Over the past several years in working with people recovering from addiction or dependency, perhaps one of the most challenging is the emotion of craving. Caving to cravings can quickly lead to relapse but can be used to help us. It is all in how you look at these moments.
“What a beautiful sunset; I would love a hit of a joint right now,” perhaps someone might say, or, “man, a line would get me going, and I could use the boost.”
Cravings come in many forms in varying levels for most people, and sometimes it is not until they have been abstinent for some time.
Caving to the craving only validates the part of you still holding on to the notion that these substances can make you happy. Sure, you may “feel” better, but it is an escape.
Sometimes cravings come with the smell of something, like people grilling out or the scent of burnt rubber for racing fans.
“A cold beer should be refreshing right now,” either of those two may say.
It could be a sound; it could be visual; it could be anything but, but, in the end, it can also serve as validation of your courage to stick to your path and not cave to the craving.
If you are craving to do something you have chosen to no longer, do look at those as micro-victories as you move through them. Cravings do not need to be a pain in the ass; they can serve as reminders of a past we will leave where it is.