With all this going on and the discomfort it brings, it is enough for many people to give in and return to their old habits. However, if you can manage to ride it out and curb alcohol cravings, these will start to fade and become less intense. At Compassion Behavioral Health, we understand that addiction is multifaceted.
Long-term management strategies for alcohol cravings
- At the end of the day, just remember you don’t have to run the course alone — connecting with a therapist or joining a recovery program can make all the difference.
- “Even more so if you have obesity and alcohol use disorder. Absolutely. Speak with your doctor.”
- A doctor or psychiatrist can offer more information and help you explore possible treatment plans.
- Your eating pattern should be consistent each day and at least three times a day for meals.
- Dealing with alcohol cravings from alcohol dependence is one problem that makes recovery incredibly tricky.
As for the duration of a single craving episode, research indicates that most cravings usually peak and subside within 15 to 30 minutes. This might sound like a long time when you’re in the throes of a craving, but knowing that there’s an end in sight can be a powerful tool to help you resist. For example, if you notice that you crave a drink every day when you walk in the door after work, you can start targeting curbing alcohol cravings that time by altering your routine. Instead of walking in the door and starting dinner immediately, start by changing out of your work clothes, or going for a five minute walk before starting dinner. This will help you disrupt the trigger, and begin establishing new patterns. Explore your triggers in that time frame using the HALTB exercise (are you Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired, or Bored?), then address them.
Distraction and Substitution Techniques
This can be a key to breaking the hold that your triggers to drink have on you. The fiber-rich, complex carbohydrates in whole-grain breads and foods like brown rice, quinoa, barley, and farro are digested more slowly, which help keep blood sugar levels steady. This is key to keeping cravings under control, especially when your body is used to using alcohol as a quick form of fuel. As with external triggers, you may or may not be aware that an internal trigger is what’s behind your urge to drink.
Practice Coping Skills
Rather, they are a result of complex biological processes within the brain. Alcohol misuse can alter the balance of certain chemicals in the brain, such as dopamine, which regulates pleasure and reward. Take our short alcohol quiz to learn where you fall on the drinking spectrum and if you might benefit from quitting or cutting back on alcohol. “I was hoping that I would be one of the people that the drug affected this way,” says Johnston, who’s a real estate agent in Washington, D.C. On the other hand, if you have diabetes and you want to curb your alcohol intake then definitely talk to your doctor about the option of semaglutide, Leggio says.
Prescription medications can be a useful tool in treating alcohol cravings. One study in overweight women showed that 5 grams of spinach extract per day reduced cravings for chocolate and high-sugar foods by a whopping 87–95% (18). In middle-aged and older people, drinking water before meals can reduce appetite and help with weight loss (1, 2, 3). Strategies like eating more protein, planning meals, and eating mindfully can also help reduce them. Today, into the fourth year of my sobriety and working as a sober, curious guide, I am still sometimes struck by how stark the gap between our beliefs and reality can be when it comes to alcohol.
Alcohol cravings: What they are and how to manage them
Another approach is taking medication that makes the person violently ill when they drink. The treatment helps the person not crave alcohol because of the unpleasant experience. When confronted with their triggers, individuals may experience both psychological and physical changes. Psychologically, the memories of enjoyable past drinking experiences intensify the craving.
- Although sometimes cravings may appear to simply come out of nowhere, they are usually the result of a situation, feeling, or memory that one has about former alcohol use.
- There’s no need to force yourself to stay anywhere where you are experiencing cravings, whether it is a social event or a certain room in your home.
- Taking time to explore the specific people, places, and situations that cue your urge to drink can make a big difference.
- The good news, however, is that there are medications that may help manage the urge for alcohol, which can aid in the recovery from alcohol use disorder (AUD).
- Furthermore, eating regularly and maintaining a balanced diet can keep your blood sugar levels stable, which may lessen alcohol cravings.
- It’s especially challenging for those with social anxiety disorder who use alcohol as a crutch to overcome how they feel.
They can also leave you more sensitive to alcohol’s effects and raise your risk of withdrawal symptoms. Experiencing alcohol cravings may not automatically mean you have an AUD. All the same, it could be worth talking to a mental health professional — more on that below.
- As a Ria Health coach, “coping with alcohol cravings” is one of the most common topics I discuss with the members of our online program.
- Mindful eating is about practicing mindfulness, a type of meditation, in relation to foods and eating.
- (10) So, it prevents the person from drinking too much rather than reducing the desire to drink.
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. These thoughts, feelings, sensations, and beliefs are not necessarily negative. You may drink to avoid certain feelings, for instance, but you also may drink to enhance certain feelings. Looking ahead, Richard said there is a need for higher-quality evidence of the medication’s impact https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/5-stages-of-alcoholism/ on AUD compared to placebo drugs or environmental factors. “Since we were able to show clinically meaningful reductions in alcohol intake and AUD symptomatology in a real-world setting, that bodes very well for these types of medications,” he said. “If patients have [obesity and diabetes] indications for the medication and they also struggle with alcohol intake … having them on this treatment may potentially be beneficial,” Richards said.
Contact a mental health professional
