The simplest way to track craving intensity is to give each urge one number from 0 to 10, recorded once it has eased. Before you start, write three short anchors in your own words for a low, middle and high urge. When you rate, compare the urge with those anchors instead of searching for a perfect score. If you are stuck between two numbers, pick the higher one and move on. Over a few weeks, how often high numbers appear will tell you far more than any single rating.
The number is not a test you can fail. It is a rough mark that lets this week's urges be compared with last month's.
Why one rough number is enough
Craving researchers usually treat intensity as one of several features of a craving episode. A 2013 review of alcohol-craving measurement in Addictive Behaviors described craving in terms of frequency, duration and intensity. It suggested that the best approach was likely to include daily ratings of peak intensity, together with how often episodes happen and how long they last. SMART Recovery's Urge Log takes a similar practical approach, with a single 1–10 strength rating next to the time, trigger and how you coped.
Neither source asks you to break each craving into many sub-scores. Clinical scales with several questions exist for research and treatment settings, but that is not what a personal log is for. Your log only needs to be consistent with itself.
Self-ratings also have known limits. A 2021 commentary on craving in opioid use disorder notes that self-reported assessments may not reliably reflect true differences in craving between people. That is one reason not to compare your numbers with anyone else's. Your 6 and someone else's 6 are not the same thing. Your 6 this month and your 6 last month can be, if you rate the same way each time. Keeping the rating private and free of judgement helps too. A number you would feel embarrassed to write down is a number you are likely to soften.
Write three anchors before you need them
Most overthinking starts with the question "What does a 6 even mean?" Answer it once, on a calm day, and then stop asking.
Pick three points on the scale and describe each with something you can actually notice:
| Rating | Example anchor (write your own) |
|---|---|
| 2 | "I noticed it, but I could keep doing what I was doing." |
| 5 | "It kept pulling my attention back. I had to make a choice." |
| 8 | "It was hard to think about anything else. I wanted to move or act." |
These examples are only a starting point. Your anchors might mention your hands, your phone, your jaw, a particular thought or the urge to leave the room. Concrete physical or behavioural signs are easier to compare over time than words like "bad" or "intense".
You do not need to define all eleven points. The numbers between the anchors fill themselves in. A 3 is a bit more than your 2, and a 7 is close to your 8 but not quite there.
Keep the anchors wherever you log, so you can glance at them in two seconds.
Rate the peak once, after it eases
Checking intensity minute by minute keeps your attention on the urge. It can also turn coping into scorekeeping, where each small rise feels like losing.
Our suggestion: during the craving, focus on what you are doing, not the number. Once it has eased, or at the end of the day if that is safer, ask one question: "How strong was it at its worst?" Write that number down.
Peak intensity is easier to remember than an average, and it fits the peak-intensity approach described in the research review. If the urge came back several times, rate the strongest wave and note "came back twice".
If you want something to do while the urge is still loud, How to Handle a Craving in the Moment gives a short sequence that does not depend on measuring anything. You can record how long an urge lasted after the fact in the same way, as explained in how to track craving duration without watching the clock.
Never log while driving, during a conflict or when you need urgent help. A missing entry costs nothing.
When you can't decide between two numbers
This is where most rating paralysis happens. Use a fixed rule so you don't have to decide each time.
- Torn between two numbers? Take the higher one. The rule simply ends the debate, and it stops a strong urge from being talked down after the fact.
- Can't remember at all? Write "unsure" or use a broad word such as low, middle or high. An honest gap is better than a confident guess.
- Feel a number is "too high" for a slip-free day? Write it anyway. A strong urge you did not act on is valuable information, not a warning sign.
- Feel a number is "too low" for a day you used? Write that too. Sometimes habits happen at low intensity, out of routine or easy access, and that is worth knowing.
The last two points matter. Intensity and action are different things. Keeping them separate is one of the most useful things a log can do.
Add two details that give the number meaning
On its own, "7" says very little. Two extra details turn it into something you can plan around:
- What came just before. The cue, place, feeling or routine, in a few words.
- What you did next. Including, plainly, whether you used.
A full entry can be as short as: Tuesday, about 6pm. 7. Walked past the shop after a long shift. Went home a different way; didn't buy.
If you use Hard Bit, each habit keeps its own logs, so a vaping urge and a betting urge never share a scale. Log the urge as usual and put the number and a few words in the journal. Logging and the journal are both free. The timestamps from your logs also feed the difficult-hour forecast in Hard Bit Plus, which makes no prediction until you have at least five entries. The Hard Bit app overview explains how that works. A notebook works for this method too. What matters is using the same anchors each time.
Read intensity across weeks, not entries
A single high rating is a moment, not a trend. Avoid averaging, too. An average of 5 could mean many medium urges, or a mix of very quiet ones and a few overwhelming ones. Those call for different plans.
Our suggestion: at the end of each week, count two things for each habit:
- how many urges you logged in total,
- how many of them were at or above your high anchor.
Then look at where the high ratings fall. Do they cluster at one hour, one weekday or after one kind of cue? How to Review a Week of Craving Logs walks through that review step by step.
Be patient with what you find. A couple of weeks of fewer high ratings may reflect a holiday, an illness or a quieter schedule. How Many Logs Do You Need Before a Pattern Means Anything? explains why early patterns should stay provisional. If high-intensity urges become less frequent over a longer stretch, that can be real progress even if urges still happen. How to notice reduced frequency as real progress covers how to read that fairly.
NIAAA describes an urge as a normal, temporary experience and suggests riding it out rather than fighting it. Your ratings can show that a strong urge came and went without you acting on it. They cannot promise how long or how strong the next one will be.
Re-check your anchors now and then
Scales drift. After a few months without strong cravings, a moderate urge can start to feel like an 8 simply because you have lost the comparison. The reverse can happen during a hard period.
About once a month, reread your three anchors. Ask whether recent 8s matched the description. If they didn't, adjust the wording and mark the date in your notes, so later reviews know the scale changed. Avoid going back and re-scoring old entries.
If you had a slip, do not delete its rating out of embarrassment. What to Do After a Slip Without Erasing Your Progress explains why the honest entry helps the next plan.
When high numbers point to more than a log
Some patterns call for more than better tracking:
- frequent 8–10 urges alongside shaking, sweating, confusion or other withdrawal signs,
- cravings tied to rising debt or money you cannot afford to lose,
- urges that come with thoughts of harming yourself or someone else,
- high ratings that keep climbing despite your plans.
If you might be physically dependent on alcohol or sedatives, get medical advice before stopping, because sudden withdrawal can be dangerous. For smoking or vaping, an official stop-smoking service can explain evidence-based support and medicines, which go beyond general coping ideas. For gambling, bank gambling blocks, self-exclusion schemes and specialist gambling support services can protect money faster than any log. If you are in immediate danger, contact emergency services.
A rating can help you describe what has been happening to a clinician or support worker. It cannot judge how much help you need. NIAAA's own craving guidance notes that it is not a substitute for professional help, and the same applies here. Our editorial policy explains how we separate general guidance from product information.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use 0–10, 1–10 or 1–100?
Any of them can work. SMART Recovery's Urge Log uses 1–10, and some therapy worksheets use 1–100. A 0–10 scale is quick and leaves room for "barely there". What matters most is using the same scale and anchors every time.
Is it worth rating urges I didn't act on?
Yes. These are often the most useful entries. A run of strong urges you rode out shows what helped, and that information gets lost if you only record the times you used.
What if rating makes the craving worse?
Then rate later, or rate less often. NIAAA notes that recalling the details of past urges can itself trigger an urge, and suggests doing that kind of exercise with a therapist, doctor or someone you trust if you are unsure. Rating at the end of the day, or only once a week from memory, still gives you a usable record.
Do I need a validated clinical scale?
Not for personal tracking. Validated scales are designed for research and treatment, where scores are compared between people. For your own log, consistent personal anchors are enough. If you are working with a clinician, ask whether they would like you to use a particular measure.
