[jcwang]

How long an urge to gamble can last? 
Urge surfing is a term coined by Alan Marlatt as part of a program of relapse prevention he developed for people recovering from addictions to alcohol and other drugs. It can actually be used to help with any addictive behaviour such as gambling, overeating, inappropriate sex or any other destructive impulses.
Urges for substance use rarely last for very long. In fact, they almost never last for longer than about 30 minutes, if there is no opportunity to use. People admitted to a high quality detoxification centre where there is no access to their drug of choice often find it remarkable how little craving they get.
If there is no opportunity to use then there is no internal struggle. It is this internal struggle that feeds the cravings. Trying to fight cravings is like trying to block a waterfall. We end up being inundated. With the approach of mindfulness, we step aside and watch the water (cravings, impulses & urges) just go right past. This is true for everybody, but few addicts ever give themselves the chance to prove it.
Exercise: Experiencing The Changing Nature & Impermanence of Urges
– Sit with back unsupported in a chair or on a cushion on the floor
– Start Mindfulness Meditation
– Wait for any sense of discomfort e.g. Restlessness, an itch
– Note the desire to move and resist it
– Notice thoughts that arise
e.g. "I wish this itch would go"………….."It is driving me crazy"………….."This too will pass" – in a calm tone……….."This too will pass" – in an irritable tone………….."It is is not bloody well passing!"…………."I would love to scratch right now" etc etc
– These thoughts are just thoughts. So gently bring your attention back to your breath and bodily sensations
– Note the changing position, shape and quality of the discomfort over time. Be interested in feeling it as precisely as you can. Notice how the shape and intensity changes with the cycle of the breath. Is it stronger during the in breath or during the out breath?
– You might find your thoughts spontaneously going to other matters,
e.g. Your shopping list, a fight with you partner, a football game, planning a holiday
– These are still just thoughts. Gently bring your attention back to your breath and body sensations. They are probably different again.
You have just observed the changing nature and impermanence of urges. When you notice the physical sensations with interest, you are directly facing the urges rather than feeding them through fighting them.
The Technique of Urge Surfing
Mindfulness allows us to bypass these problems associated with avoidance and disputation. Instead of trying to distract from or argue with the unpleasant thoughts, feelings or urges, mindfulness simply makes the thoughts, feelings or urges less important. When we use mindfulness we stay exposed to the thoughts feelings or urges for their natural duration without feeding or repressing them.
In fact, if we just let an urge be – non judgmentally – without feeding it or fighting it (Fighting it is just another way of feeding it anyway) then it will crest subside and pass.
Of course they come back again but over a period of time. However each time you overcome a bout of cravings they become less intense and less frequent if we don’t feed the urges and if we don’t give in to the addiction. Moreover our mindfulness technique of urge surfing improves. If we have a slip and give into the impulse we will have increased urges for a while. However we can still apply urge surfing all over again.
Urges can be compared with feeding a stray cat. In the beginning, you may want to feed the cat because it cries for food and attention. You may find that it is a nice thing to do and you feel good for being kind. However, your act of feeding the cat encourages it to repeat its cries and attention seeking. You find yourself giving in each time. Over a period of time the cat grows bolder and other cats join it in crying for food and attention.
You may begin to regret your actions, as a large number of strays are now contributing to noise and other problems. But you cannot resist the feeling of ignoring their cries. You may believe that their survival now depends on you, and that your actions are more important than ever. They have you trapped in a cycle of your own pattern of repeated problem behaviours.
If you make a decision to resist feeding the "cat army," there will be loud and pitiful cries for a few days. In fact they will be at their strongest when you have decided not to reinforce their behaviour. Soon, however, they will come to realise that they are no longer being reinforced, and will gradually diminish and disappear. Your decision to stick with the action you know is best for you will "undo" the problem that you unknowingly built up in the first place.
Urges do go away, but they may be very strong for a short while immediately after quitting. Knowing that they will weaken will help you to continue to surf the impulses that you feel, especially in response to your personal triggers.
LINK: https://www.gamblingtherapy.org/en-gb/ShowThread.aspx?ID=590969&Page=1
— 01/02/2012 10:59:03: post edited by harry.

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