Even After All This Time, the Craving Came

Dylan paddling in the lake where he experienced the intense craving, Zirhuen, Michoacan, Mexico.

In this post, I want to discuss an intense craving I experienced and how I managed it. I also offer some practical tips for you to manage your intense cravings. 

Jess and I had been working nonstop on several projects recently. We noticed our stress levels had been gradually increasing. We felt consistently tired and worn out. Our cups were empty. The fuel tanks were on reserve.

Aware of the signals our body was giving us, it occurred to us that we needed a break or risk burning out.

During a morning meditation, an interesting thought came to my awareness. It was a rather vivid visualisation of me and a group of friends chilling on a log with a campfire in the wilderness. I gently brought my awareness back to my breath, but I couldn’t help but smile.

That’s it! Let’s arrange a camping trip with some friends! It’s just what we need. We’ll disconnect to connect, recharge our batteries and have some fun in the process. Win Win!

And so, a few weeks later, four cars’ worth of lovely people and furry friends set out on an adventure to camp by a lake in Zirahuén, Michoacán, Mexico.

Zirahuén has an enchanting vibe to it. There is a colossal lake surrounded by a lush, mystical forest. The altitude is quite high, so it gets a little chilly. A very welcome feeling, given how hot it is usually everywhere else in Mexico.

We arrive and start the tedious process of setting up the camping tents and chill-out zone. Eventually, we start a fire and sit down to enjoy some delicious BBQ food.

I have mentioned it many times in the Free From Cannabis Online Program. I don’t get cravings or thoughts about getting high anymore. Even if I am at an event where people are smoking. It was no different that night.

In the morning, I woke up early as usual. A friend of ours had brought kayaks and paddle boards. He suggested we go for a ride on the lake. It’s 7 am. I gladly and gleefully accepted. As a Mediterranean sea creature, I love water.

And so off we go, my friend and his little dog (a fearless canine adventurer) and I on the paddle boards.

As I start paddling away into the still lake, I start to feel the stress and anxiety I had been feeling the previous weeks slowly melt away like the wax burning off a candle.

My heart slowly began to open, and I was filled with awe at the majesty of nature. I felt an ineffable sense of beauty and presence when we stopped paddling and had a break in the middle of the lake.

It was then, out of the blue, that I was struck, like the strike of powerful raw lightning, with a torrent of thoughts and feelings about smoking a joint. The shock must have been palpable because my friend looked and me and asked if I was ok.

I took a minute to respond and said, in utter disbelief, “I just had the most intense craving to smoke a joint I have had in years.” He laughed it off, not knowing what the hell I was saying or going through.

After the initial shock, I became very confused. Why on earth did I get such an intense craving to get high on that beautiful lake at that precise moment in time?

Could it be that when I was younger, my friends and I would go on a boat out to see and smoke hash in the middle of the sea to escape law enforcement? Perhaps it was because I couldn’t contain the overwhelming sense of awe at that moment? Maybe it was because of the release of the stress and anxiety I had accumulated over the past few weeks and months. It was probably a combination of all three things. 

I reflected for a while and couldn’t pinpoint the cause of the intense craving. I must admit that initially, I felt a little bit guilty and even ashamed of the experience. How could I, the creator of a cannabis addiction program, still, almost 10 years THC free, still be triggered with an intense desire to get high?

I sat on the paddle board with the craving and felt it throughout my body. I didn’t try to suppress it or think positive thoughts. I let the intense energy move around my body until it slowly dissipated. Was it uncomfortable? Absolutely. Eventually, I laughed it off and thought, oh, you cheeky, addictive part of the brain! Trying to seduce me. I am flattered, but no thanks. I’m really good as I am.

When I returned home, I had a conversation about it with Jess. She held space for me in a non-judgmental and beautiful way. She reminded me that the mind can be a turbulent place and that we must remember that we are not our thoughts and feelings. We are the conscious awareness, the observer, that witnesses what we think and feel.

I was reminded of a powerful lesson. There will be times when the addicted part of the brain is triggered and a craving is felt. This can happen no matter how much time has passed since you last consumed. It could be years, like in my case. The most important thing is not to identify with the thoughts, feelings and the craving itself. To feel it all, to not try to run away from it or suppress it. It will surely pass, and there is no need to act on them. This, of course, takes practice. 

When you are at the beginning of your free from cannabis journey, the cravings will be more frequent and more intense. It’s not easy to laugh it off and not act on the craving, because there is a strong attachment to the feeling of getting high. Much like when you break up with a partner. You miss them and want to be with them even though you know you shouldn’t.

So what can you do when a powerful craving hits and your brain starts whispering that just one more hit won’t hurt? Here are some powerful, practical strategies to help you ride the wave without running to the dispensary or texting your dealer on speed dial:

1. Reach Out for Connection

Don’t suffer in silence. Reach out to a trusted friend, your partner, or post in the Free From Cannabis Facebook community. Just saying the words out loud — “I’m having a craving” — can dissolve a lot of its power.

2. Go for a Mindful Walk

Get out of the house. Move your body. Feel your feet on the ground. Breathe deeply and slowly. Observe your surroundings. Let the craving pass through you as you stay connected to the present moment.

3. Delay the Urge

Cravings are like waves — they rise, peak, and pass. Tell yourself: “I’ll wait 20 minutes and decide after that.” Most cravings pass in that time if you don’t act on them.

4. Use the Craving as a Teacher

Ask yourself: What is this craving really about? Are you bored, stressed, lonely, or tired? Get curious instead of judgmental. Use your Know Your Why journal or worksheet to reconnect with your deeper reasons for quitting.

5. Engage in a Healthy Dopamine Activity

Do something that lifts your mood: exercise, dance to your favourite music, do some breathwork, take a cold shower, create something, or even clean a space. Give your brain a healthy hit of feel-good chemistry.

6. Rewatch a Powerful Program Module

Return to one of the Free From Cannabis modules that really resonated with you. Even 5–10 minutes of familiar, supportive content can ground you back in your decision.

7. Visualise the Consequences

Close your eyes and imagine what will happen if you give in. How will you feel immediately after? Later that night? Tomorrow? Reconnect with the truth of how cannabis has made you feel.

8. Drink Water + Nourish Your Body

Sometimes cravings are amplified by dehydration or low blood sugar. Drink a glass of water. Eat something nourishing and grounding — fruit, nuts, or a warm meal.

9. Breathe Through It

Try the 4-7-8 breathing technique: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale slowly for 8. Repeat for a few rounds. This calms the nervous system and reduces anxiety. You can find a few super-powerful breathing exercises in the breathwork tool in the Zero-Cost Online program. 

10. Remind Yourself: This Too Shall Pass

Cravings do not last forever. You are stronger than this moment. You’ve made it this far — hold on and let the wave pass.

This experience reminded me that healing isn’t about being perfect. It’s about choosing, again and again, to come back to ourselves. Cravings will come, but we are not powerless. In every pause, in every breath, we reclaim a little more of our freedom.

If you’re struggling right now, please know: you’re not alone, and you are stronger than your craving. You are worthy of living a clear-minded, beautiful life free from cannabis.

Have you ever experienced a craving this intense? What helped you through it? Leave us a comment below :)