Oct142016

Does anyone every crave alcohol when they are just hungry? I found that this is one of my big downfalls. Often times it is getting towards dinner and I am hungry. My body goes kind of in stress mode when I get too hungry and then instead of thinking about food I think about alcohol instead.

I know that many relapses have been because of this.

Sometimes I am making dinner that will make the kids happy and I am not interested but instead of thinking "ok,what can I eat" I start thinking "hmmmm, is there wine in the refrigerator" (my husband drinks). Or, it will be another hour until dinner is ready and I need to wait and I think "just one glass of wine".

I generally control what I eat for breakfast and lunch but dinner is another story.

Forward12

It can happen as alcohol is processed like a simple carb spiking blood sugar levels. Often times alcohol cravings can be just hunger, especially for sweets.

doggonecarl

Yes, hunger can cause cravings. Hungry is the first letter in HALT.

HALT is an acronym taught to recovering addicts that stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely and Tired, which are all high-risk times for relapse.

ChucktownMC

Solid advice. The H and L affect me the most. My sponsor advised me to eat, eat and eat.

thomas11

Absolutely. One of my biggest triggers was drinking when hungry. Of course you can drink a lot on an empty stomach. Bad news.

MLD51

Yep, definitely. Yesterday I had to skip my lunch because I was too busy at work. I had a couple of very small snacks at my desk - wasn't enough. So by the time I got home from work I was absolutely starving. And there was no suitable food in the house to make dinner for me and my son, so we went out to eat. I really don't crave alcohol anymore, so I was very surprised yesterday at the restaurant when I was thinking a glass of wine would hit the spot. WHAT?? Of course I didn't do it, and I quickly realized it was the H of HALT getting to me. Once I had my dinner I was absolutely fine. I learned a lesson yesterday - bring extra snacks to work!

theVman31

Likewise hunger has a big effect on me. (the ALT too btw)
Good thread, simple useful information.

Oct142016

That has happened to me many many many times at a restaurant. But oddly, drinking does not stop the cravings - only actually eating. That is why I like places that bring out a bread basket right away. A couple pieces of bread and the desire for alcohol disappears.

Mick75

Hunger is a big one for me, also being dehydrated. I keep beef jerky in my work coat, and hard candies. I keep water or club soda in my truck as well. Hang in there, keep the strength.
Mick

FreedomCA

This is exactly my story. I think I have an unspecified eating disorder, and so I often will starve myself. I have had several relapses because I did not eat throughout the day and my cravings became severe when I was starving myself and hungry. I then had two choices: (1) Give into the craving and drink, or (2) Eat something and then BOOM, craving gone. I have suffered too much pain and therefore don't play around anymore, and I choose to eat.

MLD51

Keeping food around at all times is a really good idea. Sometimes I just get too busy, or "forget" to eat - It's very bad for me on a lot of levels. After my experience Wednesday I went and bought a bunch of snacky things to keep in my desk drawer. I'm also quitting smoking right now and I need stuff like trail mix, beef jerky, and hard candies to keep myself from caving and going to get cigs.

Irishish

I have to be careful with HALT as well. I am a nightshifter so I spend a fair amount of time tired. Add hungry or angry and I have a major craving set up. I also struggle with food/weight issues. Its frustrating sometimes but at this point I'd rather be sober than anything else. My best defense at this point is paying attention when I start to crave and doing what I need to do to take care of myself. If I'm hungry I eat. If I'm tired I sleep if I can. Hang in there. Keep coming back.

Oct142016

Food is a big problem for me. I have struggled with an eating disorder since I was a teenager. I am currently 50 lbs overweight and I HATE it. I hate food. But, it has only been recently that I connected hunger and drinking together. And drinking so much certainly does not help with the weight issue.

Oct142016

I have never heard of this. This place is so great for information!! I spent time yesterday reading about HALT - some great stuff.

So much is coming together for me.