I too had to find out the painfully hard way about what works for me as in addiction treatment. Urges to use can be intense, compelling and overwhelming, however what actions I choose in response to the urge is up to me. It was hard fought self-knowledge with plenty of bumps in the road that gave me this important insight. I could choose to give in to my urge with all the usual self talk that I was hopelessly addicted and had to use to stop the urges. I finally realized that pain may be unavoidable but suffering is optional and I no longer suffer with urges. Having a personalized addiction treatment program with the assistance of helping others, I now choose to go in the direction of being helped when red flags pop up like urges to use.