Opioid Cravings: Recognizing Cravings and Getting Help 

Opioid addiction, or opioid use disorder (OUD), is a chronic and remitting disease, and while recovery can be achieved and maintained, opioid cravings may persist.¹ Opioid cravings can be strong, particularly in the early phases of treatment like detox. Furthermore, during recovery, cravings and other stressors could result in a slip or a relapse for those in recovery. However, there are options available to help mitigate cravings. Medications represent a strong option for reducing opioid cravings throughout the treatment and recovery process, while additional relapse prevention strategies can help reduce the risk of falling back into addiction. Understanding what opioid cravings are, how relapse prevention strategies can mitigate them, and how to seek help in the case of a relapse can be vital for maintaining recovery.  

What are Drug Cravings? 

Cravings are a strong desire to use a substance, and experiencing them may increase the risk for relapse, both during treatment and recovery.³ Experiencing cravings for opioids is among the criteria used to diagnose OUD.² As such, opioid cravings can be common in recovery and may be triggered by cues in the environment, such as being exposed to drugs or paraphernalia.³ Cravings can also be triggered by internal cues, such as stress.³ 

 It is possible to manage and mitigate cravings with evidence-based strategies, such as medications like methadone and buprenorphine as well as cognitive and behavioral  relapse prevention strategies.  

How to Stop Opioid Cravings

Cravings can sometimes be eliminated or at least effectively  managed with effective relapse-prevention techniques. It is important to note that while relapse is common, it is not a sign of weakness.⁴ Those with OUD who do relapse can seek evidence-based addiction care to help get back on the path to recovery. 

Tips for Managing Opioid Cravings

There are various ways to cope with opioid cravings when they occur, though effectiveness may vary depending on the person. First, it is important to understand that recovery is a lifelong endeavor that requires ongoing effort.¹ Part of this means recognizing and responding to cravings when they occur.1

Managing Opioid Cravings During Treatment

During addiction treatment, cravings may occur at any point during medical detox, inpatient rehab, or outpatient rehab. Cravings during detox may require a response from a medical team, and this may take the form of prescribing or adjusting the dosage of medications such as buprenorphine or methadone.^6,7 Both buprenorphine and methadone are opioid agonists that may be prescribed during opioid withdrawal in order to help relieve opioid cravings and withdrawal  symptoms.^6,7 Both these medications may be used throughout treatment and recovery. For somebody who doesn’t have opioids in their system, naltrexone is a non-opioid medication option that can be useful in managing opioid use disorder, including the ability to lessen or eliminate cravings.  

Managing Opioid Cravings During Recovery

For OUD specifically, research has shown that the medications discussed previously can effectively manage cravings and help people remain in recovery.¹ For this reason, it may be beneficial to speak with healthcare providers about medication as a treatment possibility. In addition to medications, there are other relapse prevention strategies to help manage cravings as well. 

Opioid cravings are often associated with conflicting thoughts—the person feels the urge to use opioids again but tries to ignore those feelings and refrain.⁴ Environmental triggers that may cause cravings include people, places, and situations that remind the person of what opioid misuse felt like. Avoiding those triggers is a crucial part of relapse prevention strategy.⁴

The acronym HALT contains all the risks that can cause cravings: hunger, anger, loneliness, and tiredness.¹ Proactively managing these situations can help to reduce cravings. This means eating a healthy meal when hungry, reaching out to others (mutual-help group sponsors, a therapist) to process feelings of anger or frustration, contacting friends and family for company and support when feeling lonely, and resting and using relaxation strategies when feeling tired.¹ 

Other ways of managing cravings and avoiding relapse include:¹

• Caring for the emotional self. This can include limiting draining or negative influences, engaging in positive, fulfilling activities, and using stress reduction techniques such as journaling, mindfulness meditation, reading, prayer, or deep breathing. 
• Fostering physical health. This involves establishing and adhering to an appropriate exercise regimen. A physician can help you develop the right fitness plan, especially if you have any medical conditions. 
• Fostering mental health. OUD often occurs alongside other mental health conditions. Continuing therapy to manage those conditions can help to mitigate emotional, mental, and behavioral factors that may lead to relapse. 
• Finding Hobbies or Other Activities. Not only can this help one build out a social support network, but engaging in hobbies and other sober activities can act as distractions and help shift thoughts off opioid use.  
• Avoiding people who use opioids. This involves surrounding yourself with people who do not use opioids and staying away from those who do, deleting contact information of those associated with your past use. 
• Participating in peer support groups. Regularly attending 12-Step groups like Narcotics Anonymous (NA) can give you a sense of solidarity with others in recovery. It can also help you learn coping strategies from each other. 
• Taking life a day at a time. When experiencing cravings, it is easier to focus on abstaining for 24 hours at a time instead of days, weeks, months, or years. That’s because thinking about abstaining long into the future can feel overwhelming. 

Getting Help for Opioid Addiction or Misuse

If you or someone you love relapses, you may need evidence-based treatment to achieve recovery. This is all right and does not mean you failed because relapse is often part of the process.1

Addiction treatment can help strengthen relapse prevention strategies and put you back on the path to recovery. Working with professionals can help uncover your unique risk factors and develop a personalized relapse prevention plan.¹

It’s never too late to seek help. Thousands of addiction treatment programs are available across the U.S. that address individual needs. You can use this search directory to find a program near you—just enter a keyword or location. 

You can also call AAC at to speak with an admissions navigator who can answer your addiction and treatment questions and verify your insurance benefits. You can also check your insurance coverage here. 

Help is just a phone call away. Contact us at . We are here 24/7 to help.