How Can I Make It Through This Craving?

Of course, the most uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms can be cravings - the intense pull, the overwhelming desire to take the substance or conduct the activity. Cravings are downright cruel. It seems when you commit to cease your substance or activity, these demons dance around you, tease you and taunt you back into self-harm. These cravings can be heartbreaking, especially when you begin to see your mind scheming ways to get out of the detox to return to your addiction. This is where you see the very depth of your soul, the yearning for something more, the longing to relieve the pain. You also realise just how resourceful and persistent your mind is. Just imagine if you could apply this same time, energy and passion to a noble pursuit!

Loving yourself through the cravings, one at a time, is the bravest thing you may ever do.

While some people see cravings as a test of commitment, I prefer to see them as a crucial opportunity to learn how to love yourself. There is no getting around it; cravings are distressing and brutal. And so are many aspects of the world you are living in. When the cravings cease, there will be other pain and challenges in their place. Learning how to care for yourself through these cravings will put you in good stead to overcome the many other obstacles you will face on the road to reconnection with your spirit.

But how do you deal with cravings? How do you love yourself through the process? It comes down to what form the cravings take. In my experience, they can range from:

1. Cravings like a crisis - overwhelming waves that feel like an emergency.
2. Cravings like chronic pain - troubling emotions that hang heavily and persistently in the back of your mind.

In the early days of detox and healing, the cravings will likely take the first form, and you will need to respond accordingly with a first-aid response. However, as time passes, you may find that space arises between the craving and your reaction to it. This provides a wonderful opportunity, a real blessing, to investigate the cravings' nature and help you learn to deal with difficult emotions and uncomfortable sensations.

The Emergency Response

When a craving feels like an emergency, when it feels too big and brutal to handle, I recommend turning straight to Chapter 11 and working through the advice on how to deal with a crisis. Cravings are not the only kind of emotional crisis that you will face on the path to healing, but they are most common in the early stages. So, when a craving feels like a crisis, you need to treat it as one and show great care and compassion for yourself to prevent you from acting on the urges.

The problem is that while cravings can last only a few minutes, we get trapped in a cognitive and emotional loop. It can play out like this:

A sensation of craving arises

• We feel guilty or ashamed for having a craving
• We begin doubting ourselves and our ability to recover
• We feel guilty and ashamed for being a loser
• We seek to avoid these hurtful feelings
• We crave the substance/activity even more to dull the hurt.

Somehow you need to break this downward spiral of self-defeating thoughts and painful emotions. In the old days, when someone was hysterical, they would get a slap in the face to jolt them out of the spiral. I would not recommend this method of dealing with cravings, but the theory is the same. You are seeking something that can bring you back to this moment and stop you from slipping further. This is why I consider crisis management an essential skill and why I have dedicated a whole chapter to it. It is truly empowering to recognise when you have slipped into crisis mode and have a toolkit at the ready to help you bring yourself back into balance

But here are some immediate ideas for an Emergency Toolkit that you can use right now to help you ride out the wave and make it out the other side, one craving down. Because every craving you survive is one step forward on your healing journey.

Breathe. There is nothing more important than your breath. It is there with you always to help calm you and restore your sense of peace. The next chapter includes a short breathing exercise that can help turn down the volume on a craving crisis so that you can deal with it more constructively.

Move. Dance, run, shake, kick, punch, row, pedal or jump. Moving your body can help release anxiety and engage hormones that help you feel calm and positive. You can read more about this in the following chapter, but movement of any sort is a wonderful way to break the hold of a craving.

Stick your head in ice water. Yep. I know it sounds a bit extreme. But it works and is recommended for those experiencing panic attacks. Basically what you are doing is mimicking a bigger crisis than the craving. You are tricking the brain into thinking that it is drowning in the Antarctic. It triggers the brain to get its act together and figure out how to survive. It makes you focus on survival and engages the body to help you cope with the crisis. Alternatively, you can keep a wet washer in the freezer and pull this out when required. Placing this over the face creates the same kind of reaction without the need for preparation.

Listen to music. Music has a profound ability to heal. When you are listening to your favourite band, or a song that moves you, suddenly you feel less alone. You feel like there is someone out there that understands you. It can support you and inspire you, and a few songs may be all you need to get through the wave of craving. I have created a playlist on Spotify called The Addiction Healing Pathway that may help see you through, and I hope it brings you much comfort and confidence along your journey.

Aromatherapy. Smells are like magic. Through the olfactory nerves they go straight to the brain and have the ability to trigger so many different emotions. The healing ability of essential oils is well proven, and if you are interested in this it would be great to seek out the services of a qualified aromatherapist. In the interim, find the oils that help calm, soothe or stimulate you through a craving. Lavender is always a great choice as it is a natural sedative and will help calm your distress. May Chang or Sweet Orange are also great choices to uplift and energise. A few drops in a shower, on a tissue in your shirt, or in a diffuser at home can be enough to break the destructive craving cycle.

Television. I never thought I would be advocating television for anything. However, it does serve as a wonderful distraction when you are in the throes of craving. Putting on a show or movie that you find interesting, or one with lots of action will keep you distracted while the craving passes. This is a short-term fix though and not a long-term strategy. If you truly want to heal you will need to learn how to sit with and care for difficult emotions and sensations, and how you do this is covered in the next section. But if you really need to zone out from the distressing feelings, television is a great quick-fix.

Sleep. If all else fails, go to bed! Many nights I stayed up getting grumpy, resenting my inability to have a drink. You know what I found much easier and much more constructive - just going to bed. I knew that this craving would not last forever and I knew that staying up was really only punishing myself and those around me. So, going to bed is always an option. Maybe team this with aromatherapy or music or breathing. Give yourself some rest and solace. Sleeping off the craving is a legitimate short-term option.

Over time, the intensity of the cravings will subside. I am sorry I can't tell you how long that will take. But when it does, then you have a real opportunity to investigate your cravings and reclaim your power over distressing emotions. Find out how in the upcoming article - Caring For Your Cravings.

Important Note

This article should not be taken as medical advice. It is based on my own experience and opinion only. Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. Never disregard the advice of a medical professional, or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this article.