The first step to overcoming drug and alcohol craving is recognizing that when you crave, there’s nothing wrong with you. You can’t get rid of the cravings, but you can learn how about overcoming alcohol cravings.
You can’t avoid the cravings, but you can learn how to manage them.
The second step is knowing how to recognize what triggers your cravings for drugs or alcohol so that when a craving hits, you’ll be prepared for it:
- What makes me want a drink? Drinking at home with friends? Watching tv? Being bored? Talking on the phone? Thinking about something sad or stressful in my life? Feeling really happy and celebrating with friends/family/loved ones? The more specific your answers are about what triggers your cravings for drugs or alcohol (and why), the easier it will be for you to prepare yourself against those triggers so that they don’t lead directly into relapse.
You can fight back against drug and alcohol cravings
Overcoming cravings is an important part of recovery. It’s not always easy to do, but there are things you can do to beat them back.
- Make sure you talk about cravings with your sponsor or other people in your support group. They’ll be able to help you figure out what’s causing the craving and how to handle it.
- Practice different ways of dealing with cravings so you know how to respond when one hits. Do some reading about different methods of handling drugs and alcohol cravings, such as by talking yourself out of it or distracting yourself from thinking about it by focusing on something else (like going for a walk).
- Try new tools that haven’t worked before; try again! Maybe this time they’ll work because they’ve helped someone else whose story might sound similar to yours or who has gone through similar experiences as yours (such as being in a place where drugs were easy for example).
