What is an Alcohol Craving?

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Cravings and Urges

We all get cravings for one thing or another from time to time. Have you ever wondered “what are they?” and “what causes them?”

I was asked this question by a client this week and so I thought I’d answer it here for you too.

A craving for alcohol is defined as an emotional, physical or psychological desire to consume alcohol.

Cravings range in their intensity from fleeting thoughts about alcohol that last for just a few seconds to an overwhelming desire for alcohol that can last for up to 30 or 40 minutes.

So, what causes cravings? Well, it largely comes down to the neurotransmitter, Dopamine. When you consume alcohol, the pleasure centre of your brain is stimulated and large quantities of both Dopamine and GABA are released. For the first 20 to 30 minutes, you feel relief and pleasure. Your nervous system relaxes. (That is, until your body releases stress hormones, Adrenalin and Cortisol in response.)

Dopamine is known as the reward chemical because it’s role is to remind humans to repeat the activity that we undertook immediately before the Dopamine release. The purpose of this is keep us alive. Dopamine reminds us to eat well (ie, to consume berries so we can react quickly to physical threats), connect with our tribe, reproduce and stay safe. This was important during our hunter / gatherer phase and operated as intended well before substances and activities like artificial sugars, alcohol and gambling came on the scene.

The problem with our modern lifestyle is that artificial sugar, alcohol and gambling releases huge amounts of Dopamine, AKA “Dopamine dumps” that flood our systems, creating alcohol, gambling, sugar and porn addictions unless carefully controlled.

In fact, the mere thought of your first drink of alcohol during the day can release Dopamine, making you crave alcohol well before your first sip. Has this ever happened to you?

Cravings for alcohol usually occur after a specific trigger, which creates the urge usually followed by the gratification of that urge (unless resisted). This is knowns as a habit loop.

Triggers an be:

  • emotional-based (ie, boredom, loneliness, stress, happiness, a desire for reward or adventure),
  • time-based (ie, when the clock hits 5pm, you start thinking of your first beer),
  • locational based (ie, on holiday or in the business lounge), or
  • physical-based (ie a particular person or a group of people may trigger a desire to drink).

Freedom from cravings lie in successfully widening the gap over time between the trigger and the gratification of the urge.

There are a number of techniques that you can use to do this, such as Surfing the Urge, Playing the Tape Forward and Piggy-Backing the trigger with a healthier coping strategy. (Note: See my podcast episode on surfing the urge released in May for further information.) All of these techniques involve acknowledging the urge, pausing, reflecting, reconnecting with your health goals, and usually distracting yourself with a healthier action to allow the craving to pass.

Some questions to ask yourself:
🌱 What types of triggers do you have?
🌱 What cravings-busters can you use?
🌱 What are some healthier coping mechanisms you can put in place when you next experience a craving?

If you would like to learn more about alcohol, take a look at my online alcohol course, the Alcohol Revolution, which can be purchased as a 2-week or a 6-week course. Learn more here.