What Are Cravings?
Cravings are powerful, intense urges to return to substance use that can feel overwhelming and urgent. They represent your brain's attempt to recreate the chemical rewards it became accustomed to during active addiction.
When a person is in active substance use, the brain's reward system undergoes significant changes, and even during withdrawal, it still vividly remembers those intense feelings and desperately seeks to restore them.
- Cravings can be triggered by a wide array of factors, such as:
- Stress
- Periods of boredom or excessive free time
- Certain people, places, or situations
- Emotional lows like sadness, anger, or loneliness
Understanding your personal triggers is the essential first step in effectively managing these powerful urges. When you know better, you heal better.
The Difference Between Urges and Relapse
Here's something crucial to understand: having a craving doesn't mean you're failing in recovery. Cravings are not signs of weakness – they're opportunities to practice your recovery skills.
There's a big difference between experiencing a craving and acting on it. Think of it like feeling hungry but choosing not to eat junk food.
"Urge surfing" is a powerful technique where you imagine the craving as a wave. Waves build up, peak, and then naturally crash down. If you can ride it out without acting, the craving will often pass and you’ll have another tool in your kit for managing cravings.1
Achieve Sustainable Sobriety With Arista Recovery
Cravings are one of the biggest challenges you'll face in recovery. However, here's what we want you to know: they're completely normal, and more importantly, they're manageable.
At Arista Recovery, we've helped thousands of people throughout Kansas, Florida, and beyond learn effective strategies for managing cravings.
Recovery begins now—and it starts with understanding that cravings don't have to control your life.
Recovery that Extends Beyond the Individual
You don't recover alone—neither should your loved ones.
That's why our approach to managing cravings includes your entire support system, from our Paola inpatient facility to our Overland Park outpatient programs.
We’re here to help you and your loved ones lay the foundation needed for a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life.
Evidence-Based and Holistic Strategies for Managing Cravings
There are several evidence-based and holistic techniques that treatment utilizes for helping individuals with managing cravings, such as:
Cognitive Behavioral Techniques
Your thoughts directly influence your cravings, but cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) teaches you to identify and change thought patterns that make cravings worse.
Instead of thinking "I can't handle this," you learn to say, "This feeling is temporary, and I have tools to manage it." Replacing these types of thoughts with realistic, empowering statements can remind you of your strength and goals.
Mindfulness and Grounding
Mindfulness helps you observe cravings without being controlled by them. When a craving hits, mindfulness teaches these grounding techniques for managing cravings:
- Deep breathing: Breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 6. Repeat until you feel calmer.
- Body scanning: Notice where you feel the craving in your body. Is it tension in your chest? Restlessness in your legs? Just observe without judgment.
- Present-moment awareness: Name 5 things you can see, 4 you can hear, 3 you can touch, 2 you can smell, and 1 you can taste.
Distraction and Delay Techniques
Distraction and delay techniques are active strategies used to manage intense urges by shifting focus and creating a buffer period. These techniques involve committing to a brief waiting period – typically around 10 minutes – when a craving arises, and then engaging in an alternative activity during that time.
The core principle is to interrupt the immediate progression of the craving, allowing its intensity to diminish.
Some effective distraction activities include:
- Calling a sponsor or supportive friend
- Engaging in physical activity like walking or jumping jacks
- Focusing on personal hygiene routines, like taking a shower or brushing teeth
- Engaging in creative pursuits
The crucial element of these strategies is their pre-planned nature, ensuring they are readily available and actionable for managing cravings.
Nutrition and Hydration
What you eat directly affects how you feel. For example, blood sugar crashes can trigger intense cravings, while proper nutrition supports stable mood and energy.2
Some foods that help with managing cravings and provide recovery tips include:3
- Complex carbohydrates for steady energy
- Protein to support neurotransmitter production
- Healthy fats for brain function
- Plenty of water to prevent dehydration-related stress
Our on-site chef at Arista Recovery creates meals specifically designed to support recovery and reduce cravings.
Regular Exercise
Exercise is one of the most powerful tools for managing cravings, as physical activity releases natural endorphins that improve mood and reduce stress.4
Don’t think you need to become a marathon runner in order for this to work, though, as even a 10-minute walk can significantly reduce craving intensity.
Our Synergistic Recovery Program combines physical movement with therapeutic processing, helping you build both physical and emotional strength.
Sleep Hygiene
Poor sleep makes everything harder, including managing cravings. When you're tired, your brain craves quick fixes for energy and mood.
Good sleep habits for managing cravings in recovery include:
- Go to bed and wake up at consistent times
- Avoid screens for an hour before bed
- Create a relaxing bedtime routine
- Keep your bedroom cool and dark
Managing Emotional Triggers Without Substances
Emotions are often the biggest craving triggers. Many people use substances to cope with difficult feelings like loneliness, anger, shame, or anxiety.5
Learning to feel and process emotions without substances is a crucial skill for managing cravings long-term.
There are several recovery tips to help you cope with emotions without turning to substances, including:
- Journaling to process thoughts and feelings
- Therapy to work through underlying issues
- Physical activity to release emotional energy
- Creative outlets like art therapy or music
At Arista Recovery, our art therapy program helps clients express emotions they might not have words for, reducing the need to numb feelings with substances.
Medication-Assisted Support for Cravings
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) can be incredibly helpful for managing cravings, especially for opioid and alcohol addiction.6
There are many medications that reduce cravings, such as:
- Naltrexone: This blocks the rewarding effects of alcohol and opioids.
- Buprenorphine: This reduces opioid cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
- Acamprosate: This helps restore brain chemistry balance after alcohol use.
Evidence-based care delivered with heart means we combine these medications with therapy and support for the best outcomes and long-term sobriety. Our medical team carefully evaluates whether MAT is right for your situation and monitors your progress closely.
Managing Cravings Across the Continuum of Care
Cravings can hit at any time during the healing process, even after sobriety for a few weeks or months, which is why our team ensures that you’re prepared for managing cravings during every phase of your treatment.
In Detox
During detox at our Paola facility, managing cravings means focusing on medical support and comfort. Our 24/7 medical supervision helps you through the most intense physical cravings safely, and you will never be alone during this challenging time.
In Residential/Inpatient Treatment
Daily therapy sessions help you identify your personal craving triggers and develop coping strategies. You'll practice managing cravings in a safe, supportive environment.
Our innovative therapies like equine therapy and horticulture therapy provide unique ways to build emotional regulation skills that help with managing cravings.
In Outpatient Care
At our Overland Park outpatient location, you'll apply real-world skills for managing cravings while maintaining your daily responsibilities.
Regular check-ins with your treatment team help you adjust strategies as you encounter new challenges in your environment.
Aftercare Planning
Managing cravings is a lifelong skill. Our aftercare planning includes ongoing support, alumni groups, and resources to help you maintain your progress.
How Arista Recovery Helps You Manage Cravings
Our personalized treatment plans include specific strategies for managing cravings based on your unique triggers, substance use history, and personal goals.
We combine evidence-based approaches like CBT with innovative therapies that address the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. This way, we can ensure that you are set up with the best care possible on your path to recovery and for managing cravings.
From our Paola inpatient facility to our Overland Park outpatient programs, we provide Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Nebraska families with accessible, high-quality care.
Get Started on Your Healthier Tomorrow, Today
Recovery begins now – and it starts with learning that you have more power over cravings than you might think. Our compassionate team is here to teach you practical, effective strategies for managing cravings and building lasting recovery.
Don't let cravings control your life any longer. Contact Arista Recovery today to learn how our comprehensive approach can help you develop the skills and confidence needed for successful, long-term recovery.
Resources
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5441879/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534841/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7322666/
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/exercise-and-stress/art-20044469
- https://www.apa.org/news/apa/2020/emotions-trigger-cravings
- https://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/opioids/treatment/mat-faq.html
