EP 10: Reader Question – Overcoming a Craving: My Best Advice

[Music] This is Annie Grace and you're listening to this Naked Mind Podcast where without judgment, pain or rules, we explore the role of alcohol in our lives and culture. [Music] Hi friends, this is Annie Grace, author of this Naked Mind and I am answering readers questions and today I have a question from Mike. Mike asks, "Annie, what is in your opinion the single best way to overcome cravings? There's so much advice out there, but what do you think the most effective way is?" And you will not be surprised that as the author of this Naked Mind, my single best way that I believe in that is scientifically backed up and I'm going to put the studies below and talk to you about some of them is to be mindful and present with the cravings. So here's what I mean, studies show numerous studies that when you try to repress something and not think about something, it actually makes it worse. So an individual needs to become aware of everything that's going on within that craving and instead of running from it and trying not to think about it, they need to really go into it and say, "What exactly is happening in my mind and in my body and how can I become aware of this?" And it's a very simple technique and there's actually a free audio file by the researcher her name is Sarah Bowden, she is a researcher for, let's see here, the addictive behaviors Research Center at the University of Washington and she invented this, not invented, but she's packaged this in a very cool way, it's called surfing the urge. And it's all based on this really great study but what you do is you basically say, "What was I thinking and feeling just before this feeling came on? What were my thoughts? What are my thoughts now? Are my thoughts, you know, am I going to be missing out if I don't have this drink? Am I going to be miserable? Am I not as fun as I used to be? What are my thinking? And don't judge your thoughts, don't try to fix your thoughts, don't try to drop your thoughts, just become aware of your thoughts and then perhaps ask yourself, "Is that really true or not true?" You know, it's also very helpful to ask yourself, "Would I feel better not thinking this thought?" And don't try to force yourself not to think it, simply ask yourself that question, ask yourself how the thought that you're missing out drinking makes you feel, how would you feel if you weren't even able to think that thought? And that's actually a technique about mindfulness called the work by a woman named Byron Katie. But the mindfulness technique is really just about becoming aware and it's so beautiful and it's simplicity. So you think about that, but I want to tell you about the study that kind of kicked this off. There was a study and she did, again, it was Sarah Bowen and she offers a free MB3 download. I'm going to put it in the comments below for how to do this exactly. It's eight minutes long. It's probably one of the most effective things I've ever seen in overcoming cravings. But what she did is she had smokers come into her lab to participate in this study and they had been told not to smoke for 12 hours before they got there and they were given an unopened package of their favorite cigarettes. And when they were all there, she seated them all down at the table. And basically, she made them take out their pack. They had a look at it, then they had a wait a few minutes. They had to be really present with what they felt, what they thought when they looked at it. Then they had opened the cellophane, then they had a wait a few minutes and again be present with what they thought and they felt. And they smelled their pack of cigarettes. And of course, these people had been nicotine deprived for 12 hours. So they were desperate for a cigarette. And then they, you know, again, present, look at it. And she went so far as opening it, smelling it, taking it out, putting it in your mouth, getting out your lighter, lighting your lighter, but not lighting the cigarette. And at each step, she forced people to stop for a few minutes and become aware of what they were thinking and feeling. And of course, these people were completely tortured. And before the technique, before the experiment, they'd received training in this mindfulness technique, surfing the urge. And what she says is that any craving is really, you know, it's a bunch of things that happen inside your body. They're triggered by the fact that you are addicted to this substance. And it comes and it builds, but then like a wave, it will pass. And if you can be mindful through it and watch it, and someone be detached from it, you build, you know, a huge brain ability. And there's actually some brain science that I'm not going to go into now that says this technique separates parts in your brain that are in the craving cycle. So parts of your craving basically neurologically can be disrupted through this technique. And I'll post that scientific study below, but it's, I'll do a different video on it because it's quite hard to explain. But anyway, it's suffice it to say that doing this technique can actually disrupt what's going on neurologically inside your brain in terms of that craving. So these people were let out of the room. And of course, for the first, you know, immediately everybody lit a cigarette. And that just happened. But and then in the next 24 hours, there was no real difference in how many cigarettes these people smoked. But by two days later, the group who had done the urge surfing, and of course, she put them in two different groups. So she did it with the training and without the training, the group that had done the urge surfing had cut back their cigarette smoking by 37%, completely naturally. And they just no longer automatically lit up when they first felt that craving. And so over time that group smoked 40% less cigarettes. And so anyway, I've used this in different sorts of cravings. I know lots of people have used it. I think becoming mindful and present and counterintuitively going deep into what you're feeling, asking yourself questions, what does this feel like? Where do I feel it in my brain and my heart? Do I feel it in my palms and my sweaty and my anxious and my nervous? And being present with those feelings, it's almost like a magic trick because it has a hugely powerful knock on effect about how intense the cravings come on in the future. So anyway, thank you so much, Mike. That was a really good question. Happy to answer it. Again, I'll post those studies below. And this is Annie Grace, author of this naked mind answering reader's questions. This has been Annie Grace, so this naked mind podcast. Thank you so much for listening. You can learn more at thisnakedmind.com. 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