What Your Cravings Are Masking

Ahh, craving, the sweet whispers of persuasion to indulge in our vices. Silent, yet so powerful.

And that’s just it, right? Unless you are experiencing psychosis, you don’t actually hear a voice persuading you to give in. And yet, it essentially is that...only in the form of impulse. A subtle but insistent “I must have X.”

Before you know it, your brain has spun several stories convincing you to give in to the urge: drink, smoke, snort, ingest, watch. Like a crafty lawyer assembling evidence for the defence. How do I plead? Guilty, Your Honour…on all charges.

For some, cravings aren’t much of an issue. For others, especially in the realm of addiction, they are. But at some point or another, we all experience craving. No matter the vice, this need for something has likely been part of your life. We’re all cut from the same cloth.

Being raised in comfort or wealth doesn’t protect you, those born into wealth crave… more wealth. The same goes for power. Even knowledge. Abstract yes, perhaps. But in my opinion, still cravings. From class As to classical A...minors (it was suppose to be a clever pun shifting from drugs to classical music 🤦‍♂️), craving takes many a forms indeed.

Whatever floats your boat, which brings me to this.

Imagine being stranded at sea on a small rowing boat. Hundreds of miles of ocean stretch in every direction. No land. No food. No water. No one.

A few days have passed now.

You are so thirsty that, to your rational mind’s horror, you begin drinking seawater. Yes that's right... lapping it up greedily, smacking your lips as your thirst is quenched. For now.

Salty lips. Mad look in your eye. Broiling sun.

Then something happens. Your thirst returns, with vengeance.

Stronger. Almost unbearable. You know rationally you must not drink seawater again. But the memory of relief overrides everything! You drink again. Fully aware of the consequences. And yet, for a moment, there’s relief.

Time passes. You don’t know how much. But you do know this, the thirst is back, fiercer than ever. Rationality no longer gets a vote. You are now bent over the boat, frantically scooping seawater, as if trying to extinguish a raging fire with buckets passed hand to hand. The thirst is not only unquenchable, it is more fierce than ever. You are so dam thirsty you could gulp gallons of water only to feel that sweet, blissful, relieving ‘ahhhhh’ to follow.

We can all empathise with this poor soul. Driven to madness by a logic we fully understand. And yet, this is us folks.

Craving is exactly this if you think about it. Attempting to quench an insatiable thirst with something that soothes briefly, only to worsen the problem long-term.

So the real question is this: what is your vice trying to satiate? What do you truly thirst for?

If you can answer that question...tentatively, imperfectly...you may find the real solution to your craving. Not a magic cure, but a direction.

So what do you need?

Love?

Comfort?

Expression?

Creativity?

Validation?

Stimulation?

Focus?

Self-acceptance?

Healing?

A deeper sense of connection?

Go into it deeply, and I guarantee you will unearth something you would never think to relate to your craving.

Often, cravings are best understood as substitutes.

I ask you: what is your freshwater?

Yes, the thirst may remain for a while. But it won’t escalate endlessly the way it does when you keep drinking from the sea.

If you’re prone to seasickness, my apologies. Perhaps next time we’ll talk about the insatiable itch of a mosquito bite.

This insight has helped me make sense of my own cravings, especially the ones I could do without. Insight alone isn’t always enough to change behaviour, but it’s a start.

So when your craving kicks in, whatever it is, I want you to picture yourself on that boat. Come back to this.

And ask yourself: what is my H₂O?