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Recently I've found myself thinking or longing for stuff that I usually don't even think about.

Example: I don't drink or even like drinking. But sometimes I just get the thought of "1 beer can't hurt". Like I am an addict that's looking for an excuse. I DON'T EVEN LIKE IT. Why am I longing for and excusing something I don't even enjoy?

I would like to know what this feeling / scenerio is called

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  • Please edit the question to limit it to a specific problem with enough detail to identify an adequate answer.
    – Community Bot
    Commented May 8, 2022 at 2:23
  • Are you describing a craving or the feeling of guilt/remorse? If you are seeking help for these issues, I encourage you to call your local or national crisis line. This is a site for questions about English language and usage.
    – livresque
    Commented May 8, 2022 at 2:29
  • Are you thinking of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)?
    – Jim
    Commented May 8, 2022 at 2:56
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    If this is restricted to food and drink, perhaps "sudden craving".
    – Cascabel_StandWithUkraine_
    Commented May 8, 2022 at 12:23
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    Sadly, this is another question where answers will almost certainly merely be a subset of those at another thread: What to call something that we desire? 'Craving' is probably as near as you'll get, but really needs the 'sudden' modification @Cascabel suggests. It's good to see Cascabel not giving this as an 'answer', I hope because of the 'given as an answer to what may arguably considered a duplicate' consideration.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented May 8, 2022 at 15:07

2 Answers 2

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whim

Dictionary.com:

First meaning: an odd or capricious notion or desire; a sudden or freakish fancy: a sudden whim to take a midnight walk.

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The prime candidate (as reflected in the relevant comments) is that you have a craving

Merriam Webstrper
craving, noun
an intense, urgent, or abnormal desire or longing
a craving for chocolate
a craving for new experiences

Collins also has

Collins
craving
in American English
great or eager desire; yearning

Your specification seems to demand a word with overtones of previously unexpressed desire. This justifies craving because in the Cambridge definition we find urgent and in the Merriam Webster we have eager. Both adjectives are consistent with a sudden or rapidly increasing desire.

The craving sensation is thus urgent, not necessarily restricted to a desire for food or drink, although often associated with these.

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    And frequently associated with pregnancy as well.
    – John Lawler
    Commented May 8, 2022 at 14:10
  • What @John said. And pregnancy cravings very often involve hankering for things the mother-to-be wouldn't normally consume (or ever, in the case of a craving for nibbling on small pieces of coal or raw potato, for example).
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented May 8, 2022 at 18:31
  • @FumbleFingers "nibbling on small pieces of coal or raw potato"...That borders on Pica...
    – Cascabel_StandWithUkraine_
    Commented May 8, 2022 at 18:34

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