How to Stop Cravings

Cravings are a defining feature of substance use disorders. The DSM-5 lists cravings as one of the diagnostic criteria. They are also one of the most predictable challenges in early recovery. Understanding what a craving actually is, and what works to ride one out, makes recovery more manageable. The principles below draw on NIDA’s Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment and standard clinical practice.

What a Craving Actually Is

A craving is a sudden, intense urge to use a substance. It is a biological signal from a brain that has been changed by chronic substance use. The brain’s reward and memory systems have learned to associate the substance with relief, pleasure, or escape, and produce powerful urges in response to triggers.

Cravings are not failures of willpower. They are predictable consequences of substance-induced changes in the brain that resolve gradually over months of sustained recovery.

Common Triggers

Emotional Triggers

Stress, anger, sadness, anxiety, loneliness, boredom. Substances were often used to manage these feelings, so the brain still reaches for the substance when the feelings appear. The acronym HALT (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired) captures four common emotional triggers worth watching for.

Situational Triggers

Places associated with use (bars, certain parks, friends’ homes), times of day, music, smells, or events that previously coincided with use. The brain forms strong associations, and these cues can produce cravings even years into recovery.

Social Triggers

People with whom you used, social pressure, conflict, or family dynamics. Sometimes simply seeing someone associated with past use can produce a craving.

Physical Triggers

Hunger, fatigue, pain, illness, sleep deprivation. The body’s stress response can trigger cravings independently of any emotional or situational cue.

Evidence-Based Strategies

Urge Surfing

This mindfulness-based technique teaches people to observe the craving without acting on it. Cravings typically rise, peak, and fall within 15 to 30 minutes. Treating the craving like a wave you ride rather than a force you fight reduces its power. Each successful ride teaches the brain that the craving ends without use.

Distraction

Physical activity, calling a sponsor or friend, leaving the situation that triggered the craving, eating a meal, or engaging in a competing task. Distraction works because the brain has a hard time holding two intense focuses at once.

Cognitive Reframing

Examining the thought patterns behind the craving. “Just one will be fine” or “I deserve this” are predictable cognitive distortions. Naming them out loud or in writing can deflate them. Therapists trained in cognitive behavioral therapy teach specific techniques.

Exposure Work

In therapy, deliberately encountering triggers in controlled settings without using teaches the brain that the trigger no longer leads to use. The intensity of the craving response gradually reduces over repeated exposures. This is best done with a clinician.

Medication

FDA-approved medications reduce cravings for several substance use disorders. Methadone and buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, naltrexone for alcohol and opioid use disorders, acamprosate for alcohol use disorder, and varenicline and nicotine replacement for nicotine use disorder. Medications do not eliminate cravings but reduce their intensity and frequency for many people.

The Long Arc

Cravings are most frequent and intense in early recovery. Most people experience significant decreases in craving frequency and intensity over the first 6 to 12 months. By a year or more, cravings tend to be infrequent and manageable, though they can still appear at unexpected moments (anniversaries, grief, major life transitions). The skills built in early recovery continue to serve.

What to Do During an Intense Craving

1. Name it. “I am having a craving.” Naming reduces its power.
2. Set a timer. 20 minutes. Promise yourself you will reassess at the timer.
3. Reach out. Call your sponsor, a friend, or a hotline.
4. Change your environment. Walk outside, go to a meeting, change rooms.
5. Eat, drink water, and address physical needs.
6. Use a coping skill. Urge surfing, breathing exercises, brief meditation.
7. Reassess at the timer. The craving has almost certainly diminished.

Talking With a Professional

If cravings are severe, persistent, or interfering with recovery, talk with a clinician. The admissions team at Discovery Point Retreat can talk through what an assessment involves and what options exist.

References

1. National Institute on Drug Abuse. Treatment and recovery. Accessed June 8, 2026. nida.nih.gov.
2. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Relapse prevention and recovery support. Accessed June 8, 2026. samhsa.gov.
3. US Food and Drug Administration. Medications to treat substance use disorders. Accessed June 8, 2026. fda.gov.

Resources

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. Free, confidential support 24/7.
• SAMHSA National Helpline. Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or visit the SAMHSA National Helpline page for free, confidential referrals to local treatment.
• 911. For any medical emergency, including suspected overdose, call 911 immediately.

This article is general education and is not medical advice.

Reviewed By: Donnita Smart, LCDC Executive Director - Ennis

Donnita Smart is the Executive Director of Discovery Point Retreat with over a decade of leadership experience in addiction treatment and recovery services. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Social Work from the University of North Texas at Dallas and is a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor, with a proven track record in managing multi-site programs, regulatory compliance, and strategic growth. Donnita leads with compassion, accountability, and collaboration, driving programs that support lasting recovery for individuals and families.

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