I was just getting home from work, my plan was to get changed into my workout clothes and go to the gym. BOOM… I got punched in the gut by a drug craving. Sometimes they sneak up on me, but this one hit like a knockout blow. At that moment everything else seems to disappear. Nothing else in the world was there except for me and a mental bag of dope.
This can happen to people in recovery at any time but in early recovery, it’s the worst. During a craving, it feels impossible to get that thought and uneasy feeling out of your mind and body. I would compare it to an asthma attack, you just feel like you can’t breathe and panic starts to set in. I felt like I wouldn’t survive unless I got high. The good thing is if you can get through the next few minutes that awful feeling will subside and go away.
What Is A Drug Craving?
Craving is defined as a strong desire for something. A longing or yearning for/to something. We all know food cravings when we are super hungry or sexual cravings when we are excited. When a person uses drugs or alcohol for a period of time their brain starts to seek this substance, they crave drugs and alcohol just like they crave food. These substances change our psychology and physiology over time. After continuous drug use, our brain starts associating the high as a reward like exercise or food. Because our brain is associating getting high with happiness it is encouraging us to seek out this substance we’ve been using that will get rid of our discomfort. (source)
To the person experiencing the craving, it will feel like a panic or anxiety attack combined with some physical feelings. Cravings vary depending on the type of drugs used but the psychological factors are very similar. Some signs of drug cravings are:
- Nervous
- Anxious
- Shortness of breath
- Rapid breathing
- Increased heart rate
- Lack of focus on anything except drugs
- Unable to do a daily task
- Sweating/perspiration
How To Beat A Drug Craving
Drug cravings are mostly psychological and the quicker you can change your thinking at that moment the better. According to the addiction specialist at Rochester Mental Health, the actual chemical components of a drug craving last only between 5-15 seconds in our brain. The reason cravings last for minutes or even hours is that we continue to entertain the thoughts. There are many ways to cope with cravings (exercise, call a friend, etc.) and all these are great.
Here are 21 Effective ways to deal with a drug craving:
- Take the Dog for a walk, or car ride
- Drop to the floor and do push-ups
- Stretches
- Draw/color a picture
- Write a poem
- Take a cold shower
- Eat something sweet (chocolate)
- Go to the movies
- Cook a meal from scratch
- Have sex
- Organize your junk closet
- Play a video game
- Sing your favorite song… very loud
- Plant some flowers
- Get some fresh air
- Watch online videos
- Punch a punching bag or pillow
- Go buy something positive
- Play the guitar
- Go feed ducks or birds
- Pray/Meditate
The common theme and goal with any of these items on the list above are to change our thoughts. Do anything that will take your focus away from the craving and on to something else.
One of the best actions you can take when a craving hits you is to ask for help. Just letting someone else know what you’re going through can be a huge weight off your chest and allows another person to help the situation. Call your sponsor, tell your girlfriend/boyfriend or mom/dad whoever is with you, or available to talk to.
Breaking The Thought Process
The common theme of all 21 things listed above is to get your mind focused and occupied on something else. The craving is a psychological memory. Like any other bad memory or negative thought, we have to get it out of our heads as quickly as possible. I’ve found that when a craving like this hits me I have to immediately sit down and break the negative thought process for a few seconds of clarity.
When that awful heroin craving started to hit me I knew I had to change my thoughts right away. My best option was to sit with my best friend in the world Morgan. Morgan is my 14 yr old Rottweiler Mix. I 
I believe most addicts like myself see only black and white when it comes to getting high, either we fight the craving or decide to use, there is no grey area. Once the decision to use is made…game over. I turn into a freight train headed straight for the nearest dealer and no one is going to stop me. Because of this, I need to fight and focus on getting that thought process changed ASAP.
Cravings and Triggers
The urge to get high (craving) can hit an addict with any amount of sobriety at any time or any place. We must build up our defenses so we have a vast toolbox of methods to use when a craving strikes. Addiction is a life or death matter. What happens during these first few seconds is critical.
Triggers can often set a craving into motion. Triggers can be anything that the person associated with past drug use. One thing that is a major trigger for me and thousands of other addicts out there is the sight of needles. Specifically a needle with a little drop of blood going into the liquid.
When an addict shoots up (injects) drugs the goal is to find a vein. You know when you hit the vein when you pull the plunger back slightly and blood goes into the liquid. This thought and memory of blood in the liquid reminds me that I got a direct hit and it’s going to be great. So anytime I see a needle or injection on TV I get really squeamish and change the channel. This is a trigger for me, so I avoid it whenever possible.
The reason I know this same trigger affects thousands of others is there is I’ve heard this mentioned dozens of times at meetings and rehabs. Also, there are online chat forums and boards dedicated to news channels not showing their stock video of a needle with blood in it every time they have a story about drug use or addiction.
Communicate
One way to increase your odds of beating a craving with any of these methods is to speak up. Tell a friend or family member when the craving hits. Once they know your dealing with this issue then both of you can go do any of these things on the list together. Remember if you attack this head-on it will only last a minute or two, and maybe not even that long. 
One common theme I hear from recovering addicts all the time is that cravings get easier to deal with over time. I can personally attest to this. Cravings from the first month were debilitating. If I get cravings now years into recovery it usually last’s a minute or so and is drastically less intense than it used to be. I have also built up my armor to deal with cravings when they hit. I know 10-12 different things to immediately do. The first thing for me is always calling someone else in recovery. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Just get through today!
Sources:
1. Oxford Dictionary
2. https://www.rehabs.com/overcoming-cravings-and-triggers/
3. https://www.narconon.org/drug-addiction/drug-cravings.html