Hello. Firstly, well done on giving up cannabis and maintaining that for a year!

Cravings or urges to use are a natural part of changing your use, and understanding them will help you to overcome them. Cravings are the result of long-term substance use and can continue long after quitting. So, people with a heavier or longer history of use will often experience stronger urges.

A craving or urge is like a wave at the beach. Every wave/craving starts off small, and builds up to its highest point, and then it will reduce and drop away. The intense part (the build up and peak) of this process usually lasts for 10 minutes or less.

The urges to use do get less and hopefully they are already less than when you first gave up. They will continue to reduce over time. In the meantime there are several things you can do to reduce the intensity of the urges when they come.

Relaxation techniques can be very useful because tension can be associated with cravings. Activities such as slow breathing techniques, muscle relaxation, yoga and meditation can be helpful to reduce tension. Staying busy and distracted can help too, because cravings can often happen when a person is bored or idle. Work, play and exercise are all important too, so have a look at your typically day and see if there is room to increase any of these activities, and work on making those changes.

Getting on top of urges by using mental strategies is also important. Cravings can be triggered by people, places, things, feelings, situations or anything else that has been associated with using in the past. Cravings usually lose their power if you ignore them and resist acting on the thought. They can be a bit like a stray cat: if you keep feeding them, they will keep coming back. Using occasionally will only serve to keep the cravings alive. Each time you do something other than use, the craving loses its power and the intensity of the wave will become smaller, and the waves will be further apart. Good luck!