An urge hits.

You have about 10 minutes before your brain overrides everything and you relapse.

Here's exactly what to do.

THE 10-MINUTE PROTOCOL:

MINUTE 1: Recognize it

"This is an urge. Not me. Not my choice. Just brain chemistry."

Say it out loud if you have to.

MINUTES 2-3: Physical interrupt

Stand up immediately. Don't think. Don't negotiate. Stand.

Then: Cold water on face OR 20 pushups OR jump up and down.

Something that snaps your body out of "relaxed mode."

Why: Urges thrive when you're comfortable and passive.

MINUTES 4-6: Leave the environment

Walk out of the room. Kitchen. Outside. Bathroom. Anywhere.

If you can leave the house, do it. Walk around the block.

Why: The urge is tied to your environment. Change the environment, weaken the urge.

MINUTES 7-8: Connect with someone

Call a friend. Text someone. Voice message. Post in a forum.

Not about the urge. Just connect.

"Hey, what's up?"

Why: Urges die in connection. They thrive in isolation.

MINUTES 9-10: Set a timer

"I'll wait 10 more minutes. If I still want to after that, I can."

Set a timer. Do something during those 10 minutes.

By the time it goes off? The urge is gone or manageable.

THE CRITICAL RULES:

1. No phone during this protocol.

Phone stays in another room. Don't "just check" anything.

One Instagram scroll during an urge = relapse.

2. Don't negotiate with the urge.

Your brain will say: "Just think about it for a minute."

No. Run the protocol immediately.

3. If the urge is still strong after 10 minutes, repeat.

Another 10 minutes. And another if needed.

Most urges die by minute 15.

Why this works:

Urges peak at 10-15 minutes max. Then they crash.

Your job: survive the peak without acting.

I relapsed 150 times before I learned this protocol.

Every time because I tried to "think my way through" the urge.

You can't think through it. You have to outlast it.

Your task:

Screenshot this email. Next time an urge hits, run the protocol.

Don't improvise. Don't "see how you feel." Run it.

Day 9. You now have a weapon against urges.

Tomorrow: You lost 106 days last year.
- Sam