How to deal with intense cravings
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 501
How to deal with intense cravings
I am trying to quit drinking.
I have only drank 8 times in the last 176 days. So I've made some progress. But I'm finding it hard to stop completely. The cravings always get the better of me after a few weeks.
There is nothing else in my life that is causing me to drink. This is why I can't stop. My body has become dependent on it.
When I get these cravings, I feel like there is no way out other than to drink. It's horrible.
I've already tried the medication Naltrexone which is supposed to reduce alcohol cravings, it didn't work, it just made me feel even worse.
What can I do to stop myself from drinking when I get these cravings?
I have only drank 8 times in the last 176 days. So I've made some progress. But I'm finding it hard to stop completely. The cravings always get the better of me after a few weeks.
There is nothing else in my life that is causing me to drink. This is why I can't stop. My body has become dependent on it.
When I get these cravings, I feel like there is no way out other than to drink. It's horrible.
I've already tried the medication Naltrexone which is supposed to reduce alcohol cravings, it didn't work, it just made me feel even worse.
What can I do to stop myself from drinking when I get these cravings?
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Make a plan:
What can you do to distract yourself when these urges hit?
Maybe write down how you feel after a binge and read how you felt when a craving hits?
Do something else you love that normally you don't / won't do?
Eat a decadent yet balanced meal?
Go to the gym.
What can you do to distract yourself when these urges hit?
Maybe write down how you feel after a binge and read how you felt when a craving hits?
Do something else you love that normally you don't / won't do?
Eat a decadent yet balanced meal?
Go to the gym.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 1,183
My first line of defense was always, distract, distract, distract. We can really get ourselves spun up on cravings by fixating on them, but they do go away if you focus on something else. Music was huge for me, getting lost in headphones and paying close attention to the sounds, but anything can work.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 852
Cravings can be very tough, but they will pass over time. I don't have cravings anymore or early sobriety cravings at least, but I tried to exercise/lift/drink a lot of water if I has cravings. There's not perfect solution, just something you need to fight through.
Don't give into cravings and congrats on staying mostly sober the last 176.
Don't give into cravings and congrats on staying mostly sober the last 176.
12 Step Recovered Alcoholic
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 6,613
In AA land we often mix up craving with the obsession of the mind. The story goes that when we put alcohol into our body it kicks off a craving that compels us to drink more and more. This was my experience, once I started I couldn't stop until I was too sick to continue or locked up. Alcohol takes about three days to leave the system, so after that, those cravings cannot occur.
If we never took that first drink, then the cravings would never kick in, so we reckon the problem centres in the mind. Why, at certain times do we have no defence against that first drink? My experience was that I often drank without any conscious thought, even though I had sworn off that day. I'd remember at say drink 3, but by then the craving was in charge and the whole cycle would repeat. Others come up with flimsy excuses, some really believ that, inspite of everything to the contrarr, it will be alright this time. Other become restless, irritable and discontent, and begin to crave the feeling of ease and comfort that comes with the first few drinks, having somehow forgotten what happened the last time. Our memories don't seem to offer an effective defence.
Solutions vary. The imposed solution, locked up is one. AA has a spiritual solution that worked well for me. One religion recommends pouring moulten lead down the neck which usually provides permanent abstinence. Then there are self help books, application of intellect and will power, self help groups etc. It's a matter of exploring those options to see which one can give you a 24/7 defence.
Suggestions like candy etc can be very helpful and may get you through the next day, but permanent recovery may require a little more than that.
If we never took that first drink, then the cravings would never kick in, so we reckon the problem centres in the mind. Why, at certain times do we have no defence against that first drink? My experience was that I often drank without any conscious thought, even though I had sworn off that day. I'd remember at say drink 3, but by then the craving was in charge and the whole cycle would repeat. Others come up with flimsy excuses, some really believ that, inspite of everything to the contrarr, it will be alright this time. Other become restless, irritable and discontent, and begin to crave the feeling of ease and comfort that comes with the first few drinks, having somehow forgotten what happened the last time. Our memories don't seem to offer an effective defence.
Solutions vary. The imposed solution, locked up is one. AA has a spiritual solution that worked well for me. One religion recommends pouring moulten lead down the neck which usually provides permanent abstinence. Then there are self help books, application of intellect and will power, self help groups etc. It's a matter of exploring those options to see which one can give you a 24/7 defence.
Suggestions like candy etc can be very helpful and may get you through the next day, but permanent recovery may require a little more than that.
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