Mescal

So it's been 3 days since my last large intake of alcohol. Two days ago i had 1 beer. Yesterday I had 2..spaced well apart. Today i have a stronger urge. I've been keeping busy putting together christmas presents, cleaning the house. I think i need to get to the gym. I really don't think i will drink today, but i need to keep myself from getting to the point where I try to think of excuses to "run to town".

Anyone have good distraction techniques?

Isaiah

I think anything that keeps you engaged in something is good.

Whatever it is if you're doing, if you start having intense thoughts about drinking, just turn yourself back to what you're doing.

And be careful with those excuses. I know mostly from my own experience but also from others that we can at times depersonalize our thoughts, make the excuse that we are not in control and that it was our "craving that made me buy alcohol."

artsoul

I think any distraction is worth trying, but you mentioned exercise and that helps with so many things (not just getting through an urge), so that's a really good idea.

When I had my strongest urges, I got on my laptop and came here and just read like crazy. Eating something (or drinking fruit juice, having a piece of candy, etc) can really help too.

Another thing I did was to make a website for my artwork, something I'd been putting off for years. Lots of TV, house cleaning (like you said), computer..... and just plain waiting until the urge passes, because it does.

Good luck!

Dee74

Hi mescal
Welcome

For me the best way to combat cravings was to plug myself in to some kind of support, and to learn that cravings were just feelings - they may suck, but they never last very long - although it may seem that way. I was determined that drinking was not an option, so I kept busy and got through them, and they lessened over time.

There are other tools too. There's a tool called HALT. Make sure as much as you can you're not Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired cos those kinds of factors or strong emotions or stresses can trigger cravings.

Obviously the hunger trigger is easiest to fix . Often a candy can help with craving - or if you prefer to be healthy, something like cleaning your teeth can sometimes help too.

This is a technique many people use called Surfing the Urge

Dealing with Cravings
Overcoming Life's Obstacles: Urge Surfing to beat addictions and cravings

it may be useful to you too
D

least

I think as long as you're still drinking, even small amounts, your body and mind are going to keep craving it. By having one beer two days ago and having two yesterday, you're still 'feeding the beast'. Why not give it up for good? Cravings are just feelings, not actual events that must be acted upon. I hope you can stop feeding the beast before it takes control of you again.

Anna

I found that it was hard for me in the early evening, just after supper. So, I started going out for really long walks to distract myself. It turned out to be a blessing in so many ways. It did take my mind off drinking, I began to feel much better physically, and it helped me to begin to reconnect spiritually too.

I think you should do anything that can take your mind off drinking.

ISPYSOBRIETY

Lots of ice cold bottled water to sip on, some deep breathing, like three deep inhalations (one at a time of course haha) and the thoughts of needing anything else would disipate. The best part, I found with cravings was simply this... If you don't over react to them, they hold no power over you to do anything. You can let them live their short life before they vaporize. Each time they come along, the best reaction to them is no reaction... just ignore them like a spoiled kid until they fade into the nothing they were in the first place. They're not physical pain by any means, so they can't hurt us, bruise us, etc. They can just cause us to remember something we once did on a regular basis, which causes that feeling that resembles anxiety. But even when anxiety hits us, breathing, a cold drink of nice clean water and just not paying all that much attention to those half dead feelings will allow them to pass. Works for me.

I like computer gaming when I'm home, to occupy my mind. Fighting the bad guys online requires concentration, ya know? That in its self reinforces my resolve.