Dealing with cravings.
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: USA
Posts: 415
Dealing with cravings.
I'm so grateful that I am able to use the resources available to me to combat the urges to use.. And I've noticed that the more I work the program and the more I use those resources to my advantage, the shorter the cravings last and the fewer I get - Who would have thought?
I gotta tell ya' though, today I had a couple of surprisingly intense urges to use amphetamines to the point where my heart was racing for a second and I was obsessing over how great it would be - BUT - I stopped; took a step back; played the tape all the way through; and asked my Higher Power to remove the obsession to use, and miraculously the cravings died and I went about my day.
And these methods/resources don't just apply to craving one particular drug(in my case it was speed) It doesn't matter what or how much we used.
If your struggling with urges/cravings, here are some things that have helped me that you could try:
Call someone
If your in a 12 step program, call your sponsor or another recovering addict/alcoholic what your thinking, feeling, or planning to do. One addict relating to another is a great way to keep in touch with the reality of using. If you're not in a program, call a close friend or family member who isn't using, just getting it out of your head helps immensely; Our secrets die in the light of exposure.
Play the tape ALL the way through
If your obsessing about good experiences with using/drinking or how great it will be, try to take a step back and think about how bad it got towards the end of your using, try to think and concentrate of how painful it was and know that one drug will bring you back to that place eventually.
Distract yourself
Do anything, anything at all, that is healthy that will get your mind off of using. Exercising, walking, listening to music, cooking, going to a meeting, are just some of the many things that will help distract you from the thoughts of using/drinking.
Don't use/drink just for today
In the midst of a strong craving, the thought of not being able to use again can be completely and utterly unbearable. Try thinking of it as not using for today only, deal with tomorrow when it gets here, but for today don't use. If that is too unbearable break it down to smaller slots like "I'm just not going to use for the next 10 minutes" It makes things a lot less overwhelming.
Pray
For those of you who are spirtual or religious, turning it over to the care of your Higher Power takes away a lot of the pressure. Ask your higher power to keep you clean and remove the obsession to get high. I never thought it would work, but for me, this is one of the most powerful tools for staying clean.
Ok, I feel like I'm preaching now so I'll stop. If anyone else has any other methods please feel free to share!
I gotta tell ya' though, today I had a couple of surprisingly intense urges to use amphetamines to the point where my heart was racing for a second and I was obsessing over how great it would be - BUT - I stopped; took a step back; played the tape all the way through; and asked my Higher Power to remove the obsession to use, and miraculously the cravings died and I went about my day.
And these methods/resources don't just apply to craving one particular drug(in my case it was speed) It doesn't matter what or how much we used.
If your struggling with urges/cravings, here are some things that have helped me that you could try:
Call someone
If your in a 12 step program, call your sponsor or another recovering addict/alcoholic what your thinking, feeling, or planning to do. One addict relating to another is a great way to keep in touch with the reality of using. If you're not in a program, call a close friend or family member who isn't using, just getting it out of your head helps immensely; Our secrets die in the light of exposure.
Play the tape ALL the way through
If your obsessing about good experiences with using/drinking or how great it will be, try to take a step back and think about how bad it got towards the end of your using, try to think and concentrate of how painful it was and know that one drug will bring you back to that place eventually.
Distract yourself
Do anything, anything at all, that is healthy that will get your mind off of using. Exercising, walking, listening to music, cooking, going to a meeting, are just some of the many things that will help distract you from the thoughts of using/drinking.
Don't use/drink just for today
In the midst of a strong craving, the thought of not being able to use again can be completely and utterly unbearable. Try thinking of it as not using for today only, deal with tomorrow when it gets here, but for today don't use. If that is too unbearable break it down to smaller slots like "I'm just not going to use for the next 10 minutes" It makes things a lot less overwhelming.
Pray
For those of you who are spirtual or religious, turning it over to the care of your Higher Power takes away a lot of the pressure. Ask your higher power to keep you clean and remove the obsession to get high. I never thought it would work, but for me, this is one of the most powerful tools for staying clean.
Ok, I feel like I'm preaching now so I'll stop. If anyone else has any other methods please feel free to share!
Last edited by jakec; 03-07-2014 at 07:06 PM. Reason: spelling
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