BobbyK

Yikes that may be my downfall.

SparklingSeven

I would not have got through the early months without using L-Glutamine. It didn't take the cravings away but it gave me the strength not to give in.

I also ate loads of rich food, all good stuff I really like along with fizzy pop. I felt a lot less like drinking when I was stuffed.

I would suggest doing research on L-Glutamine yourself before taking it. It's an amino acid supplement and there's lots of information on it on the web.

Dee74

Probably a good time to remind everyone that supplements, even natural ones, need to be considered carefully, especially if you have existing medical conditions or are on medications.

Whats worked for others may not work, or may not be suitable for you.

I think it's good advice to get some professional advice before starting any kind of supplement

As far as cravings go, I found an urge surfing technique was useful for me Bobby:
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...e-surfing.html

D

Ghostlight

When I have cravings all I have to do is look out my window, or take a walk. I live in a nieghborhood of drunks.
I see them drinking, and know that used to be me. And the misery of it all.

I also think through the first drink and what it leads to. The consuming, the money, the drunken phone calls making an ass of myself. Then the next day: the fear the anxiety the regret.

That's what woks for me. I hope you find a solution.

Best to you.

Threshold

I ask myself if the thing I am craving is REALLY what I want/need. If it isn't, what need am I really trying to satisfy and is there another way to meet it. If it is what I am craving, what will be the consequences of satisfying my craving in that way? If the consequences are not desireable, I address what is causing the craving and see if there is a way to derail it.

Sometimes just the mental work is enough to distract me until the thing passes.

Obsessing about the craving only encourages it for me. Busying myself with something else is a better option. Sometimes it is hard for me to push past the inertia and get started on something else, since my habit is to just feed the craving,but if I push myself, things start rolling.

gaffo

I try to keep alcohol more than eight minutes away (the length of the average craving, I hear). I'm Mr Hospitality but I can't keep anymore booze on hand for anyone, it's BYOB around here. Even my lovely wife now has to buy her own.

Basically, I admit that cravings suck, like traffic, waiting in lines or headaches. They just have to be dealt with. If you drink it will just mean more cravings--like beating your head with a hammer to cure that headache, going to the back of the line to make the wait shorter, or leaving your car in traffic.

When I'm really climbing the walls I drink tea or coffee and read SR to remind myself that not only will this craving pass but cravings in general if I can just not drink right now. Going from one day at a time to one hour or even minute at a time helps to get the focus back.

Finally, I am still counting days, hoarding them really, and I'm not going to give up 47 days for one stupid drink.

onlythetruth

My cravings were related to blood sugar levels. I'd typically get them in the late afternoon. When I was drinking, that was when I'd begin for the night...while I was making dinner for my family.

For me the fix was relatively simple. I'd get the craving and I'd eat something. It didn't even have to be something big: just a small snack would take the edge off the craving.

least

At two years sober I rarely have cravings anymore and the addict voice is just a little whimper. But in the early stages i'd ask myself two questions: one; would drinking make the situation better, and two; did I really want to wake up the next day feeling like death warmed over. I rarely had to ask the second question...

Symmetry

I meditate and do yoga. EVERYDAY. drinking=no yoga. yoga=no drinking. I could certainly add to both of those lists. But after a while it's just not a choice anymore. The cravings really do go away. I must confess that I've have a couple doozies where I was sure there was no choice but to pick up again but then I just posted on SR. I can depend on yoga and SR to prevent and prepare to get through cravings.

YOU CAN DO IT

Threshold

Last night, Friday, and it's been a heck of a stress filled week. I didn't think I'd use, but I knew that I was likely to fritter my night away doing something crappy, like eating junk, zoning out online, staying up too late...so I put my hiking boots on, and wandered around the Ponderosa forest for a few hours in the snow and the dark. We have stars here in Biblical proportions. I wore away my "ya ya's" as I call them, came home tired, the good kind of tired, and went to bed on time. No regrets, no hangovers, whew!