Tapping for Alcohol Cravings
WHAT’S THE ISSUE: Willpower alone often isn’t enough to overcome alcohol cravings—especially when stress is the real trigger. After a long, exhausting day, stress hormones like cortisol build up in your body, driving the urge to reach for wine, beer, or other numbing substances as a way to relax. EFT Tapping for alcohol cravings offers a powerful, natural alternative by calming your nervous system and addressing the root cause of those cravings. Tapping to stop drinking can serve as a useful complementary approach to interventions like Alcoholics Anonymous.
One effective EFT technique is called Borrowing Benefits. Below, you will find guided videos where you can tap along with us as I work one-to-one with a teacher who is experiencing an alcohol craving just from looking at a glass of wine in front of her. All you need to borrow benefits and make a step forward in your journey towards sobriety is a glass of your preferred drink, and a way to track your craving intensity before and after tapping. Next, simply press play, tap along, and start experiencing relief and renewed control over your cravings—supporting your health and wellbeing every ‘tap’ of the way!
Part I: Tapping for Alcohol Cravings
In the first part of the Borrowing Benefits tapping exercise, the teacher’s craving for wine began at a true intensity of 7/10, despite initially reporting it as 6/10. This is because when we are a bit overwhelmed, we often underestimate the true intensity of our feelings at first. She was feeling a 4/10 overwhelmed and like having a glass of wine in that moment would be her “exit to feeling that overwhelm because I can feel relaxed.” Her alcohol craving was also linked to the thought, “That would be nice to finish the day (with this glass of wine)”. Somatically, she felt physically exhausted at a 6/10 from her day of work at school and her after-school paperwork.
After a few rounds of tapping, she reported no longer felt as exhausted. Her exhaustion now felt like a 4/10. The craving was also down to a 3.5/10 in intensity. The new thought was “I probably could take it or leave it at the minute, but I probably would have it later on. But at my choice. I’m not quite saying to myself ‘I deserve this, the day is mine now.'”
NOW OVER TO YOU: Notice if you resonate with any of these changes as you tap along to this first part of the exercise. Are you also experiencing any shifts in your thoughts or perception of the unit of alcohol that you are tapping on? Any reductions in the intensity of the physical sensations of your craving?
PART II: Tapping for Alcohol Craving
In this second part of the Borrowing Benefits exercise, we do some targetted tapping on the remaining 3/10 overwhelm. After a few rounds of tapping, her perception of the glass of wine had shifted. She just saw “a liquid and a glass, rather than all those triggers – thinking about the taste, thinking about the texture of it when it goes down my throat. That’s gone…wow!”
The exhaustion had pretty much gone. In particular, the exhaustion in her eyes, which started off feeling heavy, was completely gone. “What’s striking me is my eyes feel clear…I feel clear. I feel awake.”
NOW OVER TO YOU: Check in with the intensity of your alcohol craving as you look at the unit of alcohol in front of you having done a few more rounds of Borrowing Benefits tapping. Any shifts in your perception? Any ‘aha!’ moments?
Part III: Tapping for Alcohol Cravings
In this final part of the session, we tapped on the left over aspect of the physical sensation of exhaustion, which felt like a little bit of tension in her left shoulder, in the middle (1/10 in intensity). It felt like a little tight ball kind of tension. She’s had a cognitive shift where “I deserve to have it because I’ve worked so hard” is no longer the way she thinks about the glass of wine: “I’m not looking at that at all. I’m looking at the glass thinking – ‘It’s just there. It’s not like my prize that I need to pick up.'” The craving felt like it had gone down to a 0 “I could pop that into the fridge, no problem at all…I’m not thinking of the day in terms of that wine, now.”
In EFT we call this a Client Cognitive Reframe, because it comes from the client, not from the EFT therapist/coach. If I was the one that said ‘Why don’t you think about it this way’, that would be me doing the cognitive reframe for her and offering it to her to consider.
This is what I love about EFT. It’s a somatic hybrid of therapy and coaching that goes at the client’s pace. It’s empowering for the client because they experience positive shifts in their perception that support their wellbeing through the process of reducing stress using EFT techniques with an EFT Practitioner. That gives them a level of autonomy, freedom, agency, and ownership of the process that a ‘top down’ approach like CBT where the therapist tries to help them change the way they think so that they can change their behavior (the drinking habit) can’t do.
When One EFT Session Isn’t Enough: Recognizing Complex Alcohol Issues
Before beginning EFT sessions for alcohol cravings, it’s crucial to honestly assess the complexity of your drinking habit. This helps set realistic expectations about whether one or two sessions will suffice or if a longer commitment is needed. From my experience, a single session—with your preferred drink present—can sometimes be enough to reduce cravings, BUT only if your situation is relatively simple.
If you find yourself drinking most working nights to relieve stress, telling yourself “just one glass,” which quickly turns into several, and waking up unsure how much you consumed, you’re likely facing a more complex issue. In this case, multiple EFT sessions are necessary to address deep-rooted beliefs about alcohol, work, reward, pleasure, and self-worth. In other words, quantity of alcohol consumed within a week is a key indicator of complexity.
Frequency of consumption is another key indicator of complexity. Having a glass or two socially on weekends is very different from losing count of drinks most afternoons or evenings of the week. When drinking becomes habitual or addictive, parts of your psyche may resist change. Skilled EFT practitioners use parts work to help you navigate these internal conflicts and make meaningful progress.
Consider also when your drinking pattern began. If it started during a traumatic or deeply painful time—such as after a significant loss or period of grief—your alcohol use may be a way to numb unresolved emotions. After working on cravings and beliefs, trauma-informed EFT can help you process these underlying wounds, which is often essential for lasting healing.
Finally, remember that alcohol is a chemical substance. Chemical dependency adds an additional layer of complexity. Combining EFT for cravings, beliefs, and parts work with support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous can create a more comprehensive, effective recovery plan.
If this article has sparked your curiosity and you’re ready to explore personalized EFT sessions for your health goals, learn more about my services below or schedule an initial consultation.
About ELENI VARDAKI
Eleni works online supporting children, adolescent, and adult well-being. She is a Therapeutic Coach specialized in body based techniques for stress, anxiety, and achieving goals. You can go to her EFT Practitioner services page to book an intitial consultation to discuss your drinking problem and health goals.
