Understanding Cravings: Psychology and Management Techniques

January 1, 2026

3:22 pm

Cravings: Psychology and overcoming them

Cravings are unpleasant. They can be overwhelming and can take over your body, as well as your mind. Understanding cravings: psychology and ways to overcome them can help manage these intense feelings.

If you have ever tried to give up coffee or cigarettes, then you will know how it feels.

For someone in recovery cravings are not a temporary inconvenience: They are extremely powerful triggers that make abstinence incredibly difficult.

Cravings: Psychology and overcoming them

Cravings are not a sign of weakness. They are the brains natural response of seeking the substance it has learned to prioritise. It matters not if it is for pleasure, survival or relief.

Research shows that cravings are rooted in biology as well as the environment and psychology. By understanding how they work you stand a much better chance of being able to deal with them.

In this post we will look at the science behind cravings, the role of human memory and the environment and why cravings have such an impact. We will also look at ways to deal with them.

What Exactly Is a Craving?

Put simply, a craving is an extreme desire for something: A behaviour or a substance.

A craving is not simple wanting. It goes far, far beyond that. When you speak to someone who has experienced them they will tell you that cravings intrude on your thoughts as well as having a physical presence. You simply can’t just ignore them.

They have been described as a pull, a hunger for something, even a command that overrides any other thoughts.

Cravings can appear without warning and can be pre-empted by stress or just the passage of time.

The Role of Dopamine in Cravings

Dopamine, the brains reward chemical, is at the centre of problem.

When you do something you enjoy, dopamine is released which gives you a sense of pleasure and reward so you want to do it again.

Alcohol, opioids, stimulants and such like take over this reward system by overloading the brain with dopamine or by imitating the effect.

If this keeps happening, the brain will associate the alcohol/drugs with survival level importance. When this happens, if the brain detects a cue related to substance use it will raise dopamine levels: This is when cravings begin.

The Brain’s Learning and Memory Systems

Cravings are not merely about pleasure, but also about memory and learning.

Every time you use a substance your brain records the effect and will link it to the what is going on around you, how you feel and what your mood is. This is very powerful learning.

If you drink at a certain bar, just walking past the bar in years to come can trigger a craving. The hippocampus has the ability to store contextual memories while the amygdala connects those memories to emotional significance.

This is why cravings can lead to strong emotions.

Why Cravings Feel Physical

It is a surprise to many just how physical cravings feel.

For some it is a tightness in the chest, a lump in the throat or unbinding restlessness. This happens because the brain is not only producing thoughts but is also activating the brains stress system.

When your brain expects you to take a substance, it prepares the body for it. Your heart rate may go up and you may begin to sweat. Muscle tension is also common.

These physical sensations can intensify cravings and make them even harder to try and ignore.

Stress and Cravings: A Dangerous Pair

Stress is the most common trigger for cravings.

When you are stressed your brain releases a natural occurring chemical: Cortisol. Other stress hormones are also released.

When someone has a history of addiction, the brain has learned that substances can relieve stress quickly. The problem is, this creates a powerful loop. Stress will trigger cravings which lead to use.

When you use temporary relief is achieved but this merely completes the chain and the cycle continues.

Cravings: Psychology and overcoming them

If you are able to manage stress in more constructive ways you can dramatically reduce cravings.

Key Takeaways

  • Cravings are intense desires tied to biology, psychology, and memory, often overwhelming the individual.
  • Dopamine plays a crucial role in cravings by linking substance use to pleasure and survival.
  • Stress and environmental triggers significantly exacerbate cravings, especially in early recovery.
  • Effective coping strategies include delaying decisions, distraction, and practicing mindfulness.
  • Therapy and support are vital for managing cravings and preventing relapse, reinforcing that cravings are a normal part of recovery.

Environmental Triggers and Cue Reactivity

Research in the field of addiction often makes mention of cue reactivity. This is where the brain has a heightened response to triggers that occur in the environment of the person using.

An environmental trigger can be something as innocuous as hearing a song on the radio or walking down the alcohol isle in the supermarket.

Your brain connects these situations with drug and alcohol use and , in time, these associations grow stronger.

Even if you have been sober for years, these environmental cues can invoke cravings. This, in no way, suggests you have failed. It means your brain is reacting to ingrained learning.

Why Cravings Can Feel Stronger in Early Recovery

When you start in your recovery the cravings will be at their most destructive level. This is because your brain is in a state of flux and is still trying to re-boot.

Without drugs and alcohol, your dopamine levels are naturally lower. Your brain has not yet relearned how to feel pleasure from natural rewards. This can be very frustrating but is short term.

In time, if you replace healthy habits instead of using drugs and alcohol, your brain will begin to re-balance. If you manage to sustain abstinence cravings usually decrease in both intensity and frequency.

The Role of Conditioning

Cravings are a perfect example of classic conditioning.

If you smell a bottle of beer, see a dealer in the street, the brain is looking for the reward.

Breaking these conditioned responses is a slow process and you need to repeat exposure to them so your brain can re-learn. This is known as extinction.

Extinction is about watering down the brains connection between cue and reward.

How Cravings Can Lead to Relapse

Cravings alone don’t cause relapse, but they can make it much harder to stay on track. If cravings are intense and someone doesn’t have coping strategies in place, they may give in to the urge. Relapse doesn’t mean failure; it means the brain’s learning patterns are still strong. With the right support, people can recover quickly from relapse and continue their progress.

Coping Strategies That Work

Cravings are very unpleasant. They can be totally overwhelming but that doesn’t mean you are totally powerless to deal with them.

Cravings: Psychology and overcoming them

There is no “one size fits all” approach. Different things work for different people. Our experienced addictions clinicians suggest the following:

  • Delay the decision to use. Cravings pass. Even if you set your stopwatch for 10 minutes, this gives you breathing space.
  • Distract yourself: Get up and do something! Go for a walk, call a friend, turn the TV on: Anything.
  • Breathe: Take some deep breathes, count to ten. Sounds basic but can be very effective.
  • Be aware: Observe the moment. See how it raises your stress levels, peaks and then decreases. This can undermine the power of cravings.
  • Move to a different location: Move rooms, go outside, go inside: Do something.
  • Shout it out: Call a friend. Tell someone. Share the burden. It can reduce the intensity.
  • Make a statement: Say out loud: ” I do not have to respond” or “This is only temporary”. It can help.

The HALT Method

Cravings are like the flu.

They strike when you are are under stress, tired and run down.

If you are :

  • Hungry
  • Alone
  • Lonely
  • Tired

these situations are more likely to lead to cravings. If you can break this chain, just stand a better chance of avoiding cravings.

Eat healthy snacks, rest, resolve conflicts peacefully. It will make a massive difference.

The Importance of Routine

In the modern world, keeping to a schedule can be difficult.

If you can , try and plan ahead: and stick to it. Exercise, meal planning, social outings. The less upheaval the calmer you are and the more cravings are reduced.

How Therapy Helps Manage Cravings

Group therapy, individual therapy, 12 STEP/ SMART. Different things work for different people.

The most important thing is getting into treatment. Working with a therapist who you feel comfortable with, but will challenge you, is imperative.

There have been advances in the field of therapy , in addition to legacy models. Sometimes a combination can help.

Therapy will give you the skills to tackle cravings: head on.

Cravings: Psychology and overcoming them

Medication and Cravings

There are medications that can help.

Medications for cravings are useful but secondary to therapy and detox. They will not work on their own.

Taking pills won’t eradicate cravings but they can help, with therapy, to make them more manageable.

The Long-Term Perspective

Cravings happen.

They are an inevitable part of recovery. It has nothing to do with willpower but everything to do with science.

Relapse occurs when cravings can not be overcome. This is not failure but an opportunity to re-double your efforts.

If you continue with therapy, even if it just a monthly group meeting at a local village hall, you stand a good chance of long term abstinence.

Cravings: Psychology and overcom

Free Advice and Referrals from an Experienced Addictions Clinician

Our experienced addictions clinicians work in this field. They have decades of experience (sometimes decades themselves!) in assessing, diagnosing and prescribing for those in rehab.

We neither charge for advice or referrals.

When you speak to one of our clinicians you do so in complete confidence. We are registered with the Information Commissioners Office.

We only signpost to services registered with the appropriate independent government inspectorate for that area such as the Care Quality Commission for services in England.

Need help finding the right rehab for you or a loved one? Get in touch today and take the first step toward recovery.

Speak to us