{"id":17589,"date":"2013-04-08T13:22:42","date_gmt":"2013-04-08T20:22:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/?page_id=17589"},"modified":"2018-06-15T15:01:44","modified_gmt":"2018-06-15T22:01:44","slug":"craving","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/craving\/","title":{"rendered":"Craving"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"HappyA craving<\/strong><\/span> is an intense urge for something such as a food, chemical, or activity. While cravings are commonly associated with addiction<\/a>, most people experience cravings.<\/p>\n

What is a Craving?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Everyone knows what it is like to feel hungry for a certain food or to want to do a particular activity. But a craving is an overwhelming desire that often makes it difficult to think about anything else. A person craving pizza might, for example, be uninterested in eating anything else, and might take extraordinary measures such as driving in the middle of the night to fulfill the craving.<\/p>\n

Cravings can cause physical side effects, particularly when they are associated with addiction. A former smoker craving nicotine might develop a headache, cold sweats, or nausea. Cravings can also cause psychological disturbances. A person who gambles compulsively<\/a> might become agitated, anxious, or angry when he or she avoids gambling.<\/p>\n

What Causes Cravings?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n\t

Find a Therapist<\/a><\/h2>\n\t
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Not every craving can be explained. People sometimes crave something for no apparent reason. However, many researchers believe that cravings exist to meet physiological needs. A person craving a sweet snack, for example, might have a nutritional deficiency or low blood sugar. Cravings can also fill psychological needs. A person engages in compulsive shopping<\/a> might be trying to eliminate feelings of boredom or frustration in their life.<\/p>\n

Cravings are common during pregnancy<\/a>, and may serve to ensure that pregnant women get adequate nutrition and calories. People experiencing strong cravings when going through addiction withdrawal<\/a> may need medical treatment to deal with the physical effects of the cravings. In other cases, the cravings simply go away on their own. Cravings are usually short-lived and typically only last for a few minutes, but may occur frequently, particularly among people recovering from addiction.<\/p>\n

References:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. How to fend off a food craving. (2012, September 17). The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http:\/\/online.wsj.com\/article\/SB10000872396390443995604578002253859884598.html<\/li>\n
  2. McCall, W. (n.d.). Brain buildup causes addiction. Biopsychiatry. Retrieved from http:\/\/biopsychiatry.com\/cocaine\/index.htm<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A craving is an intense urge for something such as a food, chemical, or activity. While cravings are commonly associated with addiction, most people experience cravings. What is a Craving? Everyone knows what it is like to feel hungry for a certain food or to want to do a particular activity. But a craving is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2474,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"psychpedia.php","meta":{"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-17589","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2474"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17589"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17589\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}