How to Navigate Sweet Cravings After Quitting Alcohol SLA Blog

Make a table like the one below, weighing the costs and benefits of drinking to the costs and benefits of quitting. You might run into obstacles along the way that tempt you to drink. Keep in mind the reasons you chose to cut back on or quit alcohol. At the end of the day, one of the most important tools you have at your disposal is self-compassion.

Medication for Alcohol Addiction

As a specific example, a small study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence involved 140 adults and indicated that a short session of aerobic exercise reduced cravings for alcohol (10). Most commonly used to treat depression, St. John’s wort may also help curb How to Stop Alcohol Cravings the urge to drink. Similar to ashwagandha, holy basil may help alleviate anxiety from alcohol withdrawal. Dairy products in general are good sources of calcium, vitamin D, and other vitamins and minerals that you’ll need to replenish to stay healthy and fight cravings.

• Gillian Tietz is the host of the Sober Powered podcast and recently left her career as a biochemist to create Sober Powered Media, LLC.
• When you stop consuming alcohol your body goes through a period of detoxification, which is when the withdrawal symptoms are at their most acute.
• Internal triggers are thoughts, feelings, sensations, and beliefs inside you that feed your cravings for alcohol.
• The treatment options for alcohol misuse depend on the extent of your drinking and whether you’re trying to drink less (moderation) or give up drinking completely (abstinence).
• All the same, it could be worth talking to a mental health professional — more on that below.

Coping with Cravings

It’s much easier to avoid drinking if you don’t keep temptations around. For 3 to 4 weeks, write down every time you have a drink and how much you drink. Reviewing the results, you may be surprised at your weekly drinking habits. Once you’ve made the decision to change, the next step is establishing clear drinking goals. The more specific, realistic, and clear your goals, the better. Crystal Raypole has previously worked as a writer and editor for GoodTherapy.

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• It is a good idea to stock up on alcohol-free alternatives for any social events where cravings for alcohol might be triggered.
• Generally, the more alcohol you drink on a regular basis, the longer it takes for cravings to subside.
• This is your body’s physical response to having less alcohol in your system.
• We support everyone from social drinkers who would like more control, to people who drink heavily and daily.
• If you are experiencing these, it is important to know that they are not your fault—and that you are not powerless in the face of them.

Having a long-term plan for managing alcohol cravings can help prevent and overcome them when they do occur. It also goes over how to manage cravings, both in the short term and the long term. Just because a person experiences cravings for alcohol does not necessarily mean they have alcohol use disorder. The NIAAA offers a printable urge tracker and a worksheet for handling triggers. Ria Health members also get a workbook with a number of exercises to mindfully manage drinking urges.

Acknowledge this natural sensation and remind yourself that it will subside. 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. Eating simple carbohydrates and processed foods may induce cravings.

Try a month of abstinence.

In the moment, the desire for a drink can feel larger than anything else, including your intention to not pick up. So when you get seriously thirsty, what’s a strategy that will save you? If your buddies aren’t answering the phone and you’re staring a bottle down, playing the tape through is a craving crusher that will help.

Why Do You Crave Alcohol?

• This forms part of the cycle of alcohol addiction and contributes to the intensity of cravings.
• However, just because someone experiences cravings does not mean they have AUD.
• Alcohol cravings are a consequence of alcohol’s interaction with your brain chemistry.

Reaching a state of recovery after being actively addicted to alcohol is a major accomplishment. It is important to remember that remaining in recovery, however, is a life-long responsibility that requires a great deal of patience and focus. One of the most difficult challenges that many people face during recovery includes experiencing cravings for alcohol. Learning how to deal with these cravings is critical, as they can seemingly come out of nowhere and be triggered by factors as simple as being hungry, tired, or lonely. Treatment for alcohol use disorder can vary, depending on your needs. Treatment may involve a brief intervention, individual or group counseling, an outpatient program, or a residential inpatient stay.

Struggling with alcohol cravings? Try this 1-minute trick to combat them.

There’s also the possibility of experiencing post-acute withdrawal syndrome which can pop up a few months after your last drink. Cravings do lessen over time but it can take some people many years to eliminate them altogether. It also doesn’t help matters if you live in an environment with alcohol.

Still, they’re pretty common, especially if you drink regularly or your alcohol use falls into the “heavy drinking” category (binge drinking 5 or more days in the last month). Alcohol can be great for relaxation especially while socializing with friends; however, it can also become a source of health issues, ranging from mental illnesses to physical problems. Men and women are equally affected by the negative impact of cravings. Josh Lee is a clinician and researcher with a focus on medication-assisted treatment of alcohol and opioid use disorders. He has conducted multiple clinical trials examining the use of naltrexone in primary care and other community settings.