Alcohol cravings can manifest in physical and mental symptoms and are a common struggle when trying to stop drinking. That’s especially true if you drink frequently or struggle with addiction.
Cravings are a big concern since they’re a common cause of relapse during alcohol addiction treatment.
One study in 2018 analyzed 34 patients who were seeking treatment for alcohol dependence. After ending treatment, 21 relapsed within one month. The study found that there was a strong correlation between high scores on the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS) and the likelihood of relapse.
Therefore, learning how to manage and reduce alcohol cravings should be a key part of successful treatment programs.
We’ll provide you with everything you should know about how to stop alcohol cravings in the rest of this article. That includes natural remedies, foods and drinks that can help, and well-rounded treatment options.
Understanding Alcohol Cravings
Alcohol cravings are a strong and sometimes overwhelming urge to drink. When experiencing cravings, focusing on other tasks or anything else around you can be hard. It’s especially challenging if you don’t have anyone to turn to for support.
These cravings are often the strongest when your body is detoxing from alcohol, which is usually between 3-14 days after stopping alcohol use but can last up to a month or longer. They can even be triggered by things around you, such as driving past a bar or being in a social setting where you used to drink.
Withdrawal Symptoms and Cravings
Withdrawal symptoms play a role and can make cravings worse at the beginning of addiction treatment.
For instance, you may have physical withdrawal symptoms like shaking, muscle aches, headache, and nausea. These can become uncomfortable and make you feel run down. It’s common to get an urge to drink since you know it’ll make those symptoms go away.
Mental and emotional symptoms can also tie in. It’s common to be in a low mood, stressed, or mentally fatigued after quitting alcohol. You may even feel like it’s hard to cope with life’s stresses without drinking and feel a sudden urge to drink or not be able to stop thinking about it.
These can all make relapse more likely if you don’t have a plan in place to manage symptoms.
Dopamine and Cravings
When you drink alcohol, it causes a big release of the neurotransmitter dopamine in your brain. Dopamine coordinates your brain’s reward system, which is why drinking can feel like it lifts your mood at first.
However, with frequent and excessive drinking, your brain gets used to alcohol triggering that big release of dopamine and it can slow down natural dopamine production. This can lead to cravings since your brain feels like it needs alcohol to release that key hormone.
How do you stop these cravings? A few things can help including foods, drinks, and lifestyle tips.
Foods That Reduce Alcohol Cravings
What you eat can play a role in your brain’s chemistry. If your diet is deficient in certain nutrients, it could disrupt hormonal balance further and worsen alcohol cravings.
Studies have also shown that alcohol addiction often correlates with lower levels of key nutrients, such as vitamin B6, that influence the production of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.
Therefore, eating foods high in vitamin B6, such as avocados, bananas, and chickpeas, can be a great place to start.
Foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids can help too. Omega-3s play a key role in supporting brain health and reducing inflammation. Research has shown that neuroinflammation is common in those who struggle with alcohol use disorders, and reducing that inflammation can play a role in the recovery process.
Some foods that are high in those helpful omega-3s that reduce inflammation are walnuts, salmon, and flaxseed.
You don’t have to go overboard and consume a ton of any of these foods at once. Just incorporating them into normal meals and eating an otherwise balanced diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, and proteins will provide great nutritional value that promotes recovery.
Drinks That Reduce Alcohol Cravings
Studies have shown that hydration can play a key role in treating alcohol withdrawal and cravings. For instance, research published in 2017 showed that increasing water intake after stopping alcohol use led to significantly fewer reports of cravings from patients. Therefore, simply drinking more water during alcohol detox can help a lot.
Since drinking high volumes of water isn’t always the easiest thing to do throughout the day, beverages that enhance hydration with key electrolytes like sodium, magnesium, and potassium can also help. That can include sports drinks like Liquid I.V., coconut water, or fruit juices like orange or cherry juice that are high in those nutrients.
Lifestyle Tips to Stop Alcohol Cravings
If you’re wondering how to stop alcohol cravings naturally, lifestyle changes are a good place to start.
Studies show that managing stress levels plays a big role in the success of treatment programs. Fortunately, there are a lot of mindfulness activities that can help and be great natural remedies to reduce cravings. Those include yoga, meditation, and breathwork. Even doing simple and relaxing activities like going for a walk, listening to calming music, or journaling can be great options.
It can also help to get more active through exercise, local activities like volunteer work, or spending time with a positive group of friends. These can keep your mind off of drinking and focused on positive goals.
Starting with a Well-Rounded Treatment Program Can Help
When struggling with alcohol addiction, you don’t have to go through it alone. Seeking help from a treatment center is a great place to start.
Rehab facilities that offer programs like medical detox and residential care will be able to provide 24/7 medical support to help reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings while keeping you as safe as possible. Plus, it gives you time in a controlled environment where you can focus on recovery and building a plan for success.
Residential programs also provide well-rounded support through therapy, support groups, life skill building activities, and relapse prevention planning. By the end, it’ll have you feeling more equipped to deal with any potential triggers and cravings and know where to go when you need support.
Conclusion
Alcohol cravings can be uncomfortable and concerning. Fortunately, there are many ways to manage them and support systems are available to help you each step of the way.
If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol addiction, we can help at United Recovery Project. We provide medical detox and residential care for drug and alcohol addiction. All our plans are tailored to your needs and you’ll be surrounded by our friendly and knowledgeable treatment team throughout the process.
References
- Beniwal, RamPratap, et al. “Relationship between Craving and Early Relapse in Alcohol Dependence: A Short-Term Follow-up Study.” Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, vol. 40, no. 4, 2018, p. 315, doi:10.4103/ijpsym.ijpsym_558_17. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6065139/
- Chiara, Gaetano Di. “Alcohol and Dopamine.” Alcohol Health and Research World, vol. 21, no. 2, 2024, p. 108, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6826820/
- Vech, R L, et al. “Vitamin B6 Metabolism in Chronic Alcohol Abuse the Effect of Ethanol Oxidation on Hepatic Pyridoxal 5’-Phosphate Metabolism.” Journal of Clinical Investigation, vol. 55, no. 5, 1 May 1975, pp. 1026–1032, doi:10.1172/jci108003. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC301849/
- Lékó, András H., et al. “The Vicious Cycle between (Neuro)Inflammation and Alcohol Use Disorder: An Opportunity to Develop New Medications?” Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research, 15 Mar. 2023, doi:10.1111/acer.15049. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10289133/
- Koopmann, Anne, et al. “Drinking Water to Reduce Alcohol Craving? A Randomized Controlled Study on the Impact of Ghrelin in Mediating the Effects of Forced Water Intake in Alcohol Addiction.” Psychoneuroendocrinology, vol. 85, Nov. 2017, pp. 56–62, doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.08.005. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306453017305504
- Brady, Kathleen T, and Susan C Sonne. “The Role of Stress in Alcohol Use, Alcoholism Treatment, and Relapse.” Alcohol Research & Health, vol. 23, no. 4, 2024, p. 263, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6760383/
