Cravings vary based on individual factors like length of alcohol use, physical health, and psychological triggers. Post-detox, cravings may still occur, but programs like behavioral therapy for alcohol addiction and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can provide valuable coping mechanisms. Stay away from environments or situations that encourage drinking, especially in early recovery. These techniques help calm the nervous system and reduce anxiety, making cravings easier to handle. Cravings may not go away overnight, but they can be managed and reduced over time. When you stop drinking, your brain and body have to readjust to functioning without it.
Help You Lose WeightAlcoholic drinks contain lots of empty calories, meaning your body doesn’t get any nutrients from drinking alcohol. While alcohol may make you feel relaxed in the moment, it’s a depressant and the long term effects of alcohol can lead to anxiety, irritability and depression. Regular drinking affects your energy levels and makes you feel tired and sluggish. We’re rounded up 10 helpful tips and tricks for how to stop drinking alcohol. Carefully expose yourself to these triggers while you’re with someone who’s supportive of you.
Ways to Manage Alcohol Cravings
- A physician or other qualified healthcare provider can assess whether one of the following medications can help you.
- Think of the urge as a cue, a signal.
- Our programs include medically supervised detox, inpatient and outpatient treatments, relapse prevention training, and long-term sobriety support.
- That’s why building your own recovery toolkit can make a difference in your ability to weather the most intense cravings.
- Before starting any complementary treatment, be sure to discuss it with a doctor to make sure it’s safe for you.
Our programs include medically supervised detox, inpatient and outpatient treatments, relapse prevention training, and long-term sobriety support. Recovery is not a one-time event — it’s an evolving process. It’s important to build a sober lifestyle supported by healthy routines, peer support, and ongoing professional guidance. Involvement in support groups for alcohol addiction also provides community and accountability, which significantly lowers the risk of relapse.
Long-term strategies
Learning to manage stress and difficult emotions – alcohol is often used to cope with stress or difficult emotions, so it’s important to learn alternative coping strategies. Once you’re more aware of your triggers, it’s easier to anticipate and manage them. Journaling – writing down your feelings, thoughts or experiences can help you process emotions, release tension and identify triggers for your cravings. When alcohol cravings arise, remember that they’re temporary and will go away on their own. These can feel quite powerful and can make it difficult to resist the urge to drink.
Can alcohol cravings indicate withdrawal?
Before starting any complementary treatment, be sure to discuss it with a doctor to make sure it’s safe for you. Omega-3-rich fish like salmon and mackerel may also help improve focus and overall brain health. This neurotransmitter is key to reducing depression and anxiety—common reasons people use alcohol and also common issues that arise when quitting alcohol (4). Eating simple carbohydrates and processed foods may induce cravings.
Addiction rehab
Exploring a few changes in your relationship with alcohol? With a focus on long-term recovery, our evidence-based services include medical detox, inpatient rehab, outpatient programs, and sober living. An addiction recovery center like Nova Recovery can offer the guidance and tools you need. Whether you’re just starting your journey or have had setbacks along the way, we’re here to help you build a meaningful, sober life. At Nova Recovery Center, we approach addiction recovery with a comprehensive plan tailored to your unique needs.
“You are at the center of your recovery, and it can help to frame it as an act of creativity. Of course, addressing your triggers at the source can also go a long way toward helping you make lasting changes. That said, permanently changing your relationship with alcohol may require a more in-depth approach.
- In particular, she’s committed to helping decrease stigma around mental health issues.
- Other strategies we consider somewhat more advanced.
- Often, the craving passes before the timer does.
- Renew Health offers compassionate care and addiction treatment.
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Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site. In particular, she’s committed to helping decrease stigma around mental health issues. Her fields of interest include Japanese translation, cooking, natural sciences, sex how to help a high-functioning alcoholic positivity, and mental health, along with books, books, and more books. A doctor or psychiatrist can offer more information and help you explore possible treatment plans. If you’ve ever tried to break any habit, you probably know it’s often easier said than done.
This sense of imbalance is what often causes alcohol cravings. When you drink alcohol regularly, your brain starts to rely on it to release feel-good chemicals like dopamine. For many people in recovery, managing these intense urges is one of the biggest challenges to staying sober. For some people, the urge to drink does go away completely. Alcohol cravings are caused by psychological and physical factors that form triggers that tempt you to drink. Meditation, practiced on your own or via guided meditation, can help you learn to react less to alcohol cravings (8).
Triggers for alcohol cravings
Bring a non-drinking friend. Triggers are people, places, emotions, or routines that increase the likelihood of craving. Addressing these can reduce the craving significantly. Often, the craving passes before the timer does. When a craving hits, don’t fight it—delay it. Whether you’re 10 days in or 10 years sober, this post offers insight, support, and encouragement to help you keep going.
Maintaining sobriety and reducing cravings can sometimes be too difficult to handle on your own. Then there are internal triggers, which happen when the thought of drinking comes to your mind for no apparent reason. Staying on track in sobriety isn’t about never craving a drink—it’s about knowing how to respond when the craving comes. With telehealth and app-based programs, recovery support is more accessible than ever. Structure helps keep cravings in check by reducing downtime and emotional vulnerability. The goal is not to eliminate all cravings instantly—it’s to not give them control.
Once you experience the urge, distract yourself with something that takes your attention. And you’ll be able to see your progress in dealing with them as they lessen over time. Other strategies we consider somewhat more advanced.
It’s more than a passing thought—it’s a craving. Socially, avoid activities involving drinking. In many cases, your best strategy will be to avoid taking the chance that you’ll have an urge, then slip and drink. If you choose to try it on your own and at any point feel you need more help, then seek support (see Help Links).
“Inside Out” Emotions: What Each One Means
You may have close friends or even family members who can contribute to your alcohol intake and habits. When the “one drink couldn’t hurt” thought pops up, look back at all those back-to-back drinks you had that started with the same thought. Internal triggers are more challenging to handle, but you can learn to cope with them.
Cravings are less scary when you’re prepared. You don’t need to obey them. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Think of them as a reflex—your brain reaching for a familiar comfort. They’re a natural, predictable part of recovery from substance use. They can sneak in when you’re tired, stressed, celebrating, or even just bored.
Distract YourselfWhen you get the urge to drink, distract yourself with an activity that’s more beneficial to you. These are all great alternatives to drinking that will keep your mind off alcohol. Keep Alcohol Out of Your HouseIt’s much easier to stop drinking when there’s no alcohol in your house tempting you to drink. If you’re drinking every single day, try only drinking on the weekends, or one day of the weekend. Set a Drinking GoalFigure out how much you’re drinking per week and set a new goal to limit your drinking.