Having a drug and alcohol craving can be a grave danger to your addiction recovery; do you know what to do when they strike? Read on for tips and tools that may save your recovery.
Drug and alcohol cravings will occur even when working a solid addiction recovery program, sure as the sun will rise tomorrow.
Having stopped drug and alcohol use, the frequency, intensity and duration of cravings differ from person to person. The bad news is they occur; the good news is that over time they generally lessen in frequency and duration.
The trick is to stay safe while riding out the wave. One way to view abstinence and sobriety is simply preparing for that moment when a craving occurs, nobody is watching, and nobody would know if you used, except you. What do you do? That is the moment of truth.
What follows are some tips and tools that may get you through that moment of danger. Not all tips work for all people, the trick is to find one that will work for you.
That being said, here are the tips:
1. Buy yourself some time, distract yourself, with exercise, work or cleaning, get busy. Put yourself in a safe place where drugs and alcohol are not available. Cravings pass with time.
2. Play the movie forward. Remember that we are never talking about ‘just one’. Once you pick up, control goes out the window.
3. Talk to someone. This is the purpose of building a social support network, utilize it. Go to a meeting, call your sponsor, best friend, relative or counselor. Talking it out with someone who really understands helps prevent a return to active addiction.
4. Pray or meditate. Ask for help in just getting through this. Use the Serenity Prayer. The point is to ask for help outside yourself.
5. Remember the pain and bad times, and the fact that you would be risking everything good that you have worked so hard for. Try focusing in the positive, not drinking or drugging and all the reasons you should not do it.
6. Go to a 12 step meeting, even if you have never gone before. They will listen, that’s what they do. Call information and ask for AA .
7. H.A.L.T. Hungry, angry, lonely, tired: if you are in any of these states, fix it. Eat, sleep, chill out, go visit someone.
8. Remember a craving will pass with time and when it is through, you come out the other side even stronger.
This was not, by any means, a complete list of relapse prevention strategies. There are many more detailed resources available:
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Addiction Brain Science – so We Can All Understand It! – Their need to satisfy the cravings becomes dominant in all behavior. It does not matter what drug they choose. Nothing will satisfy the overwhelming craving except their drug-of-choice. Meth users will not settle for heroin. …
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Exercising is one of the best ways to get your mind off of anything. I think that it would help anyone who has been craving for drugs. When you are occupied with something then there your body will forget your craving.
In some instance taking will do you good. Having some major problem will just make you get loose of your mind.
Engaging yourself in something is good way to decrease your craving for drug but a strong will power is also must. When your body is craving for something, i think its better to consume some alternative things which have positive effect on body. Like some people eat dry fruits when their body craves for tobacco.
Playing with my family, watching t.v. and playing computer games makes me forget to drink. Recollecting the bad things that I have done during drinking makes me feel the pain all over again, this in turn makes me feel guilty to drink again. Talking to your spouse and spending quality time with them is one way I distract my self not to even think of alcohol.
It is even tougher to fight the cravings,but best would be try to fill the gap in a healthier way. It is better to start some game, be part of some social activity, spend lot of time with your family give them quality time that they used to miss when you were addicted.Some people fill the gap by overeating, munching all the time and endup obese, even that is not good. Be sane and aware of what is good for you and your loved ones.
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then I think about all the good things that I have experienced from my recovery and remember the bad parts of being active in my addiction. The next thing is to go to a meeting or call my sponsor and use the tools I learn while going through recovery.
I find with any addiction, the best thing to do is avoid boredom. Make sure you have activities that will keep you occupied.
This website can help alot of people.
Hi,
This is a great website with lots of information that I will be passing on.
Thanks
Kelly
.-= Kelly@Stop Cravings´s last blog ..Stop Overeating – Stop Cravings With These 5 Simple Tips =-.