Urge surficing...more information please!

[hillsidetime]

Hi there, Mario brought up a really cool concept of urge surfing in the just starting out forum. Do some of you have more information on this concept? Key terms, catch phrases. This sounds like something that may really help me, in particular on the weekend evenings and social gatherings.

p.s
15 days af and hanging in there.

Hill

[stirly-girly]

Urge surficing...more information please!

hillsidetime;810790 wrote:
15 days af and hanging in there.

Hill

Hi Hill. Just wanted to say :goodjob: on your 15 days AF...Stirly

[mario]

Urge surficing...more information please!

Urges to drink, or cravings, can be triggered by things you see in the environment that remind you of using alcohol. Physical signs may include tightness in your stomach or feeling nervous through your body; psychological signs may include increased thoughts of how good you would like to feel from using alcohol or drugs, remembering times you used alcohol in the past, planning how you would go about getting a drink, or feeling you need alcohol.

An extremely important point to remember is that craving and urges are time-limited, that is, they usually last only a few minutes and at most a few hours. Rather than increasing steadily until they become unbearable, they usually peak after a few minutes and then die down, like a wave. Urges will become less frequent and less intense as you learn how to cope with them.

Skill Guidelines
Learn how to recognize urge “triggers” so you can reduce your exposure to them.
1. Common triggers include—


•Exposure to alcohol itself.
•Seeing other people drinking.
•Contact with people, places, times of day, and situations commonly associated with drinking (such as drinking buddies, parties and bars, getting home from work, weekends).
•Particular types of emotions (such as frustration, fatigue, feeling stressed out). Even positive emotions (elation, excitement, feelings of accomplishment) can be triggers.
•Physical feelings (feeling sick, shaky, tense).
2. Some triggers are hard to recognize, and self-monitoring can help you recognize them, keep a note of triggers in your blog.

3. The easiest way to deal with cravings and urges is to try to avoid them in the first place. This can be done by reducing your exposure to craving triggers (getting rid of alcohol in the house, not going to parties or bars, reducing contact with friends who drink, and so on). However this is not always possible or desirable and certainly not as a long term strategy.

[greeneyes]

Urge surficing...more information please!

this thread may be helpful

https://www.mywayout.org/community/f1...box-27556.html

[Tulipe]

Urge surficing...more information please!

I like this idea. It helps to know that all we have to do is ride it out. I agree about the peak being early - in this sense the peak is like the wave breaking, and then it just rides into shore getting smaller as it goes. Sometimes the shoreline is steep, creating a big intense wave, and sometimes it is long and flat, creating an enduring but shallow wave.

Thanks Mario!

[mario]

Urge surficing...more information please!

Urges are a lot like ocean waves. They are small when they start, grow in size, and then break up and dissipate. You can imagine yourself as a surfer who will ride the wave, staying on top of it until it crests, breaks, and turns into less powerful, foamy surf. The idea behind urge surfing is similar to the idea behind many martial arts. In judo, one overpowers an opponent by first going with the force of the attack. By joining with the opponent’s force, one can take control of it and redirect it to one’s advantage. This technique of gaining control by first going with the opponent also allows one to take control while expending minimal energy. Urge surfing is similar. You can initially join with an urge (as opposed to meeting it with a strong opposing force) as a way of taking control of it. After you have practiced urge surfing several times and become familiar with it, you may find it a useful technique when you have a strong urge to drink.
There are three basic steps in urge surfing:


•i. Take an inventory of how you experience the craving. Do this by sitting in a comfortable chair with your feet flat on the floor and your hands in a comfortable position. Take a few deep breaths and focus your attention inward. Allow your attention to wander through your body. Notice where in your body you experience the craving and what the sensations are like. Notice each area where you experience the urge, and tell yourself what you are experiencing. For example, “Let me see . . . My craving is in my mouth and nose and in my stomach.”


•ii. Focus on one area where you are experiencing the urge. Notice the exact sensations in that area. For example, do you feel hot, cold, tingly, or numb? Are your muscles tense or relaxed? How large an area is involved? Notice the sensations and describe them to yourself. Notice the changes that occur in the sensation. “Well, my mouth feels dry and parched. There is tension in my lips and tongue. I keep swallowing. As I exhale, I can imagine the smell and tingle of booze.”


•iii. Repeat the focusing with each part of your body that experiences the craving. Pay attention to and describe to yourself the changes that occur in the sensations. Notice how the urge comes and goes. Many people, when they urge surf, notice that after a few minutes the craving has vanished. The purpose of this exercise, however, is not to make the craving go away but to experience the craving in a new way. If you practice urge surfing, you will become familiar with your cravings and learn how to ride them out until they go away naturally

[hillsidetime]

Urge surficing...more information please!

Thanks gang for your help and positive thoughts. Mario, thank you especially. This was exactly what I was looking for. I find this paradigm for looking at urges very helpful. The process of "Meeting the Urge" or joining it, is the part that I was having trouble with. Now I understand much more.

Is this an accuracte statement? By achnowledging the urge, and not feeling guilt or anxiety about about, you are not afraid of urges. This will help to erode some of their power. By understanding that waves, and the ocean body, are all slightly different - but they all will run out of energy before too long - one can allow the wave to pass as a natural thing in our lives.

On Friday night when I get my biggest urge of the week, I will be waiting. I know it's coming. The wind is already blowing from the West. But, since I know it is coming, I can be ready to ride it out.

Another really interesting thing that I learned from Doggygirl, was the concept of playing the whole night out - or play the whole movie. It seems that urges are linked to the positive and perfect moments of drinking. They don't include the vast majority of negative aspects related to our drinking - especailly the really bad ones. So I have also tried to make sure I play the end of the movie, if an urge sparks up the hi-light real of the film.

Hill

[mario]

Urge surficing...more information please!

way to go hillsidetime, go for your goals