Adding ideal portions of fruits and vegetables to your diet is a great way to curb alcohol cravings and replace and replenish the vitamins that are sorely lacking in those in recovery. When individuals experience alcohol withdrawals, their brain severely lacks proper levels of dopamine. Unfortunately, long-term alcohol use has negative effects to this important hormone by causing normal levels to fall. A healthy intake of fiber helps maintain stable blood sugar levels and promotes quick digestion — both of which contribute to the reduction in alcohol cravings. Dairy products are another prime option that helps control alcohol cravings.

Basically, it depends on the person as to when the cravings finally stop – if ever. The more severe the addiction, the longer the cravings tend to last. It also doesn’t help if you’re in recovery and you live in a house that has alcohol, or if most of your social circle drinks in your presence frequently. After outlasting acute alcohol withdrawal, you’re not completely out of the woods yet. About a couple of months after your last drink, you may suddenly experience withdrawal-like symptoms.

California Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism Statistics

This allows your body an ample amount of nourishment throughout the day. Often, if you skip meals, your body will go into starvation mode and instead of absorbing the vitamins and minerals, it will turn into fat to protect the body. Proper hydration is essential for your body to function. Ensuring how to stop alcohol cravings that you are having at least 8 glasses of water a day will support optimal brain and physical functioning. A lack of water intake can often lead to unwanted alcohol cravings so it is important to stay on top of your water consumption. Alcohol addiction is a chronic disease that has no cure.

An ancient Chinese herb, Kudzu is well known for controlling alcohol cravings and withdrawals. The roots of the plant can be eaten or used in an herbal tea to get its effects. The amount you have to consume to be effective varies from person to person. Alcohol cravings are common, especially when you first try to change your drinking habits.

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Using your willpower can be one of the tools in your toolkit, but it shouldn’t be the only one. Depression and alcohol and anxiety and alcohol and treat both simultaneously. What you do before you start having cravings and what you do when you are having cravings. Check out some more information about ‘urge surfing’ to put this into practice. It’s helpful to visualize cravings as the ebb and flow of the ocean waves.