is forced to bring her mom to see it. But when the parade disappeared as usual, a guy in a Pharaoh costume appears and says "Curse you," leaving Linda to punish her.

* The ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'' episode "The Fugitives" has Wander and Sylvia trying to escape a planet ruled by Lord Hater, but Wander keeps blowing her plans by helping people. Finally, she gets fed up and she tells him "no helping". Hater's Watchdogs use this to their advantage and cause various accidents that Wander is desperate to solve, but he's also desperate to hold his word to Sylvia. The scene gets more intense and the lighting gets more dramatic as Wander begins going practically insane with resistance... [[spoiler:until he finally caves in.]]

** In "Tomorrow we Diet", a rather plump Goofy decides to go on a diet. Naturally, he starts to go through a neon hell of restaurant signs (and even freaks out sitting in a chair with a fruit pattern on the upholstery).

A character has agreed to give up a certain thing, like alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, [[DietEpisode certain foods]] (or ''a'' certain food), a particular hobby, [[ADateWithRosiePalms masturbation/pornography viewing]], [[NatureAdoresAVirgin or sex]]. Unfortunately, everywhere they look, they're reminded of the item they've given up, sometimes via MeatOVision. As the episode goes on, their resolve is severely tested as their {{Jerkass}}[[note]]or clueless[[/note]] friends and (clueless) bystanders will do their best to tempt them. You can expect [[StatusQuoIsGod karma]] to be a bitch and offer dozens of free "once in a lifetime, sent from heaven" opportunities to indulge in the vice.

* In the ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' episode "The Contest", Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine hold a contest to see who can go without masturbation the longest. Each character in this episode encounters someone that really makes them want to [[ADateWithRosiePalms lose the contest]], whether it be Jerry and his virgin girlfriend or Elaine encountering JFK Jr. at the place she works out at.

* In the ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic Overload'' manga, Sousuke is prohibited by Kaname to bring guns to school for one day. He actually starts getting ''withdrawal symptoms'' from not firing a gun. Everything starts looking like moving targets, he hears gunfire, and everyone starts looking like thug-ish terrorists. He eventually breaks and starts attacking Kaname's classmates, thinking they're trying to kill her. In the end, Kaname takes him outside and lets him have target practice with an empty can. It ends with [[SpoofAesop her seeing the importance of allowing him to shoot guns (lest he start going crazy)]].

See also WarmBloodbagsAreEverywhere for the {{horror}} version. See also FrequentlyBrokenUnbreakableVow for general promises rather than abstinence, and TheWorldMocksYourLoss when it's related to losing a partner. Often seen with WeWantOurJerkBack, StupidSexyFlanders, and the ObsessiveHobbyEpisode. Compare GoingColdTurkey, when the addiction is broken by a single self-imposed withdrawal phase. Can lead to RadishCure where the character learns his lesson as a result of consuming too many "cold turkeys".

* In ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'', "Five Minute Warning", Jon bets Garfield that he can't go without eating for five minutes. Garfield being Garfield, he's wondering if the five minutes is up within seconds. He leaves the house, but everywhere he goes, he's offered food: a pair of picnickers who brought too much food; the Buddy Bears, who give him "a light snack" as a token of friendship, which he nearly ''does'' eat; even restaurant owners, who normally fear his approach lest they be eaten out of business. In the end, he is almost mistaken for having eaten, and indeed, very nearly bites down on a banana when the time runs out.

* In ''Series/MyHero'', George attempts to go "cold porky" from pork scratchings (Which gives his [[BizarreAlienBiology alien brain]] super-intelligence, but turns him into a jerk).

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Quagmire is forced to keep his perversion under control. After his friends take him to the mall to see how well he can contain himself in public, he sees a handful of attractive teenagers, turns away to see a woman breastfeeding, turns away from that to see [[SerialEscalation a trio of cheerleaders who walk past a fountain, accidentally drop a pom-pom inside, decide to retrieve it, together, while shirtless, engage in a splash fight and start making out with each other]]. When he attempts to escape, he accidentally crashes into a pile of naked mannequins, then ducks into a surveillance room with full view of the women's dressing rooms. Fortunately, he ends up seeing that one of the women in the dressing rooms is having a heart attack, and rushes over to save her by performing something resembling C.P.R ("What the hell's C.P.R?").

* Jacob from ''Webcomic/{{Shortpacked}}'' is a recovering sex addict...and unwilling ChickMagnet. This being Shortpacked, it's turned UpToEleven: during the "Ultra Car meets her creator" arc, Jacob stumbles into an eccentric millionaire's HotLibrarian collection and has to fend off their advances. The arc after that, he ends up being propositioned for a threesome by two beautiful women without saying a word himself. [[spoiler: And after all that, he ends up sleeping with Amber's mom, causing him to briefly retreat into his apartment out of shame.]]

->''"This is awful, it's like everywhere we turn there's another goddamn sin to deal with. I mean what the hell, isn't that frustrating? I mean, shit, how's a person supposed to live if absolutely every last goddamned thing is against the rules? It's like every goddamned sin is a goddamned Catch-22, it's bullshit."''
-->-- '''Website/{{Cracked}}''', [[https://web.archive.org/web/20140111005720/http://www.cracked.com/article_19104_why-humanity-cant-get-past-7-deadly-sins_p2.html "Why Humanity Can't Get Past The 7 Deadly Sins"]]

* In ''Webcomic/{{El Goonish Shive}}'', Tedd has been obsessing over [[DoingInTheWizard finding the scientific basis of magic]] so much that he spends all day talking {{Technobabble}} and ignoring Grace's advances. So she forces him on a double date. Too bad they're playing the soundtrack to ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'' in the car.

* In the first ''Film/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'' movie, Greg has to pee but is not allowed because Rodrick is threatening him with death. At first he can put it out of his mind, but then he can't because a sprinkler is going off, a man is watering his lawn, and there is an aquarium anyway.

[[folder:Films- Animation]]

[[folder:Films- Live-Action]]

** In "A Day Without Tears", [=SpongeBob=] is trying to, well, go a day without tears, due to a bet he made with Squidward. He's tempted to cry from seeing a beautiful sunset, Gary sleeping in a cute way, getting a note from his parents saying they miss him, his subscription ending, the news showing a snail nearly not getting down from a tree, a manatee having a bad birthday, and a TV show not showing as often, seeing an emotional bonding scene on TV, Squidward playing a sad song, and finally a story about a sad angler, which makes him cry but by then it's midnight.

* The ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'' episode "The Fugitives" has Wander and Sylvia trying to escape a planet ruled by Lord Hater, but Wander keeps blowing her plans by helping people. Finally, she gets fed up and she tells him "no helping". Hater's watchdogs use this to their advantage and cause various accidents that Wander is desperate to solve, but he's also desperate to hold his word to Sylvia. The scene gets more intense and the lighting gets more dramatic as Wander begins going practically insane with resistance... [[spoiler:until he finally caves in.]]

* In ''Film/BedtimeStories'', a man named Skeeter (the main character) finds out that the bedtime stories that he and two kids he's babysitting tell at night keep coming true. In one story, the six-year-old Patrick makes the main character of the story catch on fire. Skeeter worries that the incinerated character [[ButYouWereThereAndYouAndYou represents him]] (probably because his name, Skeeto, was similar to his own name) and becomes paranoid that he's going to catch fire. When listening to the car radio, all the songs have fire-related lyrics (Burn Baby Burn, I'm on Fire, etc).

* ''Series/{{Lost}}'': Charlie throws the last of his heroin stash into a fire in early season 1. Being stranded on an island might seem an excellent opportunity to kick the habit. Then in the season finale, he comes across a crashed plane... full of heroin.

* ''VideoGame/EnterTheGungeon'' takes this to ridiculous levels with Spice (yes, like in ''Literature/{{Dune}}''). It's a single-use active item that, once used, also dramatically increases the chances of more of them spawning instead of other items. Which is bad because the benefits have diminishing returns ''and'' come with increasingly serious downsides. After just two hits, there is ''no'' good reason to use any more, but you also can hardly round a corner without tripping over one.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': In ''[[https://www.angelfire.com/rant/knm1207/HES.html Hermione's Embarrassing Surprise]]'', Madam Pomfrey tells Hermione that her headache and stomachache are probably signs of her first ovulation. Hermione is embarrassed by this and tries to get her mind off it, but then [=McGonagall=] yells at Neville for not including "periods" (full stops) on his work. Then, later, an ingredient in a potion recipe is "Hippogriff's menstrual blood" and she misreads "hippogriff" for her own name.

* In ''Webcomic/ThePetriDish'', Thaddeus tries to give up ''VideoGame/CandyCrush'' after it makes him [[TheTetrisEffect see things]]. He is reminded of the game by the presence of candy and his boss, Gordon, exclaiming, "Juicy!".

* Done rather disturbingly in the Cocoa Puffs commercials. The cuckoo will try to give up chocolate, only to see it everywhere until he breaks down and exclaims "I'M CUCKOO FOR COCOA PUFFS!", going on a rampage until he gets his cocoa fix. If one didn't know better, [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything one might think]] that they're comparing a cereal to a [[ICantBelieveItsNotHeroin highly addictive drug...]]