Cravings after a long time
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 360
Cravings after a long time
I never really considered myself a terrible drinker, marijuana was always the big problem for me. If I have it I'll use it, every single night, there's no use trying to control it because it just won't work, I know this. In the last year I've started to drift in that direction with alcohol as well, when we moved I started drinking a lot more, sometimes to try and stay away from the pot, and I soon realized that not only did I have cravings to smoke pot, but to go to the liquor store as well.
Anyways, I hear most people say that it gets easier over time, but for me it's been the opposite. I usually use until I get mentally screwed up, or in the case of alcohol I'll drink way too much, get sick and swear off it. I can go weeks, even months clean without much of a problem, but somewhere along the line the cravings come back. Usually they start out kind of mild, but the longer I ignore them, the stronger they get, and they stick around for days.
I have caved in every single time when the cravings come back, maybe not on the first day or so, but by the end of a week usually I'm done for. Why does this even happen? After a twelve week stretch I'm definitely not in the habit of using any more, so it just doesn't make sense as to why the cravings would come back, out of the blue.
I've tried to look up advice before, like reminding yourself why you chose to quit, the problem is my own mind works against me, the addictive half of me will just reach over and corrupt the good side until I find myself saying things like
"I blew it out of proportion."
"I can control it this time."
Or I just plain don't care and would rather go back to using, even if the consequences are there. I just don't know how to get around such persistent and long term cravings, it sucks, and I can't say I've heard anyone else describe a cycle like this before, where it gets worse in the later weeks rather than easier.
Anyways, I hear most people say that it gets easier over time, but for me it's been the opposite. I usually use until I get mentally screwed up, or in the case of alcohol I'll drink way too much, get sick and swear off it. I can go weeks, even months clean without much of a problem, but somewhere along the line the cravings come back. Usually they start out kind of mild, but the longer I ignore them, the stronger they get, and they stick around for days.
I have caved in every single time when the cravings come back, maybe not on the first day or so, but by the end of a week usually I'm done for. Why does this even happen? After a twelve week stretch I'm definitely not in the habit of using any more, so it just doesn't make sense as to why the cravings would come back, out of the blue.
I've tried to look up advice before, like reminding yourself why you chose to quit, the problem is my own mind works against me, the addictive half of me will just reach over and corrupt the good side until I find myself saying things like
"I blew it out of proportion."
"I can control it this time."
Or I just plain don't care and would rather go back to using, even if the consequences are there. I just don't know how to get around such persistent and long term cravings, it sucks, and I can't say I've heard anyone else describe a cycle like this before, where it gets worse in the later weeks rather than easier.
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,432
Hi Admiral
Welcome
pot and alcohol went together for me - if I had one I needed the other - if I craved one I craved the other, so I understand the way they can be tied intrinsically together.
As far as cravings go - I had to learn that abstinence is not the same as recovery for me -for me, to not want to drink or get high again, and be happy about that, I had to do a lot more than simply just not drink or smoke.
Maybe you're like me and you need to do that too?
D
Welcome
pot and alcohol went together for me - if I had one I needed the other - if I craved one I craved the other, so I understand the way they can be tied intrinsically together.
As far as cravings go - I had to learn that abstinence is not the same as recovery for me -for me, to not want to drink or get high again, and be happy about that, I had to do a lot more than simply just not drink or smoke.
Maybe you're like me and you need to do that too?
D
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