As you change your drinking, it's normal and common to have urges or a craving for alcohol. The words "urge" and "craving" refer to a broad range of thoughts, physical sensations, or emotions that tempt you to drink, even though you have at least some desire not to. You may feel an uncomfortable pull in two directions or sense a loss of control.
Fortunately, urges to drink are short-lived, predictable, and controllable. This short module offers a recognize-avoid-cope approach commonly used in cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps people to change unhelpful thinking patterns and reactions. It also provides worksheets to help you uncover the nature of your urges to drink and to make a plan for handling them.
With time, and by practicing new responses, you'll find that your urges to drink will lose strength, and you'll gain confidence in your ability to deal with urges that may still arise at times. If you are having a very difficult time with urges, or do not make progress with the strategies in this module after a few weeks, then consult a doctor or therapist for support. In addition, some new, non-habit forming medications can reduce the desire to drink or lessen the rewarding effect of drinking so it is easier to stop.
An urge to drink can be set off by external triggers in the environment and internal ones within yourself.
Consider tracking and analyzing your urges to drink for a couple of weeks. This will help you become more aware of when and how you experience urges, what triggers them, and ways to avoid or control them. A sample tracking form is provided below.
In many cases, your best strategy will be to avoid taking the chance that you'll have an urge, then slip and drink. At home, keep little or no alcohol. Socially, avoid activities involving drinking. If you feel guilty about turning down an invitation, remind yourself that you are not necessarily talking about "forever." When the urges subside or become more manageable, you may decide to ease gradually into some situations you now choose to avoid. In the meantime, you can stay connected with friends by suggesting alternate activities that don't involve drinking. (Also, see the module on building drink refusal skills.)
It's not possible to avoid all high-risk situations or to block internal triggers, so you'll need a range of strategies to handle urges to drink. Here are some options:
The links below will take you to forms for tracking your urges to drink and planning ways to handle them in the future.
This module is adapted from the Combined Behavioral Intervention Manual: A Clinical Research Guide for Therapists Treating People with Alcohol Abuse and Dependence. It can be used with counseling or therapy and is not meant as a substitute for professional help. If you choose to try it on your own and at any point feel you need more help, then seek support (see resources). The full 330-page manual (NIH Publication 04-5288) can be ordered for $10 using this form (PDF 198KB).