SummerBee

Hi all. I was wondering about cravings and the AV and how it feels. Do we all experience the same feelings ? For me, it starts mid afternoon, getting ready to really challenge me at 5pm. Its almost like a feeling if hunger, a sort of knawing in my chest and throat. Just wondered if any one else gets it the same ?

FarToGo

Not really so physical anymore (I do think that wears of for most of us), but a sort of thought wave, romancing alcohol, so warming, sociable, funny, convivial....................... and other delusions that I know to be total rubbish.

Aellyce

I had very intense and frequent cravings both times when I got sober. Typically it starts with me getting bored and thoughts that it would be "nice" to just leave whatever I am doing, head to the liquor store, then home, and get wasted. I find it very difficult to concentrate on whatever I am doing (including conversations when the craving hits me in the middle) and the thoughts of drinking become very dominant over every other thought. If I resist, I can become very restless, irritable, scatter brained, mentally hyper, sometimes flooded by memories of previous drinking episodes (of course my mind selects the "good" memories at these times). If I don't do anything other than just riding it out, the episode progresses gradually, typically peaks after ~20-30 minutes, then gradually dissipates. Sometimes the "peak" can be extremely intense, almost like a sort of alternate reality experience, occasionally mixed with suicidal thoughts even. Very uncomfortable, disturbing and challenging. My craving episodes don't tend to last very long at a time but I had days early on when I would have these intense urges on and off all day. The best and almost instant "neutralizing" method I have ever found is eating a good nutritious meal, something I like. I used this generously both times getting sober but don't like to rely on it for long for obvious reasons.

In terms of timing, I used to experience cravings at specific times related to my drinking habits but as my alcoholism progressed, I could engage in my binges anytime during the day when I decided to, so my cravings pattern pretty much lacked time frame, although I did tend to have stronger ones in mid-afternoon.

ScottFromWI

I think we're all probably a little different. For me I usually had withdrawals/hangovers every morning and I didn't really have "cravings" per se - I simply drank all the time other than the few hours that I was at work. As soon as I left work I started drinking and didn't stop until I fell asleep or passed out and drank pretty much all day long on days that I wasn't working.

After I quit I did't really have specific cravings to drink either, I was simply a constant wreck for at least a couple of weeks as my mind was getting adjusted to not being sedated all the time. Anxiety was very strong and I was not sleeping well, etc.

I think in the long run we need to realize that our addiction is a systemic problem...and that individual "cravings" or "urges" are merely symptoms of that underlying issue. And the solution is to find healthy ways to deal with life on it's own terms.

Bunny211

I no longer experience cravings. That is a miracle. Early on I had insanely intense cravings and I would walk in circles in my apartment and just say over and over "Don't f----ing drink, don't drink, don't drink" for hours on end.

I worked the 12 steps through AA, and continue to work 10, 11 & 12, and have not had any desire to drink or use in a long time. Thank you God.

Fly N Buy

Somewhere around 60-90 days the urge or obsession was removed. Not splitting hairs, but craving for me doesn't occur unless I take that first drink. Then I crave more and more.

The obsession / urge or habit is what needed to be broken. The physical part though left very quickly.........Mostly then the problem was in between my ears.

Jade1224

I am in the service industry and i live in a tourist town. Mostly I get jealous of everyone day drinking.

I love to day drink. It's so nice to sit outside and look at the ocean and have a mimosa.

But it's also nice to go workout by the beach too. I am working on breaking habits. Instead of drinking I'm reading or working out

Dee74

A craving was like a gnawing in my stomach for me. I got agitated and sweaty and a little frantic.

Later on it became more mental in nature.

D

butcher70

Haven't really had to fight a bad craving in two years so I'm very lucky. When i get the passing thought of how good a few beers would be all I have to do is point out to myself how that has never once worked for me after the talons of alcohol set into me. The one fear I have though is my temper. The worst relapse of the many i had before stopping was after I lost my temper. It wasnt one of my normal relapses where I just said I'm gonna just have (insert number) for (insert time frame) and failed. That relapse was after losing my temper I flat out said screw everything. I got as much booze as I could buy and stayed drunk for weeks. The detox that followed led to seizures, ambulance trip and damn near dying. I try to stop my temper just like I do cravings. Thanks god I got a very long fuse. I can recognize it when I'm starting as it usually takes days and double up on workouts or read and just try to calm down and put things in perspective. I realize it's definitely the weak spot in my armour. And am trying to fix it

Zanna

I would think about having a drink and all the hairs on my neck would stand up (or feel like they were) and if brains had hairs, they would have stood up there as well (kinda what it felt like, all tingly) Hard to explain it really, but sure glad I won't have to feel it again

tekink

For me the cravings would be voices in my head telling me to have a drink or that a drink would be nice right now or some reason to simply drink. Before quitting I'd have a drink any time I heard that voice. Didn't matter if I was at work or at home. I simply could not shut the voice down. Denying the craving led to massive frustration. AVRT has helped me tremendously this time around and I haven't actually had them.

Behappy1

My cravings aren't physical anymore. All mental. What triggers mine is my "to do" list that gets too long. My solution was to crack open a bottle @ night and go, go, go. Sometimes that worked, sometimes it did the opposite and I did nothing.

I am learning that my "to do" list needs to be kept manageable and I function better all the way around.

SunnyDenver

My cravings feel like that feeling when you're a teenager about to have sex for the first time. Like a rush of adrenaline. It's pretty powerful but if I surf it out and mindfully refute my AV it goes away.

IWalkTheLine

My cravings come in the form of sickness and pain and knowing I can end it with a couple of pills. I got off heroin 20 years ago and alcohol 4 years ago, I guess I was just stronger back then.

graciepearl

Mine are very visual. I don't crave it physically but I see myself drink in hand relaxed and numb. Just like you see in movies when the addict puts the needle in their arm once injected in the vein brings instant reward and then a lifetime of pain.

HilltownPete

I have two different cravings. for the first couple days after a binge, I just have the urge to drink. I want it. I need it. I have to have it. I have a difficult time saying no.....until I shock myself into the mindset of turning off the switch.

then after a couple months of sobriety, I start thinking about the (not very funny) joke: there is life after substance abuse, it's just not as much fun. then I start romancing the thoughts of the wonderful high of the first drink, completely forgetting the drudgery of the inevitable chasing the high. My craving manifests itself in a delusion that drinking life is more fun than sober life.

Darwinia

My craving manifests itself when I socialise. I feel I need a drink to make it more fun. No, I do need a drink. Now I just accept socialising is less fun.