If you’re finding it hard to manage cravings on your own, it’s important that you reach out for professional support. With guidance, therapy, medication, and other interventions, recovery becomes easier, safer and more effective. Mindfulness-based techniques  – practising deep breathing, meditation, body scanning or yoga can reduce stress and help you to be more aware of your cravings without acting on them. These techniques encourage calmness and self-awareness, making it easier to resist urges. Along with medication and other treatment support, a range of alternative therapies may be effective in lessening alcohol cravings and other withdrawal symptoms.

Instead of fighting the feeling, you accept that it’s there, knowing it will pass. In this video, Consultant Psychiatrist David McLaughlan, describes the temporary nature of cravings, rising and falling like a ways to stop alcohol cravings wave. Learning how to “surf the urge” involves accepting the craving is there and actively distracting yourself.

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A therapist can help you address underlying issues, develop coping strategies, and provide ongoing support in your recovery journey. Genetic factors can influence the intensity of cravings, with some individuals being more predisposed to strong urges due to their genetic makeup. As you gain confidence in not drinking or over-drinking, there’s another step you can take. Carefully expose yourself to common triggers while you’re with someone who’s supportive of you.

Strategies To Lessen The Power Of Triggers

Similar to ashwagandha, holy basil may help alleviate anxiety from alcohol withdrawal. One of the active ingredients in milk thistle extract is silymarin, which may improve liver function in people with alcohol use disorder. Omega-3-rich fish like salmon and mackerel may also help improve focus and overall brain health. Engaging in shadow work, a process of facing and integrating repressed parts of yourself, can be transformative in recovery. This deep psychological work can help address underlying issues that may be driving your desire to drink.

Supported living

Avoid TriggersCertain things can trigger us to have a drink, such as going out for post-work drinks with colleagues on a Friday night. Try a new workout class, have a date night with your partner, or have a movie night with friends. Decrease Anxiety and IrritabilityAlcohol can interfere with the chemicals in the brain that are important for good mental health. 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. If cravings feel out of control or you’ve relapsed, it’s time to reach out.

• For sustained management of alcohol cravings, consider joining support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous.
• Cravings will be lower when you learn to manage your triggers.
• This signal is telling you to have a drink, but it’s not controlling you.
• And keeping track over time gives you the chance to see if your efforts to reduce your urges and cravings are working.
• Other methods are considered somewhat more advanced strategies.

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• Professional therapy is another crucial long-term strategy.
• This can help counteract any romanticized memories of alcohol use.
• At Nova Recovery Center, we approach addiction recovery with a comprehensive plan tailored to your unique needs.
• If your cravings are frequent, intense or hard to control, you should seek professional help.

Focus on hobbies, exercise, or spending time with loved ones. These activities can distract you from cravings and provide a healthier outlet for stress and emotions. An urge to drink can be set off by external triggers in the environment and internal ones within yourself. Therapy, medication, and recovery programs can all have benefit for reducing and preventing cravings. Combining medication with therapy and other interventions can prove even more helpful than medication alone.

Surround yourself with people who understand and support your goals for sobriety. This might include family, friends, support group members, or a sponsor. When you feel a craving, remind yourself of the negative consequences of drinking. This can help counteract any romanticized memories of alcohol use. Dr. Bowen’s MP3 files (link above) offer an excellent “urge surfing” meditation. It’s available as a pill (generic) and as a once-monthly injection (Vivitrol) given in a physician’s office.

” Note how these reactions vary across time as you respond passively to the urge. Click here to learn more about medication-assisted treatment (MAT). On general principle, you don’t have to reason it out yet again. Whenever you get the idea to resume drinking, you can tell that idea to go to hell. Nipping temptation in the bud is easier than stopping it when it’s got a full head of steam.

Whether it’s reading, painting, gardening, or playing an instrument, immersing yourself in an activity you love can help the craving pass. Alcohol cravings can be difficult to manage alone, and there’s no shame in needing a little extra support. In other words, what works for a friend won’t always work for you. That’s why building your own recovery toolkit can make a difference in your ability to weather the most intense cravings. Even 10 minutes catching up on recent news and sharing stories from your daily life can offer enough of a distraction that the craving passes, almost before you know it. Checking in with another person in your life who’s trying to stop drinking can certainly help you ride out a craving with someone who understands.

How to Stop Drinking Alcohol: 5 Tips

As a practicing physician, Josh helps manage the NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue addiction medicine clinic in adult primary care. Meditation, practiced on your own or via guided meditation, can help you learn to react less to alcohol cravings (8). This can be a key to breaking the hold that your triggers to drink have on you. In the United States, three drugs are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the general treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD), including cravings (2).

Managing alcohol cravings becomes more achievable when you understand your triggers and have  some effective coping strategies ready to use. In addition to reducing daily drinking, naltrexone has been shown to reduce alcohol cravings as a measurable symptom (3). Cravings are rooted in both psychological and physical factors.

A nutritious diet that provides the body with the nutrients it needs to function optimally may help with alcohol cravings. Alcohol misuse is linked to a lack of protein, calories and numerous vitamins and minerals in the diet. Heavy alcohol consumption is linked to thiamine, vitamin B12 and folate deficiencies. Eating foods that are rich in these B vitamins can be beneficial for reducing the negative side effects of alcohol misuse, which can make it easier to manage cravings. When cravings occur during severe alcohol withdrawal, seeking medical treatment is important.

This short activity offers a recognize-avoid-cope approach commonly used in cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps people to change unhelpful thinking patterns and reactions. It also provides worksheets to help you uncover the nature of your urges to drink and to make a plan for handling them. Your diet can play a surprising role in managing alcohol cravings. Dark chocolate, rich in antioxidants and magnesium, can satisfy sweet cravings that sometimes masquerade as alcohol cravings.