About this worksheet
Cravings rise, peak, and fall — usually within 20 minutes if they are not fed. The worksheet tracks one craving across its wave: what the client was craving; the trigger, internal (feeling, thought) or external (place, person, cue); craving intensity at start, at peak, and 20 minutes later; what the client did while the wave was up (urge surf, distract, HALT check for hungry/angry/lonely/tired, contact support); and what they learned about their pattern this time. The clinical value is not in refusing the craving — it is in seeing the wave arc. Clients who track this consistently begin to trust that the wave passes without action. That trust is the intervention.
When to use it
- Substance use recovery.
- Disordered eating urges (binge, purge, restrict).
- Self-harm urges.
- Gambling and process addictions.
- Any impulse-control work where the urge is felt as continuous but is actually a wave.
How to use it
- 1
Track without acting, for the 20 minutes
The mechanism depends on waiting the wave out at least once. Even one uninterrupted wave changes the client's model of the craving.
- 2
HALT check
Hungry, angry, lonely, tired — the four most common uncredited amplifiers. Addressing them reduces the peak.
- 3
The 20-minute intensity is diagnostic
If the intensity drops sharply, urge surfing is working. If it stays elevated, another intervention (contact, environment change) is called for.
- 4
One pattern per week
Cravings pattern by trigger. A week of sheets reveals the pattern; the pattern is what to change.
Frequently asked questions
Do all cravings pass in 20 minutes?+
Most acute cravings do. Chronic craving states (early recovery, cue-heavy environments) can extend the wave — the point is that even chronic states have peaks and troughs, and action-at-peak is not required.
Is urge surfing enough on its own?+
For some clients, in some phases. Most also need environmental change, support contact, and (where appropriate) medication. Urge surfing is a tool, not the whole program.
Is this worksheet free?+
Yes. Free printable PDF. Sign in to send as a secure client link.
Worksheet — Craving Management Worksheet — provided by TherapistAssist for clinical use. Not a substitute for assessment or treatment.
