If you can beat your cravings for alcohol you will beat your addiction and will never return to drinking, but how do you do it, surely we are talking about something major here? it cannot be that simple can it? You will be surprised!
How you think about your addiction will determine how much power it has over you, if you believe that you will give in to your addiction, then you will. However if you believe you can beat your addiction you will. When you quit drinking and will be subjected to these cravings but what really matters is how you choose to react to them.
Forearmed is forewarned
The first things you need to become aware of are the situations which trigger your cravings. Some situations will be easy to avoid, for example, being in places where you previously used to drink. Your addiction will have forged a connection with alcohol in these places and so every time you visit them the voice of addiction will talk to you. There are other situations however which may take you completely by surprise, for example, if you always used to drink when he came home from work then you are still going to experience the craving when you quit drinking.
Possible craving triggers
Whilst withdrawing from alcohol
Feeling the need to escape (boredom, depression, stress etc)
Automatic response to a learned situation (places, people, celebrations, annual festivities, holidays)
Needing to feel good
How to handle the cravings
Keep busy
Use visualization
Set goals
Make affirmations
Meditate, relax
Rationalize the craving when it occurs
Keep a record of the triggers in a journal or diary
Keeping busy
As soon as you get the craving involve yourself in an activity which requires your attention, maybe you could make something, do a drawing or painting, do some writing, anything that is going to help you to shift the focus away from the craving.
Visualization
Close your eyes and relax and think about the things you want from life, the things you going to achieve without drinking, ways to make your life more fulfilling
etc.
Setting goals
Think about where you want to be in five years time, what can you do to get there, what steps could you take this week to getting closer to that goal. Make a list of things that you want to achieve in a week, maybe set yourself a task to do each day. Write these ideas down and carry them around with you. Memorize them, so that when you think you need a drink you have a reason to resist your cravings
Affirmations
Affirmations are great from making little better about yourself, you could say to yourself for example, "I do not drink and my addictions have no power over me, or, I feel confident and in control since I gave up drinking etc. You get the picture!
Meditation
Try listening to meditation MP3s or self hypnosis tapes when you feel a craving, as you relax you will once again be in control.
Rationalize the craving when it occurs
When you get the craving think of reasons why you do not want to give in. Think about how good you feel since stopping drinking, look how good your skin looks, how nice it is not to have hangovers? there are a thousand and one other reasons that you will be able to think of.
Keep a record of the triggers in a journal or diary
Every time you experience the craving make a point of writing down where and when an under what circumstances the craving it occurred. Write down how he dealt with it, how you felt, was it easy or difficult to deal with? Writing these events down will make you aware of the situations to be cautious in.
At all times remember that you are the one in control, you have within you a great power that power is called choice and it is what determines whether you succeed or fail. Surely you want to maintain that power, so remind yourself at all times how great you are for being able to overcome your addiction, people will respect you for being able to overcome an addiction when the majority cannot. Congratulate yourself for being able to beat your addiction on your own, without the need of Alcoholics Anonymous because you will never drink again.
Rob Maggs is a Software Developer and Web Designer based on the Isle Of Anglesey in the United Kingdom. A reformed alcoholic dedicated to self improvement and personal development.
Free meditation software Stop drinking and stay stopped
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