Mirage74

What do y'all do when those severe, uncontrollable cravings hit you? This has happened to me before and I have caved in the past. It's like I get to the point where nothing can convince me not to drink. My mind utterly and completely forgets every reason to get sober. That temporary relief becomes more important than anything else.

This coupled with the fact that something is bothering me, and I can't figure out what it is! Does that ever happen to you? I have so many racing thoughts go through my head every day, that I can't remember all of them. Something is really gnawing at me, like something is very wrong, I just wish I could figure out what it is.

Dee74

Have you seen this thread Mirage74?

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-cravings.html

Hope you work out whats eating at you

D

Kizzer49

About a half hour ago i was getting very anxious couldnt sit still. There is alcohal in my house cuz everyone around me are heavy drinkers. I just put on shorts grabbed my headphones and went for a 30 minute walk... And dam did that help.

George3334

I hear ya. I sure do get the cravings and it sucks.

One thing that seems to work when I get the craving is to begin with an internal conversation in which I simply say to myself, "Let's just get through today without a drink. Just today."

When I would say, "I'm never going to drink again, ever!" I always failed. But when I approach it with a "one day at a time" mindset, then the challenge doesn't seem so overwhelming to me.

And when the cravings are REAALLLY BAD, I adjust the internal dialogue to "let's just get through the next hour without a drink... just the next hour.."

Also, reading the Soberrecovery forums helps me a lot, too. I find strength and motivation to stay sober when I come here.

Walking the dog, cooking, jogging.....I try to get involved with anything that distracts me from the mindset of using when the craving hits.

Best wishes to you... You're not alone!

Tang

Mirage74 - I too have anxiety problems and am still figuring it out. I'd note if you search the boards there is a lot of threads on this. If you are in early recovery anxiety can be heightened. Personally, the only way I can stop my racing mind is exercise. Preferably cardio. Even a walk around the block helps. But that is just me . Sending good thoughts in your direction.

Mirage74

I ate some dinner. The cravings have reduced but are still hanging around. I went through a laundry list of things that could be gnawing at me, and it turns out it's not just one thing, but a lot of things. That's probably why I couldn't pinpoint it. That's been my MO for a long time - when worried about things, just drink, as if that solved everything. For now, I'm focused on the next hour. Thx for replies

Mizzuno

Mirage- I am not sure if this will help, but when I get worried these days I write down the worry on a piece of paper and put it in a box....(well, a yogurt container with a hole cut out of the lid named "God Box") So, physically writing down the "worries" and writing for them to be taken away from me (because I can not do anything about them right now) has helped. I get the thoughts out of my head and move on. Give these worries away to what ever energy you think will absorb them ( meaning: God, Universe, what have you)

I hope that you will feel better soon.

Mizzuno

DoubleDragons

I read recently that when you start feeling anxiety and worry say to yourself, "Hmm, interesting, where am I feeling the anxiety in my body? What does it physically feel like?" Sounds contrite, but it works. I notice my anxiety is always in my stomach and I wonder why I have ulcers. HA! Anyway, the focusing on the physical aspects of the feelings, changes the thought patterns and stops the anxiety feelings from spiraling. Try it.

Mirage74

Yes, DD, mine is in my stomach. It's this deep seated feeling of dread, guilt, and worry, like something's wrong. What makes it so hard is that drinking takes it away, at least temporarily.

Really, I just want to get drunk and forget about it. If I'm honest, that's what I want to do. Thanks for all the suggestions.

duane1

One thing is to say, "I will not drink today." Don't worry about tomorrow. Whatever you do, don't drink today!
I don't know how long you have quit for, but I too had the same feelings after I quit. It goes away in time or at least becomes less intense and more manageable.
You might want to look into AVRT. It was very helpful with cravings. Do you have a local support system like AA? That can be helpful too.

Mirage74

Thx Duane. I am on day 12 and tonight has been my toughest cravings yet. It's not physical cravings, more emotional, like I described. I really have gotten through these12 days with something similar to AVRT. I just decided I'm not going to drink, no matter what. And it has worked well until tonight.

This is not my first time quitting. I have quit many times and failed. I've been to countless AA meetings and have decided I just don't like it. I find the meetings depressing. I just need to find a way to deal with this stuff.

Nuudawn

Hey Mirage...I hope you are hanging in there. I really think there is something in what you said above there. When I read your post I thought about something my therapist said...early on...in my counselling. She was referring to addiction and basically wrote out an arcing line on her notepad. She said there are certain points before relapse that we are able to head it off...blow out the steam so to speak because if we don't..relapse is gaining momentum and there comes a point where the craving overpowers us. We cannot allow ourselves to get too hungry, too angry, too lonely, too tired...and I mean all of that in the broadest of senses.

You need to figure out what is eating at you. Are you lonely? Are you angry? Are you spiritually lost? What's going on?

Mirage74

Thx Nuudawn, I'm still hangin in there, getting ready to hit the hay. As far as your questions, it's probably all of the above. I've been thinking about it tonight and it's not just one big thing, it's a combination of a lot of things - money, relationships, job, anger, guilt, etc. And spiritually lost? Yea, I would say im spiritually lost. I don't even know what spirituality is. But thanks for the post, the encouragement/advice really helps.

DoubleBarrel

For me, rational recovery really helped me distance myself from the cravings.

White knuckling till they pass is really rough.

They REALLY diminish in time.

How long has it been since your last drink?

Nuudawn

Gosh..I wish I knew the right words. For me, spirituality is like coming home...within you. Awhile back..before I quit drinking actually. The drinking was wasn't working anymore and the pain of just being me was becoming unbearable. I was running alot at the time..and on this particular day I was running and the song "Home" by that Idol winner came on my Ipod. I had what I would call a spiritual moment when I heard lyrics I'd probably heard dozens of times before..when he sang "I'm going to make this place your home"..a light came on in me. I suddenly realized I had to make me...my own interior my home. It seems to me like a process started within me that day. Oddly enough, I ended up getting drunk that night and almost ended my life...thankfully, that did not happen.
A process had begun. I randomly picked up a book that someone had given me in a previous sobriety attempt called "The Spirituality of Imperfection". It was a very important book for me. In the book, I found more resonance with the "home" concept when the author spent a great deal of time talking about "home"...other things of spiritual nature started to come my way. I won't get too much more into it because I don't want to sound wacko and scare ya off with a word like Jesus or something : )

All I can say is that sobriety for me is all about finding my way home. I do urge you to find some source of spiritual nurturance somewhere...

I would highly recommend that book as a start. It takes wisdom from all faiths and sources, including wisdom right out of the rooms of AA (incidentally I am not a member of AA).

I don't want to push anything on you ..cuz well..that's not the way I like to think I roll...but I believe that our home is found within. Sure I still get lonely or stress or overwhelmed with emotions..but the howling emptiness...is gone.

One other book suggestion..if you're a reader? "Looking for God Knows What" by Donald Miller. At the very least, it will make you chuckle : )

Br00ksie

With being sober comes the fact that you have to FEEL. As a person who relied on numbing, I turned to substance to dull unpleasant feelings. It worked part-time at BEST and only temporarily.

The truth is that feelings are a part of life and sobriety is about learning how to cope by embracing and exploring those feelings (good and bad). It's difficult to do but the more you do it, the easier it will get.

I try to face life with the understanding that pain is not punishment and pleasure is not a reward. They're just two unavoidable, TEMPORARY aspects of life that are best processed with a sober mind. Once you become familiar with the root of your cravings, you can arm yourself with the tools to process them.

LadyinBC

One of the things I used in the beginning and still do is HALT.

Am I hungry, angry, lonely or tired. These can be triggers for many people, so when I have a craving I try to see if any of these apply to me and fix them.

Tang

HALT is awesome.