In the journey of addiction recovery, triggers, and cravings are hurdles you’ll encounter along the way. These can be powerful and disruptive, threatening to derail your progress. But fear not, there are effective strategies to manage them and stay on the path to a healthy and fulfilling life. Here are 7 ways to equip yourself to deal with triggers & cravings in addiction recovery:
Accept the Cravings
The first thing to do when a craving hits is to acknowledge that it’s natural and inevitable. Cravings have affected everyone who has ever had a successful recovery, and they most likely still do now and then.
It does not indicate a lack of effort on your part, failure, or impending failure. They just happen regularly. Nevertheless, resisting the impulse or shoving it away won’t make it go away. Try to manage it.
Stay Away from Places and People who Encourage You
Constant craving may be due to you being surrounded by the substance or the conversation about it. It may be a trigger circumstance, such as being around someone who stresses you out or being at an establishment that provides alcohol.
It might also be the company of someone you used to drink with. In these cases, walking away is usually the wisest course of action. Avoid the bars or the section in a grocery that triggers your cravings.
Understanding your triggers is essential for preventing them as well as identifying them when they arise. A shift in environment might help you overcome your appetite even if you’re not entirely aware of why it keeps coming back.
Include Mindfulness to Control the Cravings
Examining a need attentively might help diffuse it as it emerges. Most of the time, cravings are perceived by people as a kind of directive that comes from deep inside. It seems like there’s a voice inside of you saying, “Have a little amount. It’s okay!” You will probably react reflexively in one of two ways: either you give in to it or you fight against it and attempt to push it away.
If you meditate with attention every day, this gets simpler. You’ll find it easier to endure even strong emotions like desires if you develop the practice of just observing your thoughts and sensations without fighting them.
Talk to Someone who can Help
We can lessen the influence that a craving has on us by talking to someone about it. Furthermore, discussing the urge can assist us in identifying its source and realizing that it probably has little to do with the drugs or alcohol themselves.
If you don’t have a dependable friend or family member to confide in, think about seeing a therapist or counselor. You can consider Ohio Recovery Centers. To give your desires less control over you, they can also help normalize your cravings and assist you in understanding their origins.
Find a Good Distraction
Normally, any craving subsides within 15 minutes. It’s your memory in which you start feeling guilty or find out ways to avoid increases more complications.
In such a situation rather than thinking distract your mind. You can:
- Play game.
- Go for a good walk
- Sit with family and friends.
- Read a good book.
- Do something creative.
You divert your attention from the ideas that are fueled by hunger by doing this.
Play the Tape
This technique is very beneficial to overcome cravings. This technique lets you think about post-using events. Like what are the negative effects of using the substance again?
You may examine the self-defeating thoughts you would have if you were to use them again by playing the recording. You can imagine how you would fail yourself or how you would destroy your sobriety. You could even consider how it will harm the people you care about.
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Join Groups or Surround with People who are Managing Cravings
Just like when you have an environment that reminds you of substance use. Join a company of people going through their recovery journey or already recovered. With such a positive experience, you will reduce the cravings.
Listen to their successful stories and how their lives changed after they quit the addiction. This will encourage you to suppress the cravings after you know about its negative effects.
If people can enhance your craving they can also help you to overcome it. Try and join support groups and reduce your cravings.
