5 Tips on Keeping Alcohol Cravings Under Control
Once you beat addiction, the battle may be won, but the war rages on, and this leads to days where there will be temptation right around the corner. To prevent a total relapse, here are some tips to keep things balanced.
1. Recovery
Even after you finish recovery, it is a smart idea to stay in touch with the group that got you there. A detox center can always be your place to touch base with the time where you were at the strongest. Even if it was a memory from long ago, those contacts could mean the world to keeping your cravings under control. Make this your top sobriety strategy and it will be the best decision of your post-addiction life.
2. A Change of Environment
It’s not a good idea to drop back into the same environments that led to your alcoholism. Replace bars with locations filled with total abstainers. Does your car smell of alcohol or cigarettes? Get it detailed so that the environment represents your current progress. Small changes like this create livable environments for former alcoholics that want to move on with their lives. Once the incompatible parts of your environment are fully dealt with, you can move on to dealing with the triggers.
3. Identify Triggers
Truth be told, identifying triggers can get really tricky without the right mindset. Since you’ve already deal with the environmental triggers, now comes the hard part of personal triggers. This usually involves having a heart to heart with important people in your life that may currently be incompatible with your situation. Although some friends and loved ones are willing to put the bottle down when you visit, others are not as accommodating. This is expected, and you should never feel entitled to a safe space in someone else’s environment. When the triggers are caused by the very people you care about, then the only answer is a temporary separation. Once you’re stronger, the relationship can continue as a better thing for both sides.
4. What Are Your Warning Signs?
Everyone has a ‘tell’ that shows when they are about to do something specific. It can be a small thing like itching your chin, licking your lips or swearing profusely. When your cravings are about to reach the point of no return, it is the tell that prevents things from getting off track. Find out your tell, and always stay aware of when you’re reaching that danger zone.
5. Relieve Stress Sooner Rather Than Later
Stress does not magically go away if you ignore it. Unresolved stress is one of the major causes of relapses in any addiction. Deal with it as it comes, and make sure to take time out for yourself to relax. Sometimes a little alone time is all that is needed to keep your mind from going to a dark place.
Take Control
You are not defined by addiction, even if it seems like the most powerful force in your life. It takes time to heal, and those moments of weakness can make or break any future. Make the right choice, and take full control of what really matters.
