Urge surfing

Urge surfing for alcohol cravings, step by step

Urge surfing is a mindfulness skill: instead of fighting an urge to drink or giving in to it, you watch it rise, peak and fall like a wave. Here is where it comes from, what the research does and doesn't show, and how to do it.

Updated 27 October 2026 · 6-minute read · VANTH Studio, The Netherlands

Where urge surfing comes from

The technique is associated with psychologist G. Alan Marlatt and his work on relapse prevention in addictive behaviours. The idea is simple: urges feel like they will keep building until you give in, but they don't. They rise, crest and fall. If you can stay with the urge without obeying it, you learn first-hand that it passes.

The US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) uses the same image in its advice on alcohol urges: instead of fighting the feeling, "accept it as normal and temporary" and ride it out, knowing it "will soon crest like an ocean wave and pass."

What the research shows, and what it doesn't

Evidence for urge surfing comes mostly from small studies, and many are about smoking rather than alcohol. In a 2009 randomised study, 123 undergraduate smokers were shown cues designed to trigger urges. Half got brief urge-surfing instructions. Their urges were not weaker than the control group's, but they smoked significantly fewer cigarettes over the following 7 days. The researchers concluded that mindfulness may not reduce urges at first, but may change how people respond to them.

That is the realistic promise of urge surfing: not that the craving disappears, but that you get better at letting it pass without drinking. It's one tool among several, not a treatment on its own.

How to urge surf, in six steps

1. Pause and name it. Say to yourself: "This is an urge to drink." Naming it puts a little distance between you and the feeling.
2. Find it in your body. Where do you notice it? Tight chest, restless hands, a dry mouth, a pull in the stomach? Describe it as plainly as you can.
3. Breathe slowly. Use a steady rhythm that you can keep up, such as in for 4, hold for 4 and out for 6. You're not trying to make the urge go away, just to stay with it.
4. Watch it change. Every few minutes, rate the urge from 0 to 10. Notice when it peaks and when the number starts to drop. Thoughts like "just one" may show up; let them pass like the urge itself.
5. Let it fall, then choose. When the urge has eased, decide your next step: a drink of water, a walk, a message to someone, an early night.
6. Note what set it off. A time, a place, a feeling? NIAAA suggests tracking urges for a couple of weeks so you can spot and plan for your triggers.

Common snags

• "It got worse before it got better." That's the wave building. Most people find the peak is the hardest moment, and it doesn't last.
• "I can't sit still." You don't have to. You can urge surf on a walk. Grounding (naming five things you see, four you feel, three you hear, two you smell and one you taste) can help when your mind won't settle.
• "I'm in a situation where drinking is easy." Leaving is a valid strategy. NIAAA recommends planning your exit from tempting situations in advance.
• "It didn't work this time." Urge surfing is a skill; it gets easier with practice. Combine it with other strategies, such as reminding yourself of your reasons or calling someone.

Urge surfing in LastGlass

If urges stay very difficult or you're not making progress after a few weeks, NIAAA recommends talking to a healthcare professional. Non-addictive medications can help reduce the desire to drink.