Handling cravings
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 15
Handling cravings
Fairly new to the forum.
Think it's awesome.
I wanted to start a thread to find out how people get past their cravings (there seem to be posts where people talk about this, but it's a bit fragmented).
So, please post your ways of dealing with daily cravings that are successful for you, so I can learn from all of you.
Hugs and love.
Think it's awesome.
I wanted to start a thread to find out how people get past their cravings (there seem to be posts where people talk about this, but it's a bit fragmented).
So, please post your ways of dealing with daily cravings that are successful for you, so I can learn from all of you.
Hugs and love.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Florida., USA
Posts: 3,252
Originally Posted by Sadie1 
I eat, drink fizzy water with juice. If anxious I do deep breathing. Wait out urge. Post here. Do something to occupy mind, video game, read.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: US
Posts: 5,095
Cravings. I have what I call rogue cravings fairly regularly. These aren't triggered by anything (stress, anger, a person, a place, a thing) . Its just my habituated brain saying, drink. For these I just notice them, label them, tell my brain NO, laugh and know they will pass.
For the cravings that are intense, caused by something, I again, notice them. I try to get quiet for a few minutes and recognize what is driving the craving. I label the feeling (anger, sadness, loneliness, fear etc), acknowledge it, but I don't attach to it and judge it. I move away from the feeling and tell myself it will pass. Again saying NO. I literally in all the years that I've been doing this have not had a craving last more than 20 minutes.
Now, there is a more insidious process that I have been taught is called Bud-ing. Or Building Up to Drink. This is when I stop my daily attention to taking care of myself and my life. I don't handle negative emotions and situations as they arise, but allow them to fester. I begin to over think, obsess if you will. I begin to catastrophize. I allow myself to be in situations I don't want to be in, with people that aren't good for me. I compromise my needs for the needs of others. I begin to resent. This is a dangerous process for me and can take months. This is what proceeds a relapse. That is why being vigilant, not fearful, but careful, everyday, to keep my thinking clear and my resentments handled. No procrastination.
When I'm having a physiological craving? I'm usually hungry or tired. So I eat and I rest.
The more I ride out a craving without giving in , the less often I have them. New habituation.
For the cravings that are intense, caused by something, I again, notice them. I try to get quiet for a few minutes and recognize what is driving the craving. I label the feeling (anger, sadness, loneliness, fear etc), acknowledge it, but I don't attach to it and judge it. I move away from the feeling and tell myself it will pass. Again saying NO. I literally in all the years that I've been doing this have not had a craving last more than 20 minutes.
Now, there is a more insidious process that I have been taught is called Bud-ing. Or Building Up to Drink. This is when I stop my daily attention to taking care of myself and my life. I don't handle negative emotions and situations as they arise, but allow them to fester. I begin to over think, obsess if you will. I begin to catastrophize. I allow myself to be in situations I don't want to be in, with people that aren't good for me. I compromise my needs for the needs of others. I begin to resent. This is a dangerous process for me and can take months. This is what proceeds a relapse. That is why being vigilant, not fearful, but careful, everyday, to keep my thinking clear and my resentments handled. No procrastination.
When I'm having a physiological craving? I'm usually hungry or tired. So I eat and I rest.
The more I ride out a craving without giving in , the less often I have them. New habituation.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Florida., USA
Posts: 3,252
Originally Posted by Frickaflip233
Cravings. I have what I call rogue cravings fairly regularly. These aren't triggered by anything (stress, anger, a person, a place, a thing) . Its just my habituated brain saying, drink. For these I just notice them, label them, tell my brain NO, laugh and know they will pass.
For the cravings that are intense, caused by something, I again, notice them. I try to get quiet for a few minutes and recognize what is driving the craving. I label the feeling (anger, sadness, loneliness, fear etc), acknowledge it, but I don't attach to it and judge it. I move away from the feeling and tell myself it will pass. Again saying NO. I literally in all the years that I've been doing this have not had a craving last more than 20 minutes.
Now, there is a more insidious process that I have been taught is called Bud-ing. Or Building Up to Drink. This is when I stop my daily attention to taking care of myself and my life. I don't handle negative emotions and situations as they arise, but allow them to fester. I begin to over think, obsess if you will. I begin to catastrophize. I allow myself to be in situations I don't want to be in, with people that aren't good for me. I compromise my needs for the needs of others. I begin to resent. This is a dangerous process for me and can take months. This is what proceeds a relapse. That is why being vigilant, not fearful, but careful, everyday, to keep my thinking clear and my resentments handled. No procrastination.
When I'm having a physiological craving? I'm usually hungry or tired. So I eat and I rest.
The more I ride out a craving without giving in , the less often I have them. New habituation.
For the cravings that are intense, caused by something, I again, notice them. I try to get quiet for a few minutes and recognize what is driving the craving. I label the feeling (anger, sadness, loneliness, fear etc), acknowledge it, but I don't attach to it and judge it. I move away from the feeling and tell myself it will pass. Again saying NO. I literally in all the years that I've been doing this have not had a craving last more than 20 minutes.
Now, there is a more insidious process that I have been taught is called Bud-ing. Or Building Up to Drink. This is when I stop my daily attention to taking care of myself and my life. I don't handle negative emotions and situations as they arise, but allow them to fester. I begin to over think, obsess if you will. I begin to catastrophize. I allow myself to be in situations I don't want to be in, with people that aren't good for me. I compromise my needs for the needs of others. I begin to resent. This is a dangerous process for me and can take months. This is what proceeds a relapse. That is why being vigilant, not fearful, but careful, everyday, to keep my thinking clear and my resentments handled. No procrastination.
When I'm having a physiological craving? I'm usually hungry or tired. So I eat and I rest.
The more I ride out a craving without giving in , the less often I have them. New habituation.
Do your best
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 67,047
There's SR links to urge surfing & tackling cravings here & excellent links to help build a plan which in turns helps with urges & cravings
Read all of this if your looking for tools to put in your toolbelt
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...at-we-did.html
Read all of this if your looking for tools to put in your toolbelt
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...at-we-did.html
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