About the Author
My name is Jakub Havelka. I’m a software engineer based in Europe, and I’ve been in recovery for over 10 years.
My story
I struggled with alcohol, drugs, smoking, overeating, self-harm, depression, and anxiety. I spent years in treatment, rehab, and psychotherapy. I know what it feels like when cravings take over and logic disappears. I know the shame spiral, the relapses, the feeling that nothing will ever change.
Today, I live a stable and fulfilling life. Not because I found a magic formula, but because I eventually found tools and frameworks that actually worked in the moments when willpower didn’t. That’s what the Craving Toolkit is — the distillation of everything that helped, organized for the exact moments when you need it most.
What I am (and what I’m not)
I am: A person in long-term recovery. A software engineer who builds recovery tools. Self-taught in addiction neuroscience through years of reading peer-reviewed research and the work of leading addiction scientists.
I am not: A licensed therapist, a physician, or a certified addiction counselor. The Craving Toolkit is educational, not clinical. It’s based on lived experience and modern addiction science — not on a medical license.
If you need professional treatment, please seek it. This toolkit is a complement to professional care, not a replacement.
The research behind the Toolkit
The Craving Toolkit draws on the work of researchers and clinicians who have shaped modern understanding of addiction:
- Anna Lembke — Stanford addiction medicine chief, author of Dopamine Nation
- Marc Lewis — neuroscientist and recovered addict, author of The Biology of Desire
- Judson Brewer — Brown University psychiatrist, author of The Craving Mind
- Gabor Maté — physician, author of In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts
- Charles Duhigg — journalist, author of The Power of Habit
Every claim in the articles and the guide is grounded in peer-reviewed research or the published work of these experts. You can read more about how content is created in our editorial policy.
Contact
Questions, feedback, or corrections: jacob@cravingtoolkit.com