Mindfulness for an Alcohol-Free Summer Series: Practice 2 – Surfing the Urge by Ali Roff

Picture this: You arrive at a friend’s BBQ…

Picture this. You arrive at a friend’s BBQ; the smoky air smelling like summer, and as your friend ushers you into the garden, the first thing you’re offered is, of course, a drink. This time last year you would have without hesitation requested your favourite tipple, but this year, you’ve decided to go alcohol free. And this is the event you’ve been dreading.

You look around and see everyone happily sipping away: fresh glasses of white wine, cool bottles of beer, some fancy cocktail someone has concocted.

The temptation is powerful.

So, how to get through it?

The key is in surfing a wave…

Mindfulness and temptation: why “surfing the wave” works

Studies have found that using mindfulness can help us relate differently to the experience of temptation. A few weeks ago, we ran the first mindfulness practice in the series to help us navigate through an alcohol-free summer: noticing your thoughts. This week we build on that foundation with a practice called “surfing the wave.”

A recent study* found that this practice helped participants reduce the amount they gave into temptation by 37% — a huge shift driven simply by paying attention differently.

Sarah Bowen, research scientist in the Addictive Behaviors Research Center at the University of Washington, explains that we often believe temptation will only disappear once we satisfy it. But her research shows something very different:

urges rise, crest, and fall — like waves — when we observe them without reacting.

This practice teaches us to relate to cravings with more awareness, less reactivity, and far more self-compassion. Over time, this builds an entirely new relationship with alcohol.

How to ‘ride the wave’

Next time you feel temptation rising — or an old habit thought like “I need a drink to get through this BBQ” — try this mindfulness practice.

1. Check in with your breath

Imagine your breath is your surfboard. Can it help you stay above the wave rather than get pulled under?

2. Notice the feeling of temptation

Without changing it or pushing it away — get curious.

3. Explore where it lives in your body

Is the craving tight? Heavy? Restless? Warm?

Where exactly do you feel it?

4. Acknowledge the emotions

What’s underneath the desire to drink?

Stress? Social anxiety? Fatigue? Loneliness? Excitement?

5. Ask yourself what you really need

Is it connection? Comfort? A moment to breathe?

Often the craving is not for alcohol itself.

6. Stay with the experience

Notice that instead of reacting, you’ve chosen to stay present.

7. Recognise your power to choose

No matter how strong the urge is, you always have this moment of choice.

8. Stay with the wave until it softens

It may rise again — that’s normal.

Each time it does, take out the surfboard again.

Stay curious.

Stay aware.

Stay compassionate.

Every repetition reinforces new neural pathways. Over time, you become dramatically more resilient to cravings — not through willpower, but through understanding your mind.

What’s next in the mindfulness series

Don’t miss the rest of the mindfulness for an alcohol-free lifestyle series.

Next up:

➡️ How to use “kindfulness” for an alcohol-free lifestyle