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I would rather go to the dentist than white-knuckle it



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I would rather go to the dentist than white-knuckle it

Old 09-07-2018, 07:35 AM
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I would rather go to the dentist than white-knuckle it

I'm not being melo-dramatic here, if you're going to the dentist, or the doctor for a blood test, at least you know the pain will be over fairly quickly. When you have a craving, especially during those long evenings, the pain is long and drawn out & feels like it will last forever. Personally, I find resisting cravings more painful than having a blood test, almost on par with trying to sleep with an earache!

It floods your brain with euphoric memories yet at the same time it makes you feel stressed, it threatens you with feelings of anxiety, a racing mind, horrible loneliness and a feeling of deprivation. That anticipation of pain is on par, if not worse than the anxiety you'd get when you go to the dentist.

At the same time, the craving BLOCKS ALL MEMORIES of the last hangover, the last time you felt that drinking was the last thing in the world you wanted to do. It's an evil, devious little monster. It's the fear of PAIN that's the bigger motivator, not the looking forward to pleasure.

I want to find the part of the brain responsible for cravings. You have no idea what I want to do to it. I want to rip it out, burn it, stamp on it, put in in sulphuric acid, expose it to the radiation from spent nuclear fuel, destroy it!
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Old 09-07-2018, 07:38 AM
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You should learn AVRT so you can get on top of those cravings. You are letting your AV take over - you can learn to recognize and separate from that voice.

Lots of good threads about it in the Secular Connections and Permanent Abstinence forums here on SR.
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Old 09-07-2018, 09:17 AM
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Vulcan, are you actively trying to get/stay sober at the present time? Something about the tone of your threads rings a little strangely to me.
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Old 09-07-2018, 10:36 AM
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Vulcan, you are right about those cravings. I could not beat them by will power alone, once I had reached my 50's they were too strong to hold off night after night.

I can only say what worked for me and that was to force myself up at zero dark thirty and go jogging or walking for an hour minimum. Weekdays that would be followed by a days work plus all the other things like shopping, cooking, laundry etc that a person has to to. By 9pm I was so tired that crawling into bed was bliss and the cravings were reduced occasional passing thoughts that were much easier to ignore. It was very tough sometimes, London at 5.45am in January is not very welcoming but definitely better than the hell of alcohol addiction.

There seem to be a number different routes to quitting and I think part of the effort we need to put in is finding the way that complements our own personality type
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Old 09-07-2018, 12:48 PM
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There is one good thing about cravings (looking at the positive side of things). If you never drink again you'll never have to go through them again. Pretty good incentive to quit drinking for good. If you give in to them you're just kicking the can down the road and will have to go thorough them all over again at some point.
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Old 09-07-2018, 01:27 PM
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Sorry to hear you are still struggling vulcan. Cravings are definitely the pits, but they are very temporary. Hope you can make the choice to quit some day and find out. The pain only lasts a little while but the reward is life -long.
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Old 09-07-2018, 01:59 PM
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Thanks for reminding me about what cravings are like, Vulcan.

It's been a while.

I capitulated to them every time.

I could offer no resistance whatsoever.

Glad you're here.
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Old 09-07-2018, 03:52 PM
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I really recommend urge surfing Vulcan - that and other tips and techniques in this link:

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...-cravings.html (CarolD's tips for cravings)

D
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Old 09-07-2018, 04:03 PM
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Im sorry to read your post too. I hope you try any other way besides just white knuckling it. Lots of good suggestions above to consider, after you quit.
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Old 09-07-2018, 06:18 PM
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I'm struggling with the logic here. Cravings that you are aware of because they are powerful have the distinct advantage of making you aware. You can see the enemy so to speak, so you can take the action.

Being aware that the craving as a bad thing to be fought off doesn't happen in a vacuum. The thoughts that make it a bad thing must be rooted in the memories of what happened before. Surely those memories are the motivator to resist.

Apart from when I had started drinking, I don't recall ever having cravings of this nature. There never was any resistance and that was because the memories ahd vanished from my consciousness. The craving may well have been there and was obviouly powerful because I was unable to resist, but it was so subtle as the thought "A drink would be nice". The reasonable countering thought "Not such a good idea" never presented itself, let alone the truth that the whole idea was insane.

The memories that should have motivated me to resist were easily overpowered by the memories of the good times in the distant past, and any resistance just evaporates.
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Old 09-07-2018, 06:32 PM
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The good thing about cravings is that they last much shorter than a visit at the dentist or any tooth ache.
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Old 09-08-2018, 12:23 AM
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This is where it helps to distract yourself with something else. As soon as you feel the urge come on, drop whatever you're doing and go do something else.

Not everyone gets the same cravings. However, if you share yours, you might help someone down the road who is having the same kind who thinks their alone.

Now play the relapse tape all the way through.

You know what's worse than cravings?

Sitting in the hospital covered in vomit and s#it from a seizure with a monster sized egg on your head cause you were on a binge and ran out of cash.

Now your organs are failing, your body is still screaming and this time there may not be anything you can do.

You gotta go through this part to get to the good stuff. It's just the way it is.
Don't break, and you'll be so proud of your life it'll change everything for you.

Hang in there. Keep posting this stuff. People need to hear it and you need to write it.
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Old 09-09-2018, 08:49 PM
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Vulcan,

Do your craving usually come on most heavily at what time? or is it no specific time?
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