GreatInquiry7

Hey all -

Just over a year sober, and I'm curious:

Does anyone think physical (like actual eating) hunger can cause alcohol cravings? Today I didn't eat all day which is not typical for me, and I started to have cravings that I haven't had in a LONG time. I quickly ate a bunch of food and they subsided pretty much totally.

Curious veterans and others thoughts on this.

Thanks!

advbike

Yes. Very common, and it happens to me all the time. When the blood glucose gets low from not eating, the midbrain sends signals to eat or ingest something with high caloric content. This is one of it's primary functions. Coincidentally, it also knows one of the quickest ways to get relief is alcohol (and cookies)- due to the high sugar content, so we get cravings.

AA even has their HALT checklist - things to check for when cravings pop up (Hungry - Angry - Lonely - Tired).

least

Yes! Totally normal. Eating the craving away is a good strategy. Some really think ice cream does that very well. For me it was dark chocolate.

Anna

Oh yes, definitely. Hunger can cause cravings so it makes sense to keep a snack handy.

Mizz

Yes.
This is why I make sure to eat small amounts throughout the day. Keeps it all level.

anxiousrock

Yes, this is probably one of the biggest triggers. If you were a heavy drinker, you may not know the difference between cravings and a hunger cue (especially if you were malnourished during heavy drinking).

DriGuy

I hear it's common, but I don't think I have experienced it. My cravings were just my AV wanting a drink, and that could be before or after a meal.

JustJohn

I'm a proponent of AVRT, and find it highly effective for me. However, for myself, especially early on, I avoided allowing myself to get "hangry" and ate anything I wanted - especially chocolate covered almonds. It definitely helped me beat back my booze beast. I do whatever it takes to stay sober, from recognizing my AV and telling it to ****-off, to eating, exercising, coming here to SR and reading and posting to heading to bed with a book early. Sobriety by any means necessary...

DriGuy

I am too a proponent, but late to the party. After 25 years, I'm finally getting around to reading the book, which I'm now half way through, because since day one in my own recovery, I've recognized the need for more alternatives to becoming well that just AA. The AV part of AVRT, I've always recognized clearly in myself, although I didn't have a name for it until AVRT, but I heard it, recognized it as my worst enemy, and refused to give it any quarter. And like Jack Trimpey, I recognize that I spend an inordinate amount of time telling newbies to watch our for their AV, as it's the biggest killer of their sobriety they will face. Perhaps I even over emphasize it to an extreme.

I'm reading up on AVRT because I just I want to know. I really don't need any more in my own recovery, partly because of the fact that my recovery plan from the start, turns out to be an exact "photo copy" of AVRT's simple Big Plan:Trimpey almost beats the simplicity of this to death, I think because he wants people to fully understand that this plan is not something you say, but something you become. Do that, and you can move on with your life. Yeah, I'm a fan.

Learning what works best for our own individual needs is the big nuance of recovery. No matter what program you use, a store bought recipe, or roll your own, each of us needs to find those things that work for us and milk them for all their worth. I think we probably share in common most of the devices we use to stay sober, each to a greater or lesser degree. Chocolate almonds just weren't one on my list, but if I had any lying around, I'd probably eat one now that I'm thinking about it.

brighterday1234

Yes absolutely. Don’t get Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired, Sad. Most cravings will stem from that.

Aellyce

Yes, it is very well-known and related to the brain mechanisms hunger (and satiety from eating) trigger, similarities between that and the rewarding effects of alcohol (and cravings for it). It's more complex than just carbohydrate cravings, but does not really matter how it works exactly... The suggestion to have a nutritious, balanced, satisfying diet in early sobriety is a very good one - not the best time to go on a slimming diet, for example. IMO, it's also better to have a healthy diet rather than use sugar and junk food, because the latter can complicate cravings further and create other problems with those food groups later.

I even very consciously used eating to alleviate especially intense alcohol cravings, but try to do this only when nothing else seems to work. Usually just a normal meal that I enjoy, or a handful of nuts (without chocolate) or sometimes a rich smoothie (with fruits, protein and flavor I like). Works like a charm each time. I naturally like intermittent fasting as my normal diet, but preventing hunger with having more even meals can be a good idea to reduce the prevalence of strong alcohol cravings. We have all the time to play around with alternative diets or just get lazy eating later.

sugarbear1

I had to watch out for PHALT
Pain - Hunger - Anger - Loneliness - and being Tired

MLD51

Even after a good long time sober, (over 6 years) I have to watch out for getting too hungry, or my lizard brain tells me a drink might be good. I recognize it for what it is, and find something to eat, or at least drink some water if I can't eat right away. Sometimes I forget to eat because I get really busy, and then I realize I'm getting hangry, and that's one of my most vulnerable times for the AV to pipe up.