Addiction recovery is a lifelong journey of profound growth that allows you to move forward and build a meaningful, substance-free life. After completing the intensive work of detox and rehab, it’s natural to feel a sense of accomplishment and relief. However, the path forward is not always a simple uphill climb but rather a winding road with unexpected turns. One of the most persistent and challenging obstacles on this road is learning to manage cravings in recovery. These are not just fleeting thoughts of past use; they are powerful urges that can surface months or even years after you’ve achieved sobriety.
The reality is that after your body and mind have adjusted to functioning without substances, cravings can still arise, sometimes with shocking intensity. This experience is universal, affecting individuals with decades of clean time just as it does those new to the process. When left unmanaged, these powerful compulsions can hijack your focus, erode your confidence, and create a direct pathway to relapse. Therefore, a significant and non-negotiable aspect of durable addiction recovery is developing the skills to identify, confront, and successfully navigate cravings in recovery before they become overwhelming. It is a skill that can be learned, practiced, and mastered, transforming a moment of vulnerability into an opportunity to strengthen your resolve.
What Are Cravings?
At their core, cravings are intense psychological and physiological urges to use a substance. Think of them as a powerful storm that temporarily blocks out the sun; they feel all-consuming and can make your focus on sobriety feel distant and insignificant. For those just entering the recovery process, this experience is particularly troubling. You have made the courageous choice to move forward, yet these intrusive cravings in recovery can make you feel chained to the past. This often leads to a dangerous misconception: many people mistakenly believe that experiencing a craving is a sign of personal failure or an omen that relapse is inevitable.
In reality, cravings are a normal, predictable part of the healing process. The eruption of these urges may be frightening, especially when you are new to sobriety, and can cause feelings of shame that prevent you from reaching out for guidance. It is crucial to reframe this experience. Viewing these urges as new challenges to overcome, rather than as a reflection of your commitment, is key. A comprehensive addiction treatment program will normalize this reality, teaching you that anticipating and preparing for cravings in recovery is a sign of a strong, proactive approach. Understanding that these are simply echoes of a past condition—not a command for your future—is the first step in disarming their power.
The Cause of Cravings
Cravings are built on memories. It is impossible to remove the memory your brain and body have of using substances. Although your body is sober, your mind recalls the sensations you experienced while active addiction changed your brain function. Therefore, even when sober, the influence of those substances on the brain continues.
The brain has become accustomed to feeling pleasure after drug use. That drug use is linked to that feeling of being rewarded. Cravings come from the brain desiring that sensation from the substance. Without the substance, the brain is feeling a loss. However, you can calm the cravings with education, preparedness, and practice.
How to Handle Cravings
Cravings, although typical, will differ for each individual. Handling cravings will not be the same from person to person.
Although relapse prevention is a significant aspect of addiction treatment, recovery continues once you graduate from rehab and the cravings often continue. As you adjust to life outside the walls of rehab, cravings can feel more intense now that you’re relying only on yourself to remain sober.
Research suggests that mindfulness, meditation training, and practice can enhance outcomes in substance use disorder (SUD). One’s environment, stress level, and motivation can all alter the severity and frequency of cravings. Although you learn these interventions throughout treatment, actually enacting self-awareness, mindfulness, and similar techniques, in reality, can be difficult.
An ideal place to start is recognizing triggers or things that set off cravings. Knowing what is in your mind or your environment reminds you of using can help you avoid such things. Try to pinpoint places or people that feel tempting. Seeing people you used to use with or even driving by an old hangout can be triggering. Acknowledging those moments encourages you to avoid those situations or helps you establish tools for facing them.
There is no wrong way to do that. Some people may be able to come face to face with parts of their past that trigger them. They may practice mindfulness and be able to feel comfortable in that situation, while others feel the need to remove themselves entirely from the presence of anything triggering. Both of these are healthy ways of handling cravings.
Other things that trigger cravings can be internal, like emotions. When you feel stressed or sad, you may have cravings. Others may have a craving when happy and feeling celebratory. You clearly can’t avoid feelings, so in those moments, it is crucial to use the coping skills you learned in rehab:
Remember Why You Got Sober
During cravings, remind yourself why you decided to seek help and get sober. The reasons will encourage you to stay on that journey and keep pushing forward. It may help to write these reasons down on your phone or a piece of paper in your wallet for easy access.
Distract Yourself
Use healthy alternatives to distract yourself. When you feel anxious and have a craving, do something productive that will leave you feeling accomplished. Go for a run, make a meal, listen to music, create something artistic, or clean. All of these can also trigger the reward part of your brain with pleasure.
Challenge the Cravings
Fight it when you have a craving or a thought that feels worrisome. Tell yourself that thought isn’t beneficial. Replace it with a healthy one. If your mind is saying something like, “Just go in the bar and say hi, it can’t hurt,” fight back by saying, “It could hurt all the work I have done and set me back on all the progress I’ve made. Saying hi isn’t worth my health and wellness.”
Sit With It
Acknowledge that cravings happen and are temporary. Sometimes accepting those cravings is the best way to handle them.
If these methods don’t feel effective enough, reach out to your support system. There is no shame in talking to a loved one or a sponsor about your fears, worries, or cravings. This is a part of recovery.
Understanding that cravings are a normal part of recovery is crucial. Cravings are not a sign of impending failure or relapse. Facing cravings and overcoming them is a sign of success and inner strength. Recognizing when you can handle something and when you need to take a step back and reanalyze or ask for help is a major step in your recovery. At California Care Detox & Treatment, we incorporate relapse prevention and handling cravings into every aspect of our treatment. When under our care, we educate you on what to expect from recovery and are always here for you no matter where your journey takes you. Don’t hesitate to reach out to learn more about we can help you face cravings and get the most out of your substance-free life. Call us now at (949) 281-0632. We are here for whatever you need.