The emotional consequences of alcohol on mental health can often be felt well into recovery. If you’re an alcoholic, it is likely that alcohol has not only caused an enormous amount of damage physically, mentally and emotionally but has been a coping mechanism to deal with life. Often people will get a craving for alcohol if they’re feeling uncomfortable, agitated or are looking for ‘instant relief’ from whatever is troubling them. In recovery, prioritising mental and emotional wellbeing is crucial to staying sober and the 12 Steps play a big role in this. Some supplements and nutrition strategies may assist in reducing alcohol cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Prolonged alcohol consumption can actually deplete the body of essential vitamins and minerals, causing nutritional deficiencies that may intensify cravings.
- Studies show that mindfulness can even reduce the amount you drink.9 These activities promote self-acceptance and a sense of calm.
- Every person’s experience is unique, so finding what works best for you is important for long-term success.
- Your reward system is one of the main culprits in this process.
- If you’re attempting to help someone who has alcohol addiction, approach them with compassion and understanding.
Mastering Your Mind: Embracing the Present
They work in different ways, some by altering brain chemistry, others by blocking the pleasure receptors alcohol usually stimulates. The reality is Sobriety that the sobriety or moderation journey is often a non-linear one, and you may confront cravings at any point in your journey. However, the good news is, with the right support and online alcohol treatment, you can learn how to manage cravings, and ultimately reduce their frequency and intensity. You have agency, and with this resource, a wealth of craving management tools at your disposal. Gillian Tietz is the host of the Sober Powered podcast and recently left her career as a biochemist to create Sober Powered Media, LLC. When she quit drinking in 2019, she dedicated herself to learning about alcohol’s influence on the brain and how it can cause addiction.
“Inside Out” Emotions: What Each One Means
External triggers refer to the environmental cues you link to alcohol, including places, times, people, and situations. Internal triggerstypically involve memories, thoughts, emotions, or physical sensations that prompt the urge to drink. The good news is that using these tips can improve your ability to manage and reduce urges and cravings overall.
Improved mental clarity
The areas most affected by unhealthy drinking are also the ones that can experience tremendous relief when you cut back or stop drinking. It’s also important to note that you don’t have to “hit rock bottom” in order to change your drinking. All you need is curiosity in how sobriety or moderation can give you more out of life.
Although cravings often feel unpredictable, there are usually triggers that lead to them. Triggers are teachers, and play a key role in craving management. The next time you have a craving, take note of your mental and physical state. Alcohol cravings are composed of several thoughts, physical sensations, and/or emotions that increase the urge or desire to want to drink, even if a person does not want to drink.
- Gillian Tietz is the host of the Sober Powered podcast and recently left her career as a biochemist to create Sober Powered Media, LLC.
- Note that while these foods alone might not solve the problem, they can certainly help when part of a balanced diet and recovery plan.
- Many health problems, from elevated blood pressure to disrupted sleep and digestive issues, often improve significantly or resolve entirely once alcohol is removed from the equation.
- Engage in activities that promote physical and mental wellness, such as regular exercise, meditation, or hobbies that bring joy.
- Alcohol can also send dopamine signals to the nucleus accumbens.
- As a reminder, just because you experience a craving, it does not mean you’ve lost control or haven’t made meaningful progress.
- Similar to ashwagandha, holy basil may help alleviate anxiety from alcohol withdrawal.
- Instead of fighting the craving with rigid willpower, you acknowledge its presence (“Ah, there you are, old friend”), allow it to be, and then let it pass without giving it your energy.
- Lime has benefits that include weight loss, skin & eye care, improved digestion, & scurvy treatment.
It’s important to note that you may or may not be aware of these external triggers as reasons for your alcohol cravings. Certain antidepressants also show promise for helping reduce drinking when you live with depression. Your care team might recommend this approach if you experience symptoms of anxiety and depression along with cravings. These changes can lead to tolerance, or a need to drink more in order to feel the same effects. They can also leave you more sensitive to alcohol’s effects and raise your risk of withdrawal symptoms.
A craving can be triggered by internal and external cues that serve as reminders of the euphoric effects of alcohol or the discomfort of alcohol withdrawal. Beyond peer support, psychological counselling can help you better understand your relationship with alcohol and support recovery from its psychological aspects. This might include individual or group therapy, or even couples or how to stop craving alcohol family therapy, as family support is a crucial part of the recovery process. Professionals with educational backgrounds and training in handling addiction can use clinical approaches like cognitive-behavioural therapy to help you cope. This treatment works differently because it helps reduce the amount the drinker ingests. (10) So, it prevents the person from drinking too much rather than reducing the desire to drink.