What do cravings actually FEEL like for you?

[Sillymummies123]

Just a curiosity really! For me, its feeling a bit uneasy, dissatisfied, and like alcohol will unlock fun, but also I get a genuine unquenchable thirst. I'm like downing water and it does nothing.

I quit for 5 months last year, tried one drink in November to see "if I still needed it" and then a slippery slope later I'm drinking every night, but today I feel like I'm ready to get through the first week or two and back into the process of being alcohol free. Last time, chatting on this forum really helped so I'm starting a thread!

@Sillymummies123 - I’m a binge drinker. My cravings build up over days until I feel a compulsion to drink and give in telling myself “this time will be different” but of course it never is and I end up on a 3 day bender. I read posts from people saying cravings only last 10-20 minutes but mine don’t.

Im currently AF (I’m not counting days but it’s been weeks) and am still pink clouding - I’m dreading the cravings sneaking up on me as I just cannot drink again - my family really are at the end of their tether with me. I don’t know what I will do but somehow I will need to dig deep and stay sober.

Please feel free to rant and unload craving struggles here when things are challenging. I'm in day one, but unlike the previous ten day ones, I feel ready for the short term push. Longer term will be a different battle and one that will go in for longer.

For me it’s like having an itch that I can’t reach to scratch. It’s there. It’s constant and it won’t go away. I try distracting with other drinks. I try keeping myself busy.
I’ve been on another thread on this board for almost a year now but still not cracked it.

Im 7 months sober and I still have cravings. Im fine in the days but between say 5 - 8 pm I get antsy and fed up because I’d love a drink, a lot of it is boredom and frustration with my life circumstances and I think the drink definitely numbed that.

I’ve given up before for a few years. It started by having the odd shandy here and there but then that progressed to wine and anything else.

since I’ve been sober I have put in place steps to change things; I never would have got round to it if I was still drinking every evening as I would be too numbed out to be motivated or care to make changes.

Thanks all. Mine is that I have an autistic son who presents with much violent protesting and is very anxious, and so I live my life on my tip toes. Truthfully, I can only actually relax enough to sleep with alcohol. However, I've no doubt that after a few weeks of sobriety a lot of that will level out. It's very hard to abstain at the moment, knowing that I'll have a few hours of anxiety, a rough sleep, only to wake up to the aggression and violence again - but I know its short term pain for long term gain. I've done it before and I managed 5 months. I felt much better toward the end and was doing quite good parenting despite the challenges.

Edit: I'm flirting with lowish SSRI doses at the moment, but previously I found I actually drank a lot more on them. I think it makes me even more hyped up and impulsive.

I’m in a very similar situation chick I have x3 asd adhd non verbal developmentally delay children aged 5 and under I’ve always LOVED alcohol but always kept it in check a few over the weekend etc a few at a meal etc! But due to pp depression and a handful of other awful tragedies this year it’s 1/2bottle of wine a night scarily I can literally bounce out of bed in the morning if I only drink a bottle! If I drink x2 then don’t feel too hot put it that way!

The thing is for me is because it doesn’t impact my life in ways like I’ve never been abusive to my husband or nasty or throwing up or done anything to cause upset I’m extremely high functioning the house is clean kids are very well taken care of my dh doesn’t even see it as a issue he offers to pour my glass when he gets in!

The only thing I would say what is making me sober curious is for my health! I’m a entire stone and a half over my usual body weight and I know full well it’s the bludy wine because my diet isn’t bad at all! I think that’s playing a roll with the drinking too because im not as confident as I usually am so maybe using it for a confidence boost but for WHO?!! My husband loves me to bits?! Im still confident like my hair and make up is done everyday nice clothes but I can fully resonate with you! Extremely hard in the 6 week holidays too doesn’t help X

Hope it’s ok for me to add a partner perspective - I opened the thread to try and get more of an insight into cravings from the inside, as it’s something he doesn’t like to talk about. But thought it might be helpful for someone else to know the blindspot about cravings that I have noticed for him. He is always surprised that I am (extremely) aware of when cravings start building for him, as he thinks he is behaving normally. However from my perspective the beginning stage is a subtle closing down of connections and emotional intimacy with me and with his friends and family. The times he’s successfully got through cravings are when that barrier gets broken before the cravings get too strong. His preference is to try and power through any difficult feelings completely independently, which I think is quite common for people with/overcoming addictions, but being vulnerable and open to other people is what actually helps. I think some powering through is still involved but not in such a lone ranger way.