Alcohol Cravings: Why They Happen and How to Manage Them

It’s always wise to check with your doctor — she should be able to help you decide whether it is best for you to cut back or to abstain. People who are dependent on alcohol, or have other medical or mental health problems, should stop drinking completely. If cravings feel out of control or you’ve how to stop alcohol cravings relapsed, it’s time to reach out. An addiction recovery center like Nova Recovery can offer the guidance and tools you need. Josh Lee is a clinician and researcher with a focus on medication-assisted treatment of alcohol and opioid use disorders.

How Loved Ones Can Support Someone Facing Cravings

Whether you’re tired of the mental tug-of-war or want freedom from withdrawal symptoms, medications combined with a strong support system can be a powerful lifeline. Knowing what medication helps with alcohol cravings​ can give you a clear path forward. At 12 South Recovery in Lake Forest, CA, we help people like you regain control. Certain medications have been approved by FDA for treating alcohol dependence, helping to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Consulting with a healthcare provider can determine the most suitable medication based on individual health profiles and recovery goals.

How Nova Recovery Center Can Help You

For example, imagine you’ve noticed that you often crave a drink in a noisy, crowded bar after a stressful day at work. Recognizing this trigger allows you to create a plan to avoid or cope with such situations. In addition to vitamin B6, omega-3 fatty acids have also been found to play a role in reducing alcohol cravings. Remember, it’s essential for anyone struggling with alcohol use to seek professional help. Different approaches work for different individuals, and a healthcare provider can help tailor a treatment plan that fits the individual’s unique needs.

Alcohol Cravings During Detox and Recovery

Sometimes, a conversation with someone you trust can help you navigate your craving by providing encouragement, understanding, and a sense of connection. Delaying can often lead to a decrease in the intensity of cravings. Having the backing of loved ones can foster motivation, resilience, and a commitment to recovery. It can reshape an individual’s environment into a supportive and proactive system, reducing the opportunities for relapse. Mindfulness and meditation can appear abstract for beginners, but their application for proactive craving management is strongly backed by science.

Understanding which triggers you have can be complex initially, but you will be able to recognize them with practice. Many people will keep a journal or diary of their triggers when they happen. As time passes, you may notice patterns that make up your triggers.

Coping Skills for Addiction Recovery SMART Recovery

Do activities that you both enjoy doing and need to accomplish. Fill your day with tasks, goals, and activities that keep you busy. If you have downtime where you are doing nothing, you may feel urges to drink alcohol as a way to fill that void in the day.

Cravings can arise from a combination of physiological, psychological, and environmental factors. Understanding what drives alcohol cravings is vital for developing effective strategies to manage them. Knowing what’s causing your desire to drink can help you confront and overcome the urge. Alcohol cravings can be extremely challenging to overcome, especially if you are in early alcohol addiction recovery. Whether you want to cut down drug addiction treatment on how frequently you drink or are looking to prevent alcohol relapse while fighting addiction, understanding how to manage alcohol cravings is crucial.

Behavioral Therapy

• How long these urges last often depends on how long and how heavily someone drank, what kind of emotional support they have, and their overall physical and mental health.
• Healthy coping strategies for drug cravings include being aware of how long these typically last.
• Alcohol cravings are intense, often overwhelming urges to drink.
• It can also help to get more active through exercise, local activities like volunteer work, or spending time with a positive group of friends.

Emotions often bubble away underneath the surface without us even being aware of them. Tackling these unhelpful negative emotions is important for many people on their drink less journey. Read more about this in our blog to discover alcohol effects on emotions. One of the most common drugs used to curb alcohol cravings, Naltrexone blocks opioid receptors in the brain, which reduces the pleasurable effects of drinking. It can be taken daily as a pill or monthly as an injection (Vivitrol). Knowing how to deal with alcohol cravings​ means also learning to cope with these physical and emotional symptoms.

Exercising During Alcohol Withdrawal

Before discussing the role of food in curbing alcohol cravings, it is important to understand what fuels these cravings in the first place. When a craving hits, check if you’re Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. Often, addressing these basic needs can alleviate the urge to drink. Think about these ebbs and flows as though they were waves in the ocean. The urge loses its grip on you when you realize it won’t last forever. Dr. Bowen’s MP3 files offer an excellent “urge surfing” meditation.