Mistaking hunger for alcohol cravings in early recovery..
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Join Date: May 2009
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Mistaking hunger for alcohol cravings in early recovery..
Just a heads up, I know a lot of you know about the HARM system, just a reminder tip from is if you are feeling cravings, it could be simple hunger. Eat a decent size meal and see if the cravings are still there. I slipped up a few times in the past due to that. I was never the type of alcoholic that would drink after eating.. I would postpone eating to drink of course.
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Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: North Texas
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I used to not eat purposefully so my buzz would be stronger... then I would get the mad munchies and drive drunk to taco bell or whatever was open. I am surprised I didn't hurt anyone or end up in jail so many times... they say quit while your ahead eh? Now 17 days sober , I am cooking my own food and haven't craved fast ****** food. 
Dru -
Dru -
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Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 136
Yep. I learned this when I first quit this Summer; it's amazing how potent it is.
This time around (I'm on day 4 now I guess), I stocked up on an obscene amount of food. Just about filled my entire college dorm with it :P And honestly I'll have to be go out again on Wednesday, as I'm just crunching it all down like crazy. Five in the morning right now and I woke up with a craving for a cigarette, which I don't have, and which made me crave a drink, which I also don't have---- so a pop-tart and handfuls of cheerios for me!
Some people might get worried about putting on weight and stuff. Who knows how long it lasts for each, but at least for me this intensive eating only went for a week the first time I went sober. Another thing is you have to relearn what to do with the sudden abundance of time you have when you go sober, so I think we go back to very basic stuff like eating, showering, and sleeping because these are things we know how to do, rather the more creative/educational ways of using our time which we have to relearn.
This time around (I'm on day 4 now I guess), I stocked up on an obscene amount of food. Just about filled my entire college dorm with it :P And honestly I'll have to be go out again on Wednesday, as I'm just crunching it all down like crazy. Five in the morning right now and I woke up with a craving for a cigarette, which I don't have, and which made me crave a drink, which I also don't have---- so a pop-tart and handfuls of cheerios for me!
Some people might get worried about putting on weight and stuff. Who knows how long it lasts for each, but at least for me this intensive eating only went for a week the first time I went sober. Another thing is you have to relearn what to do with the sudden abundance of time you have when you go sober, so I think we go back to very basic stuff like eating, showering, and sleeping because these are things we know how to do, rather the more creative/educational ways of using our time which we have to relearn.
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Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 359
Originally Posted by dru1085 
I used to not eat purposefully so my buzz would be stronger... then I would get the mad munchies and drive drunk to taco bell or whatever was open. I am surprised I didn't hurt anyone or end up in jail so many times... they say quit while your ahead eh? Now 17 days sober , I am cooking my own food and haven't craved fast ****** food.
Dru -
Dru -
I'm still eating sugar like they just refined it yesterday though
have never eaten so much sugar in my life
Sober since 10th April 2012
Join Date: Apr 2012
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Excellent thread IRQ. It applied to me when I left work hungry and looking for relaxation. It was easy to deal with it by grabbing a juice or having a sweet snack, and substituting a cup of tea for the relaxation part at home.
We train our bodies to instinctively crave alcohol but we can also retrain it.
We train our bodies to instinctively crave alcohol but we can also retrain it.
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Originally Posted by Frickaflip233
I know HALT but what's HARM?
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Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: US
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Originally Posted by yeahtoast
I've never heard of eating to help reduce cravings. I'll keep it in mind. I Googled the HARM system and only found that it's a targeting system for f-16's.
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Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Canada
Posts: 750
At 10 months sober I still have to remind myself to eat, otherwise I feel like crapola
I often do the HALT scan on myself and 9 times out of 10 it reveals why I'm craving and I can deal with it or accept it and just let it work through and I keep my sobriety intact.
I often do the HALT scan on myself and 9 times out of 10 it reveals why I'm craving and I can deal with it or accept it and just let it work through and I keep my sobriety intact.
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Join Date: Jan 2011
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I was in the pattern of: get home, have a few drinks, eat, drink the rest of the night.
I found that by eating sooner, it's easier to get my mind off drinking for the rest of the evening. Or at the very least, once I get past that hour or so between getting home and having dinner ready, it's all downhill from there.
I found that by eating sooner, it's easier to get my mind off drinking for the rest of the evening. Or at the very least, once I get past that hour or so between getting home and having dinner ready, it's all downhill from there.
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Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 464
Yes for me its having dinner. I used to skip dinner all the time like many of you, so I could feel my buzz quicker and stronger. I was trying to lose weight so basically I'd just pass out forgetting my hunger.
Nowadays, I just eat dinner because the buzz for me, never felt good after eating, it just made me feel really full.
Nowadays, I just eat dinner because the buzz for me, never felt good after eating, it just made me feel really full.
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