Coping with Cravings Worksheet
Build your own toolkit for the moment a craving hits, so you have a plan ready instead of facing the urge with nothing but willpower.
About this tool
A craving is an intense, temporary urge to use. It can feel like it will keep rising forever, but cravings actually follow a curve: they build, peak, and fall, usually within twenty to thirty minutes, often less. You do not have to make a craving disappear. You only have to get through it, and it will pass on its own. Knowing that changes everything about how you face it.
The most reliable strategy is to delay and ride it out rather than argue with it. A few tools help. Delay: tell yourself you will wait fifteen minutes before deciding, then wait again. Distract: do something absorbing that occupies your hands and mind. Cope: use a grounding or breathing skill, or address an underlying need with a HALT check. Reach out: call someone, because cravings shrink when they are spoken aloud. Recall: remember why you are doing this and what using would actually cost.
Every craving you ride out without using weakens the habit a little. This is how the brain unlearns an association over time. The goal of this worksheet is to have your personal moves written down in advance, so that in the hard moment you are not starting from scratch, you are running a plan you already trust.
- Marlatt GA, Donovan DM. Relapse Prevention: Maintenance Strategies in the Treatment of Addictive Behaviors. 2nd ed. Guilford Press; 2005.
- Bowen S, Chawla N, Marlatt GA. Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention for Addictive Behaviors. Guilford Press; 2011.
- Miller WR, Rollnick S. Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change. 3rd ed. Guilford Press; 2013.
Coping with Cravings Worksheet FAQ
How long do cravings last?
Cravings build, peak, and fall, usually within twenty to thirty minutes and often less. You do not have to defeat a craving, only get through it, because it will pass on its own.
What is the best way to cope with a craving?
Delay and ride it out rather than argue with it. Combine delaying, distracting, using a coping skill, reaching out to someone, and reminding yourself why you are changing.
Why prepare a craving plan in advance?
Under pressure it is hard to think clearly. Writing your moves down while calm means that when a craving hits, you are running a plan you already trust instead of improvising.
Is my information saved?
No. Everything stays in your browser and nothing is uploaded. The PDF is created on your own device.