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How to intervene on an episode of craving
Intervening On An Episode Of Craving by Cathy:
Since craving is a normal and natural symptom of addiction that follows the addict into recovery, it is important for addicts to learn how to deal with craving in recovery. This is done by learning and practicing a number of steps.
1. Recognize Craving: Addicts must learn how to recognize a craving while it is happening. Many addicts fail to identify mild cravings as problematic and wait until they are in a full blown, severe craving before taking action.
2. Accept Craving As Normal: Many people experience a craving, panic, and believe there is something wrong with their recovery or that they are condemned to return to cocaine use. This is not true.
3. Go Somewhere Else: The craving was probably activated by an environmental trigger, so get out of the setting you're in and get into an environment that supports sobriety.
4. Talk It Through: If you talk it through, you don't have to act it out. Addicts need to talk about their cravings as soon as they occur to discharge the urge to use.
5. Aerobic Exercise: This stimulates brain chemistry and reduces the physiology of craving.
6. Eat A Healthy Meal: Eat a healthy meals in order to nourish the brain. Consume some lean fish or meat for protein and eat some whole wheat bread or baked, potatoes or brown rice for complex carbohydrates. It also helps to take some vitamins and amino acids to help stabilize brain chemistry imbalances.
7. Meditation And Relaxation: Cravings are worse when a person is under high stress. The more a person can relax, the lower the intensity of the craving.
8. Distraction: divert attention from the craving by engaging in other activities that productively distract the person from their feelings.
9. Remember Cravings Are Time-limited: The ninth step is to remember that most craving is time limited to two or three hours. If you can use the previous eight steps to get yourself fatigued enough to fall asleep, most people wake up and the craving is gone.
It is possible to understand craving and to learn how to manage craving without returning to drug use. A model that allows people to identify set-up behaviors, trigger events, and the cycle of craving itself, and intervening upon this process has proven effective in reducing relapse among addicts.
Since craving is a normal and natural symptom of addiction that follows the addict into recovery, it is important for addicts to learn how to deal with craving in recovery. This is done by learning and practicing a number of steps.
1. Recognize Craving: Addicts must learn how to recognize a craving while it is happening. Many addicts fail to identify mild cravings as problematic and wait until they are in a full blown, severe craving before taking action.
2. Accept Craving As Normal: Many people experience a craving, panic, and believe there is something wrong with their recovery or that they are condemned to return to cocaine use. This is not true.
3. Go Somewhere Else: The craving was probably activated by an environmental trigger, so get out of the setting you're in and get into an environment that supports sobriety.
4. Talk It Through: If you talk it through, you don't have to act it out. Addicts need to talk about their cravings as soon as they occur to discharge the urge to use.
5. Aerobic Exercise: This stimulates brain chemistry and reduces the physiology of craving.
6. Eat A Healthy Meal: Eat a healthy meals in order to nourish the brain. Consume some lean fish or meat for protein and eat some whole wheat bread or baked, potatoes or brown rice for complex carbohydrates. It also helps to take some vitamins and amino acids to help stabilize brain chemistry imbalances.
7. Meditation And Relaxation: Cravings are worse when a person is under high stress. The more a person can relax, the lower the intensity of the craving.
8. Distraction: divert attention from the craving by engaging in other activities that productively distract the person from their feelings.
9. Remember Cravings Are Time-limited: The ninth step is to remember that most craving is time limited to two or three hours. If you can use the previous eight steps to get yourself fatigued enough to fall asleep, most people wake up and the craving is gone.
It is possible to understand craving and to learn how to manage craving without returning to drug use. A model that allows people to identify set-up behaviors, trigger events, and the cycle of craving itself, and intervening upon this process has proven effective in reducing relapse among addicts.
i havent seen this...i am going to post it to my forehead
thanks for the mess up...which, we all know there are no coincidences, this was meant to be...i benefitted from the whooopsi...
thanks for the mess up...which, we all know there are no coincidences, this was meant to be...i benefitted from the whooopsi...
i havent seen this...i am going to post it to my forehead
thanks for the mess up...which, we all know there are no coincidences, this was meant to be...i benefitted from the whooopsi...
thanks for the mess up...which, we all know there are no coincidences, this was meant to be...i benefitted from the whooopsi...
k....I was just trying to put it in the health pages...gtm just told me about over there at the right top by (email this)...an easy way for new people to see the thomas recipe and all...i thought that would be good there too but dont know how to put it there
sorry guys...I was trying to put this in the health pages for future reference for newbies and for us...screwed up and it went here!
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