Cravings and urges are some of the biggest challenges in addiction recovery. When they hit, they can feel overwhelming, making it difficult to stay on track with sobriety.
But what if there was a way to navigate these cravings without fighting or suppressing them? Enter urge surfing — a mindfulness-based technique that helps individuals “ride out” cravings rather than resist or act on them.
Urge surfing is not about denying or burying cravings, but observing them as temporary experiences that will eventually pass. By learning to recognize urges without judgment, individuals in recovery can develop greater self-awareness and control. Explore what urge surfing is, how it differs from other coping strategies, and practical steps to apply it in recovery.
What is Urge Surfing?
Urge surfing is a mindfulness technique developed to help people manage cravings without being controlled by them. The concept comes from the idea that cravings, like ocean waves, rise in intensity, peak, and then subside. Instead of fighting the urge or giving in to it, individuals learn to “ride it out” by observing it with curiosity rather than resistance.
This approach is rooted in mindfulness-based relapse prevention, which teaches that cravings are temporary and don’t require immediate action. By acknowledging an urge without judgment, a person can weaken its power over time. Urge surfing helps reduce relapse rates by teaching individuals to tolerate discomfort rather than escape it through substance use.
Unlike suppression or distraction techniques, urge surfing encourages facing cravings head-on, but in a controlled, mindful way. It’s not about winning a battle against urges, but learning to coexist with them until they naturally fade.
What Makes Urge Surfing Different
Many traditional coping strategies for cravings involve avoidance, suppression, or replacement behaviors. Urge surfing stands out because it doesn’t treat cravings as enemies to be defeated but as natural experiences to be observed.
Here’s what sets urge surfing apart from other coping techniques:
No Value Judgment
Cravings are a normal part of addiction and recovery. Most people label cravings as “bad” or “dangerous,” which can create anxiety and make them feel harder to resist.
Urge surfing removes moral judgment. Instead of thinking, “I shouldn’t be feeling this,” the approach encourages, “This is just a feeling, and it will pass.” This neutral observation helps decouple the craving from feelings of shame, reducing its emotional charge and making it easier to manage.
Learning Your Own Patterns
Urge surfing helps individuals recognize their personal triggers and craving cycles. This process can be supported through individual therapy, journaling, and other mindfulness techniques. Over time, individuals can detect early warning signs like stress, boredom, or certain environments. They can then prepare and think of how they would wat to sact in thise situations rather than react impulsively.
As these patterns become clearer, individuals gain predictive power. They develop a stronger ability to detect cravings before they intensify and deploying coping strategies proactively.
Urges Don’t Require Action
A key insight of urge surfing is that an urge doesn’t have to lead to action. Many people believe cravings must be satisfied. But mindfulness teaches that they peak within minutes, then subside if not reinforced. Recognizing this can be empowering in recovery.
Each time you successfully surf an urge without acting on it, you weaken the neural pathway linking craving to substance use. This can make future urges easier to manage.
Central Points of Urge Surfing
To master urge surfing, it’s essential to understand and practice its core principles. Below, we break down each step in detail to explain how you can effectively manage cravings during recovery.
Acknowledge and Name the Urge Early
The first step in urge surfing is recognizing a craving as soon as it arises. Instead of ignoring or suppressing it, pause and mentally label it: “This is a craving.” Simply naming an emotion or urge reduces its intensity by activating the prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain responsible for rational decision-making. Early acknowledgment prevents the urge from gaining momentum, making it easier to observe rather than react. Over time, this practice rewires the brain to respond to cravings with awareness rather than act automatically without any awareness.
Recognize the Lead-Up to the Urge
Cravings rarely appear out of nowhere. They’re often preceded by emotional or environmental triggers. Pay attention to patterns: Do urges surface after stress, loneliness, or exposure to certain places or people?
Keeping a journal can help identify these precursors. For example, you might notice that cravings spike after arguments or during late-night hours. By mapping these triggers, you can anticipate urges and prepare coping strategies in advance, such as calling someone who supports your sobriety or engaging in a distracting activity.
Pay Attention to the Feelings and Physical Effects of the Urge
Urges manifest physically, whether as a racing heart, tension, or restlessness. Instead of resisting these sensations, observe them with curiosity. Ask yourself: “Where do I feel this in my body? Is it a tightness in my chest or a knot in my stomach?”
Mindful observation of physical discomfort (without judgment) reduces its emotional impact. For instance, imagining the craving as a wave can help you visualize it cresting and eventually receding. This detachment prevents the urge from dictating your actions and reinforces that discomfort is temporary.
Find the Source of the Urge
Cravings often mask deeper needs, such as emotional relief, boredom, or social connection. Probe at your craving beneath the surface: “Am I craving a drink because I’m stressed, or because I’m avoiding a difficult feeling?”
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques can help uncover these root causes. For example, if loneliness triggers cravings, CBT can help you notice the order of the thought patterns triggered whenever you’re starting to feel lonely. From there, you can think of solutions for the loneliness itself (such as reaching out to a friend or attending a support group meeting). Addressing the underlying need, rather than the craving itself, reduces reliance on substances as coping mechanisms.
Know That the Urge Won’t Last
A cornerstone of urge surfing is trusting that cravings are time-limited. Like waves, they build, peak, and recede typically within 15 to 30 minutes if not acted upon. Remind yourself: “This is temporary. I’ve survived urges before.”
Principles of delayed gratification explain that the brain’s craving circuits will quiet down when the expected reward (e.g., alcohol) isn’t received. Over time, this weakens the association between triggers and substance use. Keeping a timer going when riding out urges can provide concrete evidence of their fleeting nature.
Use Breath as an Anchor
When an urge feels overwhelming, return to your breath. Slow, diaphragmatic breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, counteracting the stress response that fuels cravings. Try the 4-7-8 technique: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, then exhale for 8. This not only grounds you in the present but also creates a “pause” between the urge and action. By anchoring to the breath, you reinforce that you are not your cravings — you are the observer who chooses how to respond.
When To Use Urge Surfing
Urge surfing is an effective technique to help sustain recovery after finishing a rehab program, whether you attended a residential program or an outpatient program like an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP). Using urge surfing can be incredibly helpful when facing triggers in the world outside treatment, such as social gatherings where alcohol is present, stressful work environments, or private emotional distress. These moments often spark automatic cravings, and urge surfing helps create a pause between the trigger and your response.
Regular mindfulness meditation strengthens your ability to surf urges before they become overwhelming. Many find it helpful to practice urge surfing techniques during calm moments to prepare for more challenging situations. If distraction or avoidance techniques aren’t working, urge surfing offers an alternative approach. It can also be particularly useful when you can’t remove yourself from a triggering environment and need to manage cravings in the moment.
By recognizing these key situations, you can deploy urge surfing strategically throughout your recovery journey. The more you practice, the more natural it becomes to ride out cravings without being swept away by them.
Receive Addiction Support at First Steps Recovery
If you or a loved one is struggling with cravings for addictive substances, First Steps Recovery offers evidence-based therapy treatments that include mindfulness-based relapse prevention techniques. Our personalized programs help individuals build up resilience against cravings while addressing the root causes of addiction.
At First Steps Recovery, we offer:
- Mindfulness-based therapy: At First Steps Recovery, our mindfulness-based therapy program helps teach practical techniques like urge surfing. These can help you observe cravings without acting on them, as well as strengthen your ability to use healthier coping mechanisms.
- Personalized treatment plans: We create customized recovery plans that address each person’s specific challenges and goals. This ensures that your treatment aligns with your individual history, triggers, and lifestyle needs.
- Supportive environment: Our team of compassionate professionals provides a safe, judgment-free space where you can focus on healing. We provide round-the-clock support from counselors who understand addiction recovery firsthand.
Urge surfing is a powerful tool for managing cravings without resistance or fear. By observing urges mindfully, individuals in recovery can reduce their intensity and regain control. If you’re ready to develop healthier coping strategies, First Steps Recovery can guide you every step of the way. Take the first step toward lasting recovery and contact us today for a confidential consultation.
Dr. Curl is the Medical Director and primary on-site provider for First Steps Recovery. He is a Board Certified Internist and Addiction Medicine Specialist having attended the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and completing his residency at Mount Auburn Hospital with Harvard Medical School. Following several years work as an internist and physiatrist (physical medicine and rehabilitation). Dr. Curl completed the Addiction Medicine Fellowship at Howard University in Washington DC and participated as a RAM Scholar (Research in Addiction Medicine). While part of the fellowship, Dr. Curl pursued research investigating the barriers to expanding and improving medication for opioid use disorder. Following his fellowship, Dr. Curl spearheaded the Opiate Use Disorder outpatient clinic and worked in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences within the Howard University Hospital. In 2023, Dr. Curl completed his Board Certification in Addiction Medicine.
