SleepyDots

Maybe, but I think it just depends on the person. What is working for me right now is thinking about my addiction in terms of conditioning, a Pavlov's dog type of thing. For me, the stimulus was pretty much any emotion (but more often the unpleasant ones, like anxiety or anger), and my response was always alcohol. So now if I feel an urge to drink, I think something along the lines of "Oh, yes, thank you brain for that solution, I know that's what we did in the past, but not anymore", so I'm acknowledging an urge, recognizing that that feeling does not have to result in an action, and giving myself a break for feeling that way at all (as opposed to "Ugh! Why do I even think about drinking anymore!" and feeling frustrated and deprived). My wanting alcohol when I get upset is a learned response because that is what I always did, it would be weirder to not want alcohol after I have linked it so firmly to my emotions for years and years! I tell myself that over time, the more I experience those emotions, and the response is NOT drinking, that those earlier associations will weaken and hopefully one day disappear.