Habit and addiction
Professional zombie fighter
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Texas
Posts: 341
Habit and addiction
So I'm on day five here (after stringing alternately a few days of drinking and a few days of sobriety together over and over for a few weeks now).
So I want to talk about cravings. Or like, that lightning bolt urge to drink that can lead to thought patterns that can lead to drinking, is what I mean.
Three days ago I started fully tracking my cravings in a journal every time they hit, which is usually between two and ten times an hour. I wrote down not just that I wanted to drink, but the thoughts that preceded the craving. (I got the idea to track my cravings this way from the works of Dr. Lance Dodes, if anyone's interested.)
And I noticed a thing. There are two kinds of cravings, for me.
One, I am confronted with an emotion I can't handle having. Shame, loneliness, rage, self loathing, humiliation, inferiority. And my brain lights up with the solution, which is to be drunk. This is maybe what you call psychological addiction?
Two, I am confronted with a situation or the thought of a situation in which I typical would drink. Like just watching a movie by myself, or turning on music and vegging out listening. Or going out with certain friends. This is maybe what you call a habit?
Two separate kinds of things, but connected. The first kind helps explain how I got into this mess, the second kind shows how kind of self-perpetuating this mess becomes.
And the thought gives me hope. Because I know that with time, at the very least the habit-centered cravings are sure to fade, right? That would be a help.
I just wanted to post this to see if anybody knows what I mean and has any related thoughts.
So I want to talk about cravings. Or like, that lightning bolt urge to drink that can lead to thought patterns that can lead to drinking, is what I mean.
Three days ago I started fully tracking my cravings in a journal every time they hit, which is usually between two and ten times an hour. I wrote down not just that I wanted to drink, but the thoughts that preceded the craving. (I got the idea to track my cravings this way from the works of Dr. Lance Dodes, if anyone's interested.)
And I noticed a thing. There are two kinds of cravings, for me.
One, I am confronted with an emotion I can't handle having. Shame, loneliness, rage, self loathing, humiliation, inferiority. And my brain lights up with the solution, which is to be drunk. This is maybe what you call psychological addiction?
Two, I am confronted with a situation or the thought of a situation in which I typical would drink. Like just watching a movie by myself, or turning on music and vegging out listening. Or going out with certain friends. This is maybe what you call a habit?
Two separate kinds of things, but connected. The first kind helps explain how I got into this mess, the second kind shows how kind of self-perpetuating this mess becomes.
And the thought gives me hope. Because I know that with time, at the very least the habit-centered cravings are sure to fade, right? That would be a help.
I just wanted to post this to see if anybody knows what I mean and has any related thoughts.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 35
I feel exactly like you and I'm on day 5 as well. I feel rage toward some people as if they're better than me. Then I get this weird feeling because valentines is coming and I'm going to spend time with my girl and my mind yeah baby let's drink. But I'm not going to
Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: East Coast USA
Posts: 120,877
Great to see you working on your sobriety, help. Congratulations on five days.
Has anyone sent you the links on urge surfing and cravings?
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-cravings.html
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...e-surfing.html
Has anyone sent you the links on urge surfing and cravings?
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-cravings.html
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...e-surfing.html
Forum Leader
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Wisconsin, USA
Posts: 16,945
I have not read Dr Dodes myself, but to be quite frank it sounds like you are spending an inordinate amount of time, borderline obsessing, about the cravings - and perhaps even perpetuating them?
On day 5 you are still quite possibly in the acute withdrawal phase...and most people are really a mess the first week - I know I was. Any chance you could try and pick up some other activites to take your mind off the cravings and tracking them - say some light exercise or simply reading a book/taking a walk?
On day 5 you are still quite possibly in the acute withdrawal phase...and most people are really a mess the first week - I know I was. Any chance you could try and pick up some other activites to take your mind off the cravings and tracking them - say some light exercise or simply reading a book/taking a walk?
Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: East Coast USA
Posts: 120,877
Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 25,373
Time is the great healer.
You're right, discomfort is what we learn to numb out with alcohol.
Stay with sobriety for some time, your brain will settle down and the obsessions will diminish exponentially. A lot of this is physical, neurological. The cure is abstinence.
You're right, discomfort is what we learn to numb out with alcohol.
Stay with sobriety for some time, your brain will settle down and the obsessions will diminish exponentially. A lot of this is physical, neurological. The cure is abstinence.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ireland
Posts: 25,826
5 Days is fantastic!! 
Yeah I found both my habits and mechanisms for dealing with life were all centred around alcohol, but as time goes on we can develop new habits and find new tools for life's stresses, it's gonna take time, but it can be done!!
Yeah I found both my habits and mechanisms for dealing with life were all centred around alcohol, but as time goes on we can develop new habits and find new tools for life's stresses, it's gonna take time, but it can be done!!
Sober Alcoholic
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,539
I really like your observations helpimalive. I think you have discovered a valuable tool for yourself. It can give you much insight into the nature of your cravings.
I agree that there are various types of cravings. I think that you will find that those associated with specific activities will tend to diminish in proportion to the number of times you experience them and do not give in. Repetition will make the association gradually go away because it will not be paired with drinking... so eventually the craving (and even the thought of alcohol) will go away in those situations.
The sort of craving associated with emotions tend to be quite different from those associated with situations. They are also different from individual to individual and can be trickier to deal with. This is where treatment programs and addiction professionals can be quite helpful. Alternatives to alcohol and chemical use must be learned and implemented. This often involves methods to change how we assess situations and think about them.
I think there is also a third sort of craving that is associated with various spiritual conditions. This is much harder to recognize for many individuals. I think that AA addresses this dimension quite well and is the reason for much of it's success.
You need to be very alert also to combinations of the above different sorts of cravings. These "combo" cravings can be extremely intense. Breaking down the nature of the craving is important. Even more important is what you do in response to these very intense urges to drink or use (often associated with a severe case of the FVCK ITS). Plan for this with something you can do immediately like call someone, leave the house, exercise etc. etc. Then implement the plan.
Good work helpimalive.
I agree that there are various types of cravings. I think that you will find that those associated with specific activities will tend to diminish in proportion to the number of times you experience them and do not give in. Repetition will make the association gradually go away because it will not be paired with drinking... so eventually the craving (and even the thought of alcohol) will go away in those situations.
The sort of craving associated with emotions tend to be quite different from those associated with situations. They are also different from individual to individual and can be trickier to deal with. This is where treatment programs and addiction professionals can be quite helpful. Alternatives to alcohol and chemical use must be learned and implemented. This often involves methods to change how we assess situations and think about them.
I think there is also a third sort of craving that is associated with various spiritual conditions. This is much harder to recognize for many individuals. I think that AA addresses this dimension quite well and is the reason for much of it's success.
You need to be very alert also to combinations of the above different sorts of cravings. These "combo" cravings can be extremely intense. Breaking down the nature of the craving is important. Even more important is what you do in response to these very intense urges to drink or use (often associated with a severe case of the FVCK ITS). Plan for this with something you can do immediately like call someone, leave the house, exercise etc. etc. Then implement the plan.
Good work helpimalive.
Hears The Voice
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Unshackled
Posts: 7,901
Interesting stuff. I also found an element of habit in the emotional cravings. My habitual response to feeling happy, sad, mad, etc. was to drink. I had to develop new ways, new habits, for dealing with those emotions.
The strongest associative habit I needed to break was the beer-after-a-hard-day-of-work-around-the-house. When I was young my father, who could make 6-pack last a month, worked hard around the house on the weekends. He would clean the garage, rake, mow, etc. and at the end of the day would announce "time for beer". As an adult I will work hard around my house on the weekends and the thought of a beer (or in my case 15) as a reward for that was always very strong.
Just have to plow through and make new habits. There's no other way.
The strongest associative habit I needed to break was the beer-after-a-hard-day-of-work-around-the-house. When I was young my father, who could make 6-pack last a month, worked hard around the house on the weekends. He would clean the garage, rake, mow, etc. and at the end of the day would announce "time for beer". As an adult I will work hard around my house on the weekends and the thought of a beer (or in my case 15) as a reward for that was always very strong.
Just have to plow through and make new habits. There's no other way.
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