How are fantasies related to urges?

Fantasies are your mind imagining what might happen if you do something like using a drug. When it comes to urges, a fantasy can help you better understand your desire and how to control it. 

Why Fantasies Come With Urges

The urges you experience during recovery can be compelling, so much so that you fantasize about what might happen. As your mind wanders, it might tell you a story or show you a movie about what the future could look like if you were to follow that desire, including all the potential outcomes.

What Type of Fantasies Come With Urges

One of the common fantasies people have about using drugs is that they can control their intake. In this fantasy, they will take only a small dose of the drug, enough to get high, but it won't be enough to keep them from functioning normally at work or home. 

Maybe the fantasy is that you're sober enough now to consume drugs responsibly. If this happens, reminding yourself of the consequences you've already suffered and why you decided to become sober in the first place can help you understand why that fantasy is not achievable. 

Another common fantasy people have about using drugs is that they'll do it once, and then stop. Reminding yourself how many times you've said you would not use the drug again might help you grasp the power of your urges and why you should resist them. 

How to Learn From Fantasies

Fantasies can help you learn why your mind craves drugs and remind you of the consequences. Understanding potential outcomes if you start using drugs again empowers you to be compassionate with yourself when urges happen.