How do I deal with cravings?
Ways to deal with cravings:
Delay the urge : See if you can wait 5 more minutes, then 10, etc, pushing back the urge to pick up automatically. It is then a choice.
Change your environment: Leave the place you’re in and remove yourself from being around substances for however long.
Distract yourself: Take a walk, shower, call someone, play a game, eat, workout, clean, rearrange a space, do a hobby
Identify the trigger: What happened before you felt triggered to use? a person? a place? a smell? boredom? sadness?
Use healthy coping skills: breathing exercises, meditation, stretching, yoga, reading, writing,
Challenge the automatic thought: When you notice yourself having thoughts about using, challenge them by saying something to yourself like, “I don’t have to act on my thoughts”, “a thought is just a thought, it will pass”
Plan ahead: Know when you will be around alcohol or drugs, bring water or a mocktail, have a plan to leave if triggered, have a limit for yourself, call someone if your feeling triggered
