Drink and urge

You will probably notice in the first weeks of your challenge: that alcoholic drink that you drink regularly is more than 'just tasty'. It does more to you than anything else without alcohol. The urge to drink something can sometimes be so great, but you only notice that if you can't give in because you participate in IkPas. In this article we explain on which three levels the urge to drink is influenced by the alcohol itself. It's about thinking, feeling and doing!

To think

The craving can arise because you know that you drink normally and the thought of it does not let go, which really makes you want and keep it. That's not very easy when you've promised yourself not to drink, that you still have to think about it all the time. This thinking can be obsessive to a greater or lesser degree. You can try to stop this yourself by changing your mind. You do that not so much by thinking about something else, but by doing something else that forces you to shift your mind to something else. This means there is a chance that your thoughts will gradually become less intense and you will find it easier not to drink.

To feel

Sometimes you don't feel so well. You feel a bit down and tired. The tendency to use something to influence your mood is then obvious. You don't always do it consciously, but the numbing effect of alcohol can be a way to deal with negative feelings. You may not notice this to a lesser extent, but it also works the other way around. Alcohol is responsible for maintaining mood symptoms when the alcohol in your head has already worn off. Try to name your feeling. Why do you feel this way? What happened? What can you do at such a moment but numb that feeling? Make an action list for yourself for the moments when you are not feeling well. For example, take a bath with your favorite bath foam. Watch a nice movie. Call a friend. Go for a walk or gift yourself a nice magazine.

To do

Alcohol is part of the things you do. The drink is part of something. That's a habit. The habit of the beer in front of the TV at Studio Sport, or the wine at the reception or in the pub. After many years you are 'conditioned' to this behaviour, which means that it feels strange if you suddenly break it because your alcohol consumption is on pause. You feel a bit uncomfortable and you think you stand out because you suddenly act 'different'. What your brain actually does is panic. They benefit from things that stay the same. If that suddenly doesn't happen anymore, they panic and want to encourage you to quickly go back to doing what you were used to in this situation. So if you feel uncomfortable and a little lost in the situation, you can tackle this anyway by telling yourself out loud that your brain is playing tricks on you. Get the system and don't let your brain fool you.