Daveman

Hi,

Been here before, but wanted to start fresh with a new profile.
After accepting a couple of years ago that alcohol was ruining my life & that of those around me, I have been trying to quit for good.

I think the longest I have managed in that time is 5 or 6 weeks.

Now a week in (again), I need to make this the last time, & break the cycle for good.

Mornings are great "I've got my head round this, I feel great, I'm gonna do it", but then the familiar thoughts & feelings start creeping back after a long day at work, thirsty, the sun's out- "oh everyone has a few beers after work, how can I go to that bbq / wedding & not drink - don't be stupid" etc etc you know what I'm talking about.

My question is how long do these cravings last? I know from before that after a month or so they become less - but they are still strong. People say the first few weeks are the hardest. Do these cravings really start to go away after a few months??

Thanks all, going to try to post daily, see you soon

time2shineagain

I'm a newbie as well, Daveman, so don't have much advice about the long term...but for me at the moment it's one day at a time and keeping really busy. Walking the dog, cleaning the house, reading and posting here on SR. Wishing you well in your recovery. Well done on 6 weeks previously!

D122y

Dave,

I am 2 years clean and folks can't believe I crave sometimes.

Not like before though. Friday after work was the worst.

Sat afternoon was tuff too.

Now the crave is more of a passing thought.

I know if I drink, will get drunk...slurring, euporia for about an hour unless I drink to pass out..... Nightmare.

I am also trapped to foot soldier status and guaranteed to suffer afterwards.

My hang overs lasted a week. My anxiety was horrible for months and months.

It is all gone now.

That is my thought process. Drinking doesn't make sense now that I am educated on the long term issues.

Thanks.

ShaneW

The length of cravings depends on how long you were alcoholically drinking and how much you drank when drinking, if you follow. It also strongly depends on what you are doing to build a new life separate from alcohol.

For me I had to change basically everything because during my drinking days EVERYTHING was centered around alcohol. The friends I had were heavy drinkers, the activities I/we did usually involved drinking (bars, "dinner" which involved cabs rides home), and so went my thoughts - always about drinking. When I changed my daily habits and reached out for help which in turn gave me new sober friends, the mental obsession (cravings) was rather quickly removed. But that is just my experience, everyone's is different.

I found sanctuary here for my first 11 days of sobriety, and the people here would talk of their own experience and how meetings helped them. While amidst a craving/withdrawal induced anxiety attack I decided I had nothing to lose by checking out one of these meetings. I found a home there. I found hope there. That was over five years ago and I haven't taken a drink or drug since. That is just my experience, thats all I (or any of us) have to offer.

Best of luck...I will share with you a line from a fellow SR member here that helped spark my willingness to try something I was fearful of (going to an actual meeting) and led to a life more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.

-I find that when I step out of my comfort zone, I am able to grow-

Forward12

It varies from person to person, but what makes the difference is how you learn to handle the "beast"
For example "well it's a bbq, everyone drinks there! What's wrong with a couple?" That the AV BS talk.
Your response could be "Sure, I can drink as well, this tall glass of tea and actually enjoy the food, have conversations, and remember it all! Not to mention I won't have to worry about being "that guy" at the party who got drunk and made a complete ass out of themselves. Hey, look at that! there's other people not drinking alcohol either! I CAN have a great time, without being blitzed out of my marbles"

CreativeThinker

I think it was about a month or so before my cravings subsided... As others have said, changing your routine helps a lot....especially during those times when your cravings are the worst (after work). Instead of coming home after work, why not go to the gym and workout. After a good workout, I feel great and the last thing I want to do is drink.

VigilanceNow

I agree with what those above have said. It completely depends on you, your body chemistry, and of course what you are doing to be proactive. I find that in the first few weeks sober, I feel proud and am always astonished at how much better I feel.

But then many times after a while, my selective memory kicks in and it's as if I've forgotten how terrible it is. The spiral happens every time I pick up a drink. I've been trying writing so that I remember how invariably destructive it is. I've written myself letters, posted notes... It seems silly sometimes, but I have to keep up the work or I get those cravings. Stay on top of it constantly! I know some people talk about the obsession being lifted, but I've never managed to achieve that completely. Maybe one day

HTown

It took about 3-4 months for me to not fight every single day. I changed up my routine. Walked around the block, went to grocery store, went to a movie., went to a bookstore, and started building scale models again like I did when I was a kid. I did anything but plop on the couch and zone out with tv which is what I did drinking beer.

BrendaChenowyth

Have faith in yourself and at the same time do not be too hard on yourself. You're going to have cravings and that is because you have always had them. Let them come up, acknowledge that you don't have to drink just because you have a craving, and then decide what you're going to do instead. You'll have good and bad days, on good days you'll realize you've been so in the moment you haven't even given alcohol a thought, but on bad days, you'll feel like you're playing ping pong. I think resisting the thought of wanting to drink makes it stronger. Be like, okay I see you. That's okay. But we don't have to go there. So eventually you become conditioned that every time the urge to drink comes up, you simply ignore it, and do something else, through being consistent, over time the urges become much less intense.

I am only speaking from my experience of being able to maintain for six months, three of which were good. I did find that by neglecting self-care and become too socially isolated and resentful, I did get to a point where I didn't care and I relapsed. You need to take care of yourself and be with people that understand you.

Dee74

Have you seen this link before Daveman?

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-cravings.html

some great stuff in there

welcome back!
D

madgirl

As soon as the thought of getting a drink enters your mind, say HALT - hungry? Angry? Lonely? Tired? You are probably at least one of those, or a combination of those states. You can then get right to work resolving the state - eating a snack, taking a nap, texting someone//posting here, etc.

I realize how lame this sounds but doing this really did help me in the first 100 days. Im at a year and almost four months and I don't experience any real cravings now.