Cravings, Decoded - Part 1 of 7
Part 1: What Causes Alcohol Cravings ← you’re here
Part 2: The Craving Escalation Cycle
Part 3: When Mental Cravings Feel Physical
Part 4: Double-Barrel Alcohol Cravings
Part 5: Hidden Triggers That Mimic Alcohol Cravings
Part 6: How to Weaken and Destroy Cravings (For Good)
Part 7: Practical Tools for Managing Alcohol Cravings
Cravings seem to appear out of nowhere.
One minute we’re fine. The next, an urge to drink hits, like a wave crashing into us.
But cravings aren’t random. They’re conditioned responses, loops our brain has practiced again and again. Until we see them for what they are, we’ll keep fighting them at the surface.
What Is a Craving, Really?
A craving isn’t just a passing thought. It’s a mental and emotional urge that feels urgent, convincing, and hard to ignore. But it’s not caused by alcohol itself. It’s caused by what our brain believes alcohol does for us.
Over time, the brain learns to associate drinking with relief, connection, confidence, or fun. Not because it’s actually true, but because the pattern has been repeated, reinforced, and rewarded with dopamine.
Eventually, alcohol gets linked to specific moments, emotions, and places.
And the craving circuit starts lighting up anytime those cues appear.
That’s not weakness. That’s conditioning. And it runs deep.
The Role of Triggers
Cravings don’t just pop up for no reason. Something always comes first, a trigger that sets the loop in motion.
And while triggers are different for everyone, most fall into four big categories.
1. Emotional Triggers
These come from how we feel, especially when emotions run high.
Negative emotions like stress, loneliness, anxiety, or sadness send the signal: “Drink to feel better.”
Positive emotions like excitement, celebration, or relief can also trigger cravings: “You earned this. Celebrate.”
Over time, the brain pairs intense emotions with alcohol. So when we feel something big, good or bad, it reaches for the old solution.
The story it tells is: “This feeling means I need a drink.”
And it’s not true. But if we’ve played out that script a hundred times, it feels automatic.
2. Environmental Triggers
These are cues from the world around us:
- Walking past a familiar bar
- Seeing someone pour a drink on TV
- Music that reminds us of nights out
- Running into people we used to drink with
- Being at an event where everyone is drinking
Environmental triggers work through memory. They pull up moments our brain linked with alcohol and fire off the signal: “This is where we drink.”
3. Routine Triggers
These are built into our habits and schedule.
- That first hour after work
- Certain days such as Fridays, holidays, or birthdays
- Activities like watching a game or cooking dinner
The routine itself becomes a cue. Not because anything special is happening, but because that’s what we’ve always done.
Even a certain time of day can whisper, “Isn’t this your drinking hour?”
4. Physical Triggers
Sometimes the craving isn’t emotional or mental, it’s physical. The body sends signals that feel like an urge to drink but actually point to something else:
- Hunger
- Fatigue
- Low blood sugar
- Dehydration
- Nutrient imbalances
When our body feels off, the brain may reach for the thing it used to think would help: alcohol. But what we really need might be food, water, rest, or movement.
Why Triggers Create Cravings
It all comes down to association and reinforcement.
Each time we respond to a trigger with a drink, the brain makes a note: “This worked.”
Even if it didn’t really help, the small dopamine hit was enough to reinforce the connection. So next time, the brain serves up the same suggestion: “You’re stressed? You know what helps…”
Eventually, it doesn’t even wait for the full scenario. Just a sound, a feeling, or a smell can activate the entire craving loop.
Why Understanding Triggers Changes Everything
We can’t out-muscle a subconscious pattern, but we can interrupt it.
Once we start seeing cravings for what they are, trained responses and not truths, we create space to choose differently.
Instead of thinking:
“This is overwhelming. I need a drink.”
We pause and say:
“Ah. This is that moment where my brain used to cue up alcohol. But I know that story now, and I’m not buying it.”
That’s how cravings lose power. Not by fighting harder, but by seeing more clearly.
Cravings Aren’t Us, They’re Learned
Having a craving doesn’t mean something’s wrong with us.
It means the brain is doing what it was taught to do.
But brains are adaptable. Patterns can be rewired. And every time we respond to a trigger with clarity instead of an old habit, we’re building a new path.
It might feel small, but it’s everything. Because the craving is just noise.
And our response is where the real power lives.
— Brent
Next up: The Craving Escalation Cycle