Alcohol craving is a state in which there is an extremely strong desire to drink alcohol. The symptoms of craving for alcohol relate primarily to the psyche, but not only. There are also somatic symptoms of alcohol craving. This condition is dangerous because it can lead to even many years of abstinence from alcohol being discontinued - luckily, there are ways to combat craving.

Alcohol cravingis a state in which a person develops a very strong, irresistible need for alcohol consumption. A person experiencing this problem may feel an extremely strong urge to drink. When experiencing craving for alcohol, the patient's thoughts may focus solely on where to get the alcohol from.

Craving symptoms

The symptoms of craving for alcohol affect both the psyche and the body. The mental symptoms of alcohol craving can be:

  • the appearance of intrusive thoughts about drinking alcohol,
  • anxiety,
  • anxiety,
  • irritation,
  • concentration and attention disorders,
  • feeling of weakness and lack of energy,
  • extreme mood swings.

Alcohol craving also manifests itself by somatic problems. Patients may experience all sorts of internal discomfort - for example, it is possible for them to experience a non-specific feeling of twisting in the stomach. When there is an overwhelming need to drink alcohol, the patient's heart rate may increase and he may become sweating significantly. Other problems that may be associated with alcohol craving are sleep disorders (e.g. insomnia, but also nightmares), as well as decreased appetite.

Causes of alcohol craving

A person addicted to alcohol may not even realize that they are craving alcohol. For such a patient, this condition is sometimes not bothersome at all, because when hunger appears, the alcoholic simply reaches for a measure that relieves him - i.e. ethanol.

Alcohol craving, in turn, is a problem primarily for people who try to overcome addiction and abstain from alcohol. The strongest craving for alcohol occurs in the initial period after stopping drinking. With timethe frequency of its appearance and the intensity of craving are decreasing, however, in fact, episodes of craving can occur even in a person who has not touched a drop of ethanol for several years.

An episode of craving for alcohol can be triggered by external and internal factors. The former include various situations that are (or were) related to drinking ethanol. Hunger can occur in an alcoholic when he walks past a bar that he or she has frequented in the past. The problem may also arise when the patient stumbles upon people who drink alcohol or even in a situation when he sees a glass in which he used to like to prepare drinks in the past.

The internal factors that can trigger craving include those situations that - purely theoretically - could be solved by consuming ethanol. For example, a patient may start to feel hungry when he is extremely sad - in theory, it may seem to him that "drinking" his sorrows will help to avert them. It is similar in a situation where an alcoholic feels anxious or ashamed - in such moments, craving for alcohol may also occur, suggesting that the consumption of ethanol will allow you to forget about the problems for a while.

Important

How to fight alcohol craving?

Alcohol craving tends to subside over time - but what should a patient experiencing this problem, who is in the early stages of the fight against alcoholism, do? Just as the symptoms of craving for alcoholism vary, so are the ways of dealing with this ailment. It should be remembered that for a person addicted to alcohol, each, even single consumption of this substance, is associated with the risk of relapse. This is why you just have to fight alcohol craving.

The basic way to reduce the frequency of craving is to avoid situations that may provoke it. The patient may avoid places where he has often consumed alcohol in the past - but sometimes this cannot be done, for example, because a familiar bar is located directly next to the workplace. In such a situation, the patient should divert his thoughts and direct them to topics completely different than drinking alcohol.

Talking to a loved one about what is happening can also help in relieving the symptoms of craving - the support of loved ones can be an invaluable role in fighting the irresistible urge to drink. In order to overcome intrusive thoughts and learn how to deal with them, you can also use the help of psychotherapists.

Category:

Psychology