Top 3 Ways to Manage Alcohol Cravings

Cravings are intense feelings and desires to drink again. During alcoholism recovery, cravings are a usual and expected occurrence. Especially in early recovery, cravings can pop into your head out of nowhere. Although these are thoughts of relapse, experiencing cravings DOES NOT necessarily lead you to relapse. But, what can you do when cravings appear out of nowhere? Can psychological support help alcohol cravings? Are there any medications that can curb the urge to drink?

What Does An Alcohol Craving Feel Like?

Cravings are an intense desire for a drink. These urges for relapse may come as whispers in your head, thoughts like:

“I wish I could…”

or

“Just a sip.”

or

“Wouldn’t it be nice if…”

Sometimes, they come in your sleep to catch you off guard. Dreams about drinking can be very vivid, to an extent that you may even feel the smell and taste of alcohol.

What Are Alcohol Cravings Symptoms?

Alcohol cravings are both physical and mental feelings that regular drinkers avoid by drinking frequently and on daily basis. By drinking, you keep the blood alcohol levels high enough to prevent you from experiencing alcohol withdrawal symptoms. You are also actively engaging the craving as you drink. However, once the habitual drinking is discontinued, you can expect a series of predictable thoughts or thinking patterns to emerge.

Cravings are experienced as a part of the alcohol addiction condition, especially when you try to drastically lower the amount you drink or stop drinking completely. Further, cravings are not restricted to the weeks or months after you stop drinking. Cravings can also occur long after you’ve gone through withdrawal.

What Triggers A Craving?

An intense desire to drink usually occurs if/when a situation evokes your memories of the effects of alcohol. There are certain triggers of cravings, such as when you:

• are in contact with people, places or situations that you associate with this habit

• initially stop drinking (as a part of alcohol withdrawal)

• try to escape from unpleasant feelings such as depression, anxiety, boredom, stress, etc.

• want to enhance a positive mood (like you used to get from alcohol)

Other serious relapse triggers can occur anytime you feel:

• Hunger

• Anger

• Loneliness

• Tiredness

Top 3 Ways to Manage Cravings

1. Avoid the Triggers.

Avoid things that trigger your urges. There will be certain people, places, situations, or activities that trigger alcohol cravings. You should try to avoid them! Avoiding these triggers may mean changing things in your social life, private life, changing you living area, old activities, etc.

Practice saying “NO”. You can do everything in your power to avoid alcohol, but in the world we live in, it will always find its way to you. In social situations, people will offer you a drink and you need to have a prepared response. Be firm, yet polite and turn the drink down by saying “No, thanks!”

Distract yourself. Distraction methods aim to move a person’s attention away from the negative thoughts or uncomfortable internal feelings, towards more pleasurable ones. You can practice awareness, go for a walk, listen to music that makes you feel good, do some housecleaning, run an errand, or turn towards your hobby.

2. Manage the Triggers.

Talk about it. A conversation with someone whom you trust, such as your sponsor, therapist, counselor, supportive family member, loved one or a friend, or someone from your faith community can offer you the needed comfort and motivation to make it through cravings.

Respond to automatic thoughts in a rational way. Many of our thoughts are responsible for the cravings we feel, sometimes we may even be aware of them. So, when you are faced with cravings, try to analyze your own thoughts at that moment. See if you can get to the bottom of that issue, if you can look at it differently, or take positive actions to resolve it.

Relax. Feelings of anxiety, anger, stress or frustration are the most common triggers for craving. By learning how to stay calm and breathe deeply when such feelings arise you can successfully act rationally and avoid any impassivity. You can try, for example, light yoga exercise, meditation, play relaxing music, take a hot bath, drink chamomile tea.

Ride it out. Instead of fighting the cravings you can try to do some “urge surfing”. Cravings usually subside quickly anyway, so ride it out without trying to battle, judge or ignore the feeling. You’ll notice cravings passing even more quickly this way.

Use coping flashcards. When a strong craving has you in its grip, be prepared with coping flashcards that you have written for yourself. The idea is to convince yourself that you can cope with this situation by reading encouraging facts. These flashcards can motivate you by numbering the things you can to be grateful for or encourage you to persevere and that it will all be over soon.

3. Medication.

Currently, there are three medications approved in the US by the FDA for the treatment of alcoholism and management of alcohol cravings. These prescription medications are:

1. Acamprosate – Is claimed to reduce the cravings for alcohol, the physical distress, as well as the emotional discomfort felt when you quit drinking.

2. Disulfiram – Acts as a deterrent from alcohol by causing a severe adverse reaction when someone on this medication consumes alcohol. Disulfiram is the main ingredient in Antabuse and can help with alcohol cravings.

3. Naltrexone – Works in the brain by blocking the “high” that alcohol causes when people drink it.

Safe Haven Recovery is a boutique Florida Drug & Alcohol Treatment Center located in Miami, FL. We specialize in Suboxone Maintenance & Detox, along with, Couples Addiction Treatment. Call us today at 866-447-4650.

About the Author

Matthew Koenig is a freelance writer and principal of Last Call Marketing which devotes their efforts to Digital Marketing, SEO and Social Engagement. Concentrated in addiction recovery, Mr. Koenig is based out of South Florida. His sober date is June 10, 2013.

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