Alcohol is an addictive substance and therefore if you’re going through addiction treatment, or even just looking to give up for a little while, such as during dry January or Stoptober, battling the cravings you might get can be tough.
They can arise out of nowhere and often feel incredibly overwhelming, with many people not able to combat them and succumbing to a drink once more. In Drug and Alcohol Treatment centres in Surrey much of the treatment received revolves around finding healthy coping mechanisms for triggers, as well as ways in which to reduce the chances of cravings and they’re important skills to have to reduce the chance of relapse.
There are many tips from experts around these days that can help deal with alcohol cravings, so if you’re in the process of giving up, here are five top tips for combatting them…
Identify Your Triggers
Firstly, you should understand what is triggering your cravings in the first place. Triggers can occur for all manner of reasons. For example, they could be down to stress, certain social settings, or even particular times of the day or after certain meetings which could prompt the desire to take a drink.
By identifying the trigger points, you can then start to be active in your approach to combating them. That may be avoiding the triggers completely or having strategies in place to cope with the triggers better. For example, after a stressful day at work you may consider exercise rather than drinking, or practice deep breathing techniques. Essentially, a healthier alternative that will still relieve you from the triggering event.
Keep Yourself Busy
It’s simple, but really effective. Just keep yourself busy. When the urge to drink does strike, do something else that occupies your mind. This could be anything from walking to going to the gym, reading a book to cooking, gardening, painting or anything else. Ultimately, you just want to shift your focus to something healthier. This will reduce the time and energy spend on cravings and lead to a much healthier and happier lifestyle.
Reach Out for Support
You don’t have to face cravings alone. Reaching out to a trusted friend, family member, or support group can provide the encouragement and perspective you need in difficult moments. Talking to someone who understands your situation can help you feel less isolated and more empowered to resist the urge to drink.
Support groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), offer a network of individuals who have faced similar challenges and can share their strategies for coping. Building a strong support system is invaluable in maintaining sobriety.
Practice Mindfulness and Grounding Techniques
Mindfulness and grounding techniques can help you stay present and reduce the intensity of cravings. When you feel a craving coming on, try focusing on your breath. Breathe deeply and slowly, paying attention to each inhale and exhale. This simple act can help calm your mind and body.
Grounding techniques, such as the 5-4-3-2-1 method, can also be effective. Identify five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. This practice shifts your focus away from the craving and anchors you in the present moment.
Remind Yourself of Your Goals
When cravings feel overwhelming, take a moment to reflect on your reasons for quitting alcohol and the goals you’ve set for yourself. Write down your motivations and keep them somewhere visible, like on your phone or a sticky note on your fridge.
Remind yourself of the positive changes sobriety has brought to your life, such as improved health, better relationships, and a sense of accomplishment. Visualising these benefits can strengthen your resolve and help you stay committed to your journey.
This website is my breathing in, rattling wonderful design and perfect written content.
Whats up this is somewhat of off topic but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding expertise so I wanted to get advice from someone with experience. Any help would be enormously appreciated!
I’ve been absent for some time, but now I remember why I used to love this website. Thanks, I?¦ll try and check back more frequently. How frequently you update your site?
Keep functioning ,fantastic job!
I was curious if you ever considered changing the structure of your website? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having one or two pictures. Maybe you could space it out better?
Definitely believe that which you said. Your favorite reason seemed to be on the web the easiest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I definitely get annoyed while people consider worries that they just don’t know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top as well as defined out the whole thing without having side effect , people could take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks
The subsequent time I learn a blog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as a lot as this one. I mean, I know it was my choice to read, however I truly thought youd have something attention-grabbing to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about one thing that you can repair when you werent too busy in search of attention.
It is in reality a great and helpful piece of information. I’m happy that you just shared this helpful information with us. Please stay us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing superb informations. Your web site is very cool. I’m impressed by the details that you’ve on this website. It reveals how nicely you perceive this subject. Bookmarked this website page, will come back for extra articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found simply the information I already searched everywhere and simply couldn’t come across. What an ideal site.
I have not checked in here for some time because I thought it was getting boring, but the last few posts are great quality so I guess I will add you back to my daily bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂
Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make your point. You obviously know what youre talking about, why waste your intelligence on just posting videos to your blog when you could be giving us something enlightening to read?
I am incessantly thought about this, thanks for putting up.
I have been exploring for a little for any high quality articles or blog posts in this sort of area . Exploring in Yahoo I finally stumbled upon this site. Studying this information So i?¦m satisfied to exhibit that I have a very excellent uncanny feeling I came upon just what I needed. I so much certainly will make sure to do not disregard this website and provides it a look regularly.
Thanks a bunch for sharing this with all of us you really know what you are talking about! Bookmarked. Kindly also visit my web site =). We could have a link exchange contract between us!
I am often to blogging and i really appreciate your content. The article has really peaks my interest. I am going to bookmark your site and keep checking for new information.