Cravings can be extremely difficult to face, especially if they pop up seemingly out of nowhere after you’ve been clean for a long period of time. Triggers and the cravings they can bring are a part of addiction that almost everyone who faces addiction have to deal with, but it can be scary and disheartening to feel the urge to use again. Despite how it may make you feel, the fact that you have a craving does not, in fact, mean that you don’t want to be sober.

Cravings are simply a fact of life for people in recovery, and they’re almost always trying to tell us something. If you’re craving a hit around a certain time of day, check yourself to see if you’re dehydrated, or if you need to eat a healthy snack to keep your energy up. If it’s late at night and you find yourself thinking about having a drink, your body could be telling you it’s time to get some rest. Cravings often are just our body’s way to reacting to something that needs to be addressed, not a sign that deep down, you’d rather still be using than living a clean, sober life.

We often think that cravings are a sign that perhaps the recovery plan isn’t working, or treatment failed, but if you’re having cravings and resisting, that means the tools you gained in treatment ARE working.

Having cravings often leads people to turn to the coping strategies learned in treatment, whether it’s attending a 12 step program meeting like AA or going for a run to clear your head and change your environment, and that’s exactly what you’re supposed to do. Cravings hit hard and fast, and they tend to be gone within the hour, if not less, and the earlier you are in your recovery, the stronger they tend to be. The longer you continue to make healthy choices, the less intense the cravings will be over time.

Just because you’re having a craving for drug use doesn’t mean that you will relapse, and it doesn’t mean that you don’t want to be sober. Staying active in a program for recovery can help you address some of the specific cravings you deal with, and it can help you continue to find ways to progress in your addiction recovery, even in the face of cravings.

We know how important the right treatment is for you. That is why at The Springboard Center, we are providing the best possible treatment programs for recovery from addiction and alcoholism. Serving the Permian Basin, our treatment center offers the comforts of home while providing quality clinical care. Call us today for more information: (432) 620-0255