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Craving Tracker

Short answer

A craving tracker records each urge as it happens: when it started, how strong it was, what set it off, and whether you rode it out or acted on it. This one also times every urge from start to finish, so you learn how long yours actually last instead of trusting a figure from the internet.

Free, no sign-up, works offline, and nothing leaves this browser.

Urges today
0
Rode out
0
Acted on
0
Your typical urge
— (0 of 3)
Longest ridden out
—
Since last acted on
—
Add details to the next entry
Craving log (0)
Urges recorded on this device
WhenLengthStrengthOutcomeSituationLikeDid insteadNext time
Nothing logged yet.

Space or C starts the timer, R is rode it out, A is acted on it, Esc cancels, Ctrl+Z undoes. Keys do nothing while you are typing in a field.

This counts and times urges. It does not treat anything. It gives no advice on whether or how to stop. Stopping heavy drinking suddenly can be dangerous: the US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism warns that alcohol withdrawal “can be life threatening” for people who drink heavily and stop suddenly rather than cutting back gradually or with medical support. Talk to a doctor before stopping alcohol, or any medicine you were prescribed.

If the urge is to harm yourself, this is the wrong tool: in the US, call or text 988; elsewhere, call your local emergency number. For drugs or alcohol in the US, SAMHSA’s free National Helpline is 1-800-662-4357.

Tap when an urge starts and a timer runs. When it passes, tap Rode it out. The record follows the columns NIAAA and SMART Recovery already use, and the typical length counts only the urges you rode out, because acting on one cuts it short.

A craving, or urge, is a strong wish to use a substance or repeat a behaviour, which rises, peaks and passes. Urge surfing is the technique of noticing it and waiting for it to pass without acting on it. A craving log is the written record of each urge, used in cognitive behavioural relapse prevention to find patterns.

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  • No ads
  • Counts never leave your browser
  • Works offline
  • Unlimited counters

Key facts

Online craving tracker at a glance
DetailAnswer
PriceFree, no sign-up, no ads
RecordsTime, length, strength 1–10, situation, what it was like, response, next time
OutcomesRode it out, or acted on it
Urge timerStarts on a tap, survives a reload, cancellable
Typical lengthMedian of ridden-out urges, after three are timed
Logging afterwardsYes. Either outcome key logs an untimed urge
Columns followNIAAA Urge Tracker and SMART Recovery Urge Log
ExportCopy log as a table for a spreadsheet or a counsellor
Advice or treatmentNone. It counts and times; it does not treat
Where data goesNowhere. Local storage in this browser only

How to use the craving tracker

One tap when an urge starts, one when it ends. Everything else is optional.

  1. Tap the timer the moment you notice an urge

    Or press Space or C. The clock starts and keeps running if you close the tab and come back, so you can put the phone down.

  2. Ride it out, and watch the clock

    Notice the urge rising and falling instead of fighting it. Most published sources say it passes within minutes; the clock shows how long yours takes.

  3. When it has passed, tap Rode it out

    Or R. The urge is logged with its length. If you acted on it, tap Acted on it (or A) instead; that is logged too, honestly, and is not used for your typical length.

  4. Add the details when you can

    Open Add details for strength 1 to 10, what it was like, the situation, what you did instead and what you will do next time. They attach to the next entry you log.

  5. Log the ones that happened away from the page

    With no timer running, either outcome key logs an urge straight away without a length, so the daily count stays complete.

  6. Read the trend, not the day

    Urges today should fall over weeks, and the share you rode out should rise. Copy log gives the whole record as a table to keep or share.

What people track with it

Anything with an urge that comes and goes. The tracker does not need to know what it is.

  • Cigarettes and vaping

    The use most stop-smoking services describe: notice the craving, delay, and let it pass. Time a few and the typical length becomes your own number.

  • Cutting down on alcohol

    The NIAAA Urge Tracker columns, kept on a phone instead of a printed form. Talk to a doctor first if you drink heavily.

  • Sugar and snacking

    Separating hunger from a craving: a craving that passes in minutes was not hunger.

  • Phone and social media

    Counting the urge to pick up the phone, which is often far more frequent than anyone guesses.

  • Gambling and shopping

    Recording the situation and what you did instead, so the triggers become visible over a week.

  • Between sessions

    Keeping the record a counsellor, a SMART Recovery meeting or a quit service asked for, then copying it as a table.

How long does a craving last? The published answers disagree, so time your own

Search for how long a craving lasts and the answers run from three minutes to half an hour. Each of these was read on the page it comes from:

Published answers to “how long does a craving last”
SourceWhat it saysAboutMeasurement cited
HSE (Ireland’s health service)“Individual cravings usually pass in 3 to 5 minutes”NicotineNone
NHS Better Health“Cravings usually only last a few minutes”NicotineNone
SMART Recovery, Urge LogUrges “come in waves, often lasting only a few minutes”Any addictive behaviourNone
NIAAA, Rethinking DrinkingUrges are “short-lived” and will “crest like an ocean wave and pass”; no figureAlcoholNone
MeQuit (quit app)Most cravings “peak and pass within 10–20 minutes”Nicotine and alcoholNone
ChooseHelp (recovery site)“Cravings very rarely last for longer than half an hour”AnyA link to another article, not a study

They are not as contradictory as they look, because they are not measuring the same thing. Some describe the peak and some the whole episode; some are about nicotine, some about alcohol, some about anything. Every one of them agrees on the part that matters: a craving rises, peaks and falls without your help, and it ends sooner than it feels like it will. None of them can tell you the length of your urges, for the thing you are cutting down on.

Timing your own, and why acted-on urges are left out

That is what the timer is for. Tap when the urge starts; tap Rode it out when it has passed. After three timed urges, Your typical urge shows the middle value of the ones you rode out. It is a median, not an average, so one unusually long evening does not drag it up.

Urges you acted on are logged and counted, but they are not used for the typical length, and this is the detail a craving log most easily gets wrong. Acting on an urge ends it early, so its length is how long you held out, not how long the urge would have lasted. Mixing the two would make your urges look shorter than they are, and the whole point of the number is that it is true when you need it: in the middle of the next one.

What each figure under the timer counts
FigureCountsLeaves out
Urges todayEvery urge logged since midnight on this device, either outcomeNothing
Rode out / Acted onAll urges ever logged, by outcomeCancelled timers
Your typical urgeThe median length of timed urges you rode outActed-on urges, urges logged afterwards, timers over an hour
Longest ridden outThe longest timed urge you rode outThe same
Since last acted onTime since the end of the last urge you acted onRidden-out urges, which do not reset it

A timer still running after an hour is logged without a length. That is almost always a timer left running, and an hour-long “urge” in the median would be a false number. If an urge genuinely lasts that long, note it in the situation field.

What to write down for each urge: the NIAAA and SMART Recovery columns

There is no need to invent the fields of a craving log. Two established programmes publish one, and they ask for almost the same things. The details panel under the timer follows them, column for column, so a log kept here can be read by anyone who uses either form.

Urge record columns: NIAAA, SMART Recovery and this tracker
NIAAA Urge TrackerSMART Recovery Urge LogThis page
Date/timeDate and timeRecorded when you tap
Situation (people, place) or trigger (incident, feelings)What triggered the urge? Who/where was involved?Situation or trigger
What was the urge like? Was it a thought? Emotion? Physical sensation?—What it was like
Rate it from 1 (mild) to 10 (strong)Strength (1–10)Strength, 1 to 10
—Length of the urgeTimed for you
How I respondedHow you coped and how you felt about itRode it out or acted on it, plus what I did instead
What I’ll do next timeIdeas for next timeWhat I’ll do next time

NIAAA’s form says to “record the details as soon after an urge as possible”, which is why every field is optional and the two outcome keys work on their own. A tap is enough in the moment; the details can be added to the next entry when there is time. Copy log puts the whole record on the clipboard as a table in the same column order, ready to paste into a spreadsheet or take to a counsellor or a meeting.

A word of caution from the same source

NIAAA’s page on planning for urges warns that “summoning details about urge experiences can itself trigger an urge”, and suggests doing that exercise with a therapist, a doctor or someone you trust if you are unsure. If writing the details makes things worse, log the outcome only. The count and the timer still work without them.

A count you want to fall

Most counters on this site count toward something. This one is read the other way. The useful trends are urges per day going down, the share you rode out going up, and the time since you last acted on one growing. For nicotine, the HSE says cravings are most frequent two to three days after stopping and usually improve four to six weeks after, and the NHS says they are hardest in the first 28 days, so an early rise in the count is expected rather than a sign that it is not working.

Online counter vs a clicker, an app, paper and a spreadsheet

Every counting method trades something away. This is what each one actually costs you.

Online craving tracker compared with the alternatives
FeatureThis online counterHandheld clickerCounter phone appPen and paperSpreadsheet
CostFree$5–$15Free with ads, or paidCost of paperSubscription
Anything to installNoBuy the deviceApp store downloadNoYes, or a web login
Several counts at onceUnlimitedOne per deviceUsually limitedYes, messyYes
Fix a miscountUndo and redoStart overSometimesCross it outEdit the cell
Counts by more than oneAny step sizeOne at a timeSometimesManual mathsYes
Below zeroYesNoRarelyYesYes
Keeps the count if you close itSaves automaticallyUntil you reset the dialYesIf you keep the paperYes
Works with no signalYes, after first loadYesYesYesOften not
Keyboard and shortcutsFullNoneNoneNonePartial
Sends your data anywhereNeverNeverOften, for accounts and adsNeverYes, to the cloud

Other counter types

The same counter, set up and explained for a specific job. Your counters are shared across all of them.

Everyday6

The general-purpose counters: one number, many numbers, or counting on a timer.

Sport & scores21

Scoreboards that know the rules of their game, not just two numbers that go up.

Fitness & health5

Reps, laps, breaths and daily habits, where the count is part of the activity.

Work & field5

Counting that produces a record someone else relies on: stock, occupancy, lab work.

Faith2

Counts with their own rules about when a day turns over and what completes a set.

Frequently asked questions

What is a craving tracker?

A tool for recording each craving as it happens: when it started, how strong it was, what triggered it and how you responded. Over days the record shows patterns, such as the times, places and feelings that bring urges on, and whether they are becoming less frequent. This one also times each urge, which a paper log cannot do.

How long do cravings usually last?

Published answers range from 3 to 5 minutes (Ireland's HSE, for nicotine) to rarely more than half an hour (recovery sites), and none of the pages we read cites a measurement. They agree that a craving rises, peaks and passes on its own. The timer here gives your own figure: the median length of the urges you rode out.

What should I write down when I have a craving?

NIAAA's Urge Tracker asks for the date and time, the situation or trigger, what the urge was like (a thought, an emotion or a physical sensation), its strength from 1 to 10, how you responded, and what you will do next time. SMART Recovery's Urge Log adds the length of the urge. This tracker records all of them.

Does tracking cravings increase urges?

It can, for some people. NIAAA warns that summoning details about urge experiences can itself trigger an urge, and suggests doing that exercise with a therapist, doctor or someone you trust if you are unsure. If writing the details makes an urge worse, log the outcome alone with one tap and leave the details empty.

Can tracking cravings help me quit smoking or vaping?

It is a support, not a treatment. Stop-smoking services such as the NHS recommend understanding your triggers and tracking your progress, and NIAAA recommends tracking urges to drink to find patterns. A log on its own does not make anyone quit, but it shows what sets urges off and proves that each one passed.

What is urge surfing?

A technique from relapse prevention, associated with the psychologist G. Alan Marlatt, in which you notice an urge and ride it like a wave as it rises, peaks and falls, without acting on it or fighting it. NIAAA describes the same idea: accept the urge as normal and temporary, and it will crest and pass. The timer here is built for exactly that.

Why does my typical urge length leave out urges I acted on?

Because acting on an urge ends it early. Its length records how long you held out, not how long the urge would have lasted, so including it would make your urges look shorter than they are. Only timed urges you rode out count toward the median, and urges logged afterwards have no length at all.

Can a craving tracker replace therapy?

No. It records and times urges; it does not treat addiction or tell you whether or how to stop. Stopping heavy drinking suddenly can be dangerous, so talk to a doctor first. A counsellor, a quit service or a group such as SMART Recovery can use the log, which is a good reason to keep one.

Is a craving tracker private?

This one is. There is no account and no server: every entry is stored in your browser's local storage on this device, and nothing is sent anywhere. That also means clearing site data or switching phones loses the log, so use Copy log to keep a copy somewhere else if it matters.

What is the difference between a craving and an urge?

Most self-help material uses the words interchangeably, and so does this page. Where a distinction is drawn, a craving is the wanting and an urge is the push to act on it. Either way the same thing is being recorded: something that rises, peaks and passes, and a decision about what to do while it does.

Counting guides

Longer answers to the questions behind the counting.

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