Cravings and compulsions

A craving is a strong desire to use a substance or do an activity. It can feel physical — a tight chest, restlessness, a sudden focus — and emotional at the same time. Cravings are a normal part of addiction and recovery, not a sign that something has gone wrong.

Through repetition, the brain links use with everything around it: people, places, times of day, emotions, even sounds and smells. Later, these cues alone can trigger the anticipation of use and the urge that comes with it.¹ That is why cravings can strike long after someone has stopped, often without warning.

Cravings tend to rise, peak, and fall like a wave. How long that takes varies from person to person and moment to moment. Approaches that help many people include:

• Delay. Decide not to act on the urge for now, and revisit the decision later.
• Change the situation. Leave the place, put the phone in another room, go outside.
• Connect. Text or call someone who knows what you are working on.
• Notice and name it. "This is a craving. It will change." Observing an urge can reduce its pull.
• Look after basics. Hunger, tiredness, loneliness, and anger make cravings stronger.

The Craving Support tool walks through these steps when you need them.

Early on, use may be driven mostly by the expectation of reward. With time, behavior can become more automatic and more driven by relief from discomfort. Researchers describe this as a shift from impulsive to compulsive patterns.² It helps explain why stopping can take more than a decision — it often takes new routines, support, and sometimes medication.