I went two weeks without drinking. Because i was broke and had no money to buy liquor. I feel great. But now that i do have some cash im doing everything in my power to not but alcohol. How do i fight these urges?
Put your money to better is and find other interests to do with her time…from another app I read this morning: The Neuroscience of Cravings
When you encounter a drinking trigger, your brain releases dopamine in anticipation of the reward it expects from alcohol. This creates the sensation of craving: a physical and psychological pull toward alcohol.
The intensity of the craving corresponds to how strong that neural pathway is. If you've indulged in similar situations hundreds of times, the dopamine surge is powerful. Your brain is very convinced that drinking is what happens next.
But when you choose not to drink through the craving, something powerful happens: the dopamine surge doesn't sustain itself. Your brain registers that the expected reward isn't coming, and the neurochemical cascade begins to fade. The craving peaks and then naturally falls away.
This is why cravings are waves, not permanent states. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Why Fighting Makes It Worse
When a craving hits, the instinct is often to fight it or white-knuckle through it.
However, fighting a craving keeps your attention locked on it. You're in a mental wrestling match with the urge, which means you're thinking constantly about the very thing you're trying not to do. This actually strengthens the neural activation rather than letting it naturally decline.
It's like trying not to think about a pink elephant. The effort to suppress it makes it more present, not less.
The Alternative: Urge Surfing
Urge surfing is a technique developed by psychologists that treats cravings like waves you can ride rather than forces you must fight or surrender to.
The practice involves:
Noticing the craving without judgment. "This is what a craving feels like in my body."
Observing where you feel it physically. Tightness in your chest? Restlessness in your legs? A pulling sensation in your stomach? Tension in your jaw?
Watching it like a scientist. With curiosity rather than fear. "The intensity is about a 7 out of 10 right now. My thoughts are telling me I need a drink. My body feels activated."
Breathing through it. Slow, deep breaths that signal to your nervous system that you're safe, not in danger.
Reminding yourself it will pass. "This is a wave. It will peak and then it will subside. I don't have to do anything except wait."
The key is that you're not fighting the craving or trying to make it go away. You're acknowledging it, observing it, and letting it run its natural course while you stay grounded.
Every time you ride a craving wave without drinking, you're teaching your brain something important: "The craving doesn't mean I have to drink. I can feel this and survive it. It passes."
You're creating new evidence by proving to yourself that cravings, despite how they feel, are not emergencies. They're temporary neurochemical events that you can experience and allow to pass. Your brain will gradually learn that the craving doesn't lead to the reward, and the dopamine surge will weaken over time. The waves get smaller, less frequent, easier to ride.