LilyMarie

I realize it's the "Alcoholic Brain" talking when you all of a sudden crave a drink so bad, and your brain can come up with pretty much any excuse in the world and for about 5-15 minutes, it sounds perfectly reasonable.
Last night as I was leaving work, the second I stepped into the elevator I was just washed with a desire to get a bottle of vodka. After my brain going back and forth for the majority of the ride home, I remembered I only had $9 in my purse, and my debit card was (purposely) left at home. So I'd have to go home and then head back out, and that's what seemed to finally get the cravings to stop. I still felt worked up, but calmed down in an hour or so.
WHAT?! I pray, I call friends, I do deep, slow breathing, I do anything in the world to get my mind off it, but I actually get a bit scared when my brain starts telling me absolutely outrageous lies.
How do you all work past your cravings if/when you get them?

Rad44

lilly. I am in an IOP right now that prescribes Naltrexone as part of the treatment. I must say comapred to having done this before, it works wonders on completely eliminating cravings and blocking obsessive thinking. There are no other side effects and it is non-addictive. It is only part of the sobriety solution but I need all the help I can get and the relief it provides from cravings better enables me to focus on the other aspects of my treatment.

LilyMarie

Thanks for the response, Rad. Obsessive thinking is a big issue for me right now. I think I'm going to talk to my dr. and see if I can't get Naltrexone added as part of my program, or at least discuss with him what options are available to me.

tommyk

My mind can only think of one thing at a time.

When I get a craving I immediately try to concentrate on something else, I try to break the 'craving chain of thought', I interrupt it.

Music, reading, fitness, and activities work best for me.

CarolD

All my craving were finished by the end of my
2nd month of AA recovery.

They had lessened both in duration and frequency
by the end of 2 weeks. ...

I was following the eating plan in "Under The nfluence"
and think that was a facctor.
Ask your doctor about hypoglycemia.

Good to see you again....

adore79

The way a craving develops is like this:


trigger--> thought-->continued thoughts-->cravings-->drinking

The first line of defense is to stay away from triggers.
If you get triggered and have a thought about drinking, immediately shut it off by thinking about something different. Imagine a light switch that is turned on to thinking of drinking and imagine yourself flipping that switch off.

Trippstar

Its hard I know what you mean its a hard pill too take you gotta take it tho. Unless you wanna die. Its so hard I know nearly impossible sometimes. I know where your coming from been there before it hurts later on thats what you gotta remember.

rhnorment

I agree with Rad44. Naltrexone is a miracle drug as far as I am concerned. It definitely reduces cravings and obsessive thoughts.

Also ask your doc about Campral, another drug for alcoholism. Research shows that these meds are very effective when taken together because they work on different parts of the brain.

Good luck!

/rhn

FightingIrish

Two words:

Ice Cream

LilyMarie

Hahah, my current is "Italian Ice" OR "Haagen Dazs Dulce de Leche Frozen Yogurt" (ok, which is seven words). SO SO SOSOSOSO good.

keithj

I don't get them. I took AA's 12 steps and the obsession was removed. Like Carol, this happened extraordinarily quickly with me. I started working steps the first day I didn't drink. Once in the first couple of weeks I saw a neighbor walking to his car with a beer in his hand and had that visceral gut reaction of craving. Then a few months later the smell of alcohol caused that same gut level reaction. Occasionally, a fleeting thought will enter my head, but it is soon replaced with the truth that I'm an alcoholic and can not safely drink.

joedris

I'm not going to get into the meds thing. That something to talk to your doctor about. But early recovery is rough. Those cravings will come and go for a while. I used to call people who I met in AA, and they would call me. Still works that way, but my cravings are long gone. Now I get calls. The only good news I can give you is that it will get better. The cravings will get weaker and eventually go away. You just can't give in to them. Alcoholism is a disease that will always be around, trying to get you to drink again.

bugsworth

Lily..as others have said the cravings lessen in time...each time you get through one the next one is that much easier to combat. Once you become armed with the knowledge that you are finally back in charge is when a shift in thinking becomes evident. I, like Keith, have fleeting thoughts and when I do it takes but a second for me to remember the hell on earth I was living. Practice and patience works.

shaun00

i always thank god for removing my compulsion to drink alcohol.
because for me........he has for a while now.

im NOT talking about thoses moments of fantasy where a glass of red with dinner seems mighty attrative......not that a ever had one glass of wine.

Im talking about that driven....awful compulsion ....powerless to stop.......yearning for a drink...

its also a good idea to be able to summon your last drink to mind.......tends to take the edge of a craving ...mine anyway.

chip

- pray, pray and pray....on my knees
- go for a walk, with no money in my pockets
- eat something sweet & filling
- call a sober friend
- spend some time on SR
- go to an AA meeting
- read some AA literature
- read a very good book
- work on a hobby
- write a gratitude list
- reflect upon why I don't drink
- write some "remember whens" about why I should not drink
- avoid caffiene
- look for shapes in the clouds
- look at the stars
- breath deeply, and try to empty my mind
- repeat "this too shall pass"....untill it passes
- look around for something beautiful, and reflect upon it's beauty
- go for a drive in the country (perhaps leaving my money behind)
- think about those who are less fortunate
- try to help someone, anyone
- write a letter to a friend
- play a video game
- do a crossword puzzle
- clean, clean and clean the house
- organize stuff in my garage
- think about my job
- get intimate with my partner
- take a warm bath with a sented candle
- stare at the flame of the candle, and let my mind drift to a "happy place"
- chew gum
- exercise
- read articles about drinking and driving online
- read about peope who destroyed their lives by drinking
- read about people who destroyed other's lives by drinking

The more you practice methods to overcome cravings, the more successful you will become. The main thing is to STOP that first thought, and not develop it further. My own pattern is: First thought/second thought/fantasy....drink. As it's been said before, find ways to break the pattern.

We have no control over first thoughts that pop into our heads. It's normal for an alcoholic to think about drinking. What we do with those first thoughts is important to stay sober. Sometimes, I think about other people I know in AA, and I remember that I'm not alone.

I hope you get through this, and find your own ways to beat the cravings.
chip