Alcohol Cravings: How to Curb Them, Medications, and Home Remedies

On the other hand, vegetables like spinach, broccoli, lettuce and other green leafy vegetables are rich in vitamin B, which you need to replenish after prolonged alcohol use. However, when you consume dairy products like cheese, milk, and yogurt, make sure to choose low-fat to avoid unnecessary calories.

Dealing with alcohol cravings is one problem that makes recovery tricky. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, over 400,000 people in Delaware participate in alcohol use. Almost 6% of Delawareans struggled with binge drinking or alcohol use disorder in 2020.

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Preparing and anticipating questions will help you make the most of your appointment time. Your health care provider or counselor can suggest a support group. Vivitrol, a version of the drug naltrexone, is injected once a month by a health care professional. Although similar medication can be taken in pill form, the injectable version of the drug may be easier for people recovering from alcohol use disorder to use consistently.

It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers. Sometimes medication is necessary to stop or at least reduce alcohol cravings.

Foods That are Proven to Reduce Alcohol Cravings

Protein is a source of long-lasting energy that can boost your mood and make you feel better in no time. Whole article could be summed up as “know that it will feel bad but don’t give in.” I already know that it will feel bad. That doesn’t make it any easier to deal with this almost every waking hour. Consider how giving into an urge keeps it alive while not giving into the urge slowly kills it. While you can’t make the urge go away, you can see it for what it is.

It also explains why it’s important to find effective treatments. Whatever treatments you choose, make sure to discuss the benefits and risks with your healthcare team. Alcohol cravings are caused by psychological and physical factors that form how to reduce alcohol cravings triggers that tempt you to drink. Similar to ashwagandha, holy basil may help alleviate anxiety from alcohol withdrawal. As with external triggers, you may or may not be aware that an internal trigger is what’s behind your urge to drink.

Internal Triggers for Alcohol Consumption

Just as different things can trigger alcohol cravings from person to person, different strategies can help you manage them. Topiramate – Similarly, topiramate is generally prescribed to treat seizures and migraines.

They may even be able to prescribe medication to help you quit. Write your drinking goal down and keep it where you will frequently see it, such as on your phone or taped to your refrigerator. Our mission is to provide empowering, evidence-based mental health content you can use to help yourself and your loved ones.

Ways to Manage Alcohol Cravings

To the best of our knowledge, all content is accurate as of the date posted, though offers contained herein may no longer be available. The opinions expressed are the author’s alone and have not been provided, approved or otherwise endorsed by our advertisers. If you tend to drink too much whenever there is any alcohol in the house, get rid of it altogether, the NIAAA recommends.

• Meditation, practiced on your own or via guided meditation, can help you learn to react less to alcohol cravings .
• Acamprosate interacts with GABA signaling to restore the proper chemical balance in the brain following chronic alcohol exposure.
• Remind yourself of the adverse long-term effects of heavy drinking and how it won’t really make you feel better, even in the short term.
• If one of these triggers arises, and a person cannot drink, they will often experience strong alcohol cravings.
• Forbes Health adheres to strict editorial integrity standards.

That’s why building your own recovery toolkit can make a difference in your ability to weather the most intense cravings. You might notice stressful or tense situations tend to fuel cravings more often than not. A positive distraction can help occupy your thoughts and energy, giving you something to focus on besides the urge to drink. When a craving for alcohol strikes, a good first step involves acknowledging the craving, according to Mehta. She goes on to explain that while the craving might be intense, it will lessen and pass in a few minutes. Over time, alcohol use begins to affect the neurotransmitters, or chemical messengers, in your brain. Freelance writer with contributions to numerous addiction blogs and a passion for relatable content.

Get Compassionate Help for Alcohol Abuse in South Florida

The process is streamlined, so it’s quick and easy, and the person seeking admission doesn’t feel overwhelmed or intimidated. The first step in the recovery process is deciding to have a better life and making the initial phone call to Windward Way Recovery. They think the person on the other end of the https://ecosoberhouse.com/ phone will ask too many deeply personal questions about their current addiction. One of the major concerns a person with an addiction has is fear of not knowing how the treatment process works. This is especially true with someone who’s never attempted recovery or has never been to a treatment facility.

The practice encourages you to simply notice urges to drink, without feeling that you have to satisfy those urges. During your daily activities, keep a journal with you and take notes of when you notice any cravings, regardless of whether they are mild or strong. Try to figure out what it was (e.g. a place, a person, a situation and so on) that initiated this craving for alcohol.