At almost 7 months and getting cravings
 

Hi All,

Up until two weeks ago I had had almost zero cravings in sobriety; I am on medication to lessen cravings and have been since a few weeks in. Anyway, I've been under quite a bit of work stress throughout the last six months and never thought about drinking, but for some reason it popped into my mind two weeks ago and hasn't really left. I've prayed to my higher power to have him remove the desire to drink, which does help me in that moment, but it seems to always make its way back again.

I haven't changed anything about my recovery program (AA three times a week), and I definitely don't want to drink because I will ruin my life if I do. I guess I'm just reaching out for support - did cravings come out of the blue for anyone else? Just nice to know I'm not alone in this 😃 Thanks!

And PS, to any newcomers reading this, sobriety is absolutely, totally worth it! 😃

Yes, it happened to me so know you aren't alone. That's when I looked for something to keep myself busy. I ended up learning how to knit, something I recently picked up again

Congratulations on 7 months of recovery!

I think you're doing great and this is a good example of how important it is to be prepared for something like this.

Congrats on your impressive sober time! :scoregood I've been sober well over six years and still get cravings sometimes. I just counter them with logic, knowing full well if I drink, I could lose everything I enjoy in my life. I'm not about to throw that away. It helps, cravings or no, that I want to be sober more than I might ever want to drink.

And despite getting cravings from time to time, I still am repulsed at the thought of drinking. So my sobriety is stronger than my addiction. :)

I hear yah. Im about 7 months too and for some reason been getting urges like crazy lately. Im convinced it is the summer BBQ season and just the smell of outdoors and fresh warm air is something I havent had to deal with until now. So although I am at 7 months im approaching this month with major caution.
Dipping in to some of my first month tricks to knuckle through this. It will pass (ive done over a year before) and remembering how this period was the most difficult (season wise).

I'm 7 months and 1 day and this season has been the toughest. You are not alone... Keep praying. Add meetings and tighten recovery connections. Reach out.

This too shall pass!

Congrats on seven months!! I am about 5 and a half months, and feeling great right now, but I have had a few days where the thought of wine popped into my head. I made sure to busy myself, because in the past I didn't and I relapsed.

Good for you for posting now to come up with a plan. Any home projects you can throw yourself into? Good book? Online or in person class? Volunteer? New class at the gym? Walking club? Cooking class? Ok, lots of thoughts, and I think they are equally there for me to keep in mind as well.

You said it all right there! Go with that and say goodbye to all those thoughts of drinking!

Sobriety just gets better and better, doesn't it? :)

This is exactly the place to come w your cravings.

Typing about them helps get rid of them for me.

I have been Googling images of brains damaged by alcohol.

The long term damage is scary.

Why would any country allow for such a poison to be out there w out putting the facts out as well.

To many people are unaware until it is too late and they are addicted. Telling someone that drugs are bad is not enough. A few pictures of brain activity while on drugs is worth 1000 words.

A side by side of a normal brain and an alcoholic brain is also,such a wake up.

This should be taught in Grammer school.

Sad.

WOW. Thank you for sharing this...I just did a few searches and you are right about it being a motivator.

Congrats on 7 months sober! That is a huge accomplishment and I am so happy for you that even though you are having cravings, you have come to a point in your recovery where you know it is not worth it to drink! That is HUGE!

I find that whenever I start to "coast" then those thoughts start creeping back into my mind. Whenever that happens I acknowledge the feels and then find a couple new ways to revamp my recovery. For example, if I keep getting a craving at a certain time in the day, then it is time to put something constructive to do at that part of the day. Keeping a journal can help you organize your thoughts and see where the cravings are fitting themselves in and what you can do about it.

It might be going to another AA meeting, it might be calling a sober and supportive friend to check in every day, it might be going out to coffee, doing some yoga or meditation to get out of your head, coloring to just get the thoughts to stop overloading you, excising, etc.

You can do this!

I'm 8 months sober today and have cravings at times, too. My beverage of choice was always wine, but for some reason I keep getting sidetracked by the endless array of summer cocktail recipes in almost every magazine. I never made them when I drank, so why do I think I want to make one now??? Anyways. Luckily, cravings aren't life threatening and they usually go away once you get interested in something else.

have you worked those steps yet?

Thank you all so much for the wonderful support and advice. It really helps to know I'm not alone - and congratulations to you all on your sober time as well! I have noticed the cravings during the times when I used to drink: after work and weekend afternoons. So I've tried to hit the gym after work (which I have not been diligent about recently). Cravings definitely happen when I'm bored; luckily I'm starting a night class next week so that will take up lots of my time for the next 8 weeks. And Sugarbear, I just did step 5 :)

Thank you all again for your responses - it really meant a lot to me! Enjoy your sober weekend! :)

Sober since Dec 9 2015. Thought about drinking for the last couple of weeks but in the last few days it has subsided. I think it comes in waves. Realize it for what it is and I think it will go away in a few weeks or less. Like me you haven't been hungover in over 6 months. As The Donald would say "We are winners, winners win, never get tired of winning!" "Too much winning? Nah!"

Good job Swimkim

I've been there with the work stress and relapsing too. That was my #1 trigger. So far I think I have kicked it but it wasn't easy.

Congrats on seven months SwimKim!

I agree that work is a huge factor. I got transferred to another store location a few weeks back and I suddenly have had drinking thoughts again. Not huge cravings, just the "This job now sucks, I would love to have a drink to adjust my attitude" kind of thought.

The good weather also was another trigger for me. BBQ=beer.

I just keep playing that tape of myself right before I quit. I never want to have to start drinking as soon as I wake up again. No matter how crazy life gets, alcohol will only make it worse.

So glad you are doing well!

Thanks SG :) I always think back to myself in my room hungover at 2pm in the afternoon - that's right where one drink would take me. I don't want that ever again! The topic in my meeting the other night was "AA slogans" and one woman brought up "don't drink no matter what" as what got her through her second go at sobriety in AA. That one really resonates with me right now. As long as I don't drink everything will be okay!

Congrats on your sober time and thank you for posting. It helps me to remember that this feeling can crop up periodically and that we just have to get through it. It's inspiring to see you post, exactly what has to be done to overcome!