Craved Beer...Ate Lunch...Craving Dead
 

All morning (after skipping breakfast) I fantasized about drinking a few cold beers, to the point where I could practically taste them. It was kind of torturous and I didn't know how I'd ever make it. Now after eating lunch, I have zero desire to drink and feel much more at ease. Have any other newcomers experienced this phenomenon, where eating palliates seemingly insurmountable cravings 100%?

Definitely. I think it must be why I'd often put off or avoid eating dinner during a binge, and why I made sure to get the first drink in while cooking in case I no longer wanted it after eating. I really hope, the next time I crave, that a good lunch or dinner will still have the same affect.

Oh and well done for coming through your craving unscathed :)

When you feel like drinking, HALT works. Stop and think, are you:

Hungry
Angry
Lonely
Tired?

Usually the answer to at least one of these questions is yes. Good for you for resisting the urge!

With the HALT thing, which I'd not heard of before, what do you do if the answer is angry?

When I was drinking steadily, maybe a
baloney sandwich or glass of milk was
all that I would eat. I was basically on
a liquid diet and had no desire to eat.

Now I try to eat three balanced meals
a day (not including the Reese's) and
I do believe that it does quell those
urges. I do eat too many sweets. :)

Exercise, read, write, call a friend....breathe.....whatever helps you calm down. I hate being angry. It is a huge trigger for me. Sometimes ya just gotta sit with the feeling until it passes.

Thanks all. HALT seems like a useful tool that I will remember from now on.

I'm with you guys -- I hate being angry too and it's also a big trigger for me. I've been using long slow breaths and looking out my window to try and deal with that.

As alcoholics, anger appears to be one
of our most dominant emotions.

In my case, I had a million reasons to
be angry all of the time.

Yes! Your blood sugar was low and your body knows that alcohol elevates the blood sugar quickly. I always carry a small bottle of OJ with me and when it happens, the OJ does the trick. Good for you pressing through and not drinking.:c011:

I'm the same.
A milkshake, an orange juice or a hot chocolate seems to sort me out the same.
I don't get the same if I eat something sweet.
Must be faster sugar absorption via liquid.

Glad you find it helps you.
Its nice sharing tips that work the well the world over!

Wishing you the best xx

I used to love drinking milk with my meals. When I was drinking heavily though, I avoided milk. Milk and alcohol are not a good mix. Now, when I have an urge to drink, I drink a large glass of chocolate milk. Alcohol urge gone.

Filling my stomach with food meant I was less likely to fill it with alcohol. :)

Eating makes me not want to drink which I also just experienced. For me, my routine involved getting as much as much drink into my system before eating something small because I didn't want it to interfere with my buzz or make me require more than I needed. On days when I was disciplining myself, I'd go eat a normal meal first and then I wouldn't really want to drink because it would take so much more and I'd feel full. Needless to say, food got pushed aside because drink was so important.