It’s a new Day 1 today - time to tackle the sugar addiction. Whilst I am grateful to the sweet treats, aka CHOCOLATE, for the assistance as I’ve traveled through this past 252 days alcohol free, it’s time to stop replacing the drinks with sugary junk food! It is making me feel sick - physically AND mentally!
I am struggling with all sorts of symptoms and consequences of my limitless behaviour and desires when it comes to the treats, chocolates and desserts.
I really want to do this. For my health and wellbeing. It’s weird how strong and prevalent this addiction actually is, as even as I write this I feel such a sense of fear and anxiety. Sugar is my emotional “go to”, I know that I use it now to cope with my feelings of lonliness, worries, pressures. but, all it actually does is make me feel worse! Just like alcohol did. Just like smoking did! Its got to go. I don’t want to feel sick, sad and disappointed within myself any longer.
Time to develop a new sober tool kit. This time, with tools to help me stop with the emotional sugar binging. Its a vicious cycle. But I know I can break it! Time for some self-love and some self-discipline; I’m going to set up some new healthy go-to habits to help me do this. Any suggestions? Any one else had success with this? I’ve tried SO many times already, and some days I’m resetting the clock every hour or even less! I know, especially with sugar and the cravings, the first week is the hard part, and then the cravings should reside somewhat. I hope I can make it through the week. My mind is cunning, and makes up all kinds of reasons and excuses for me to reneg on my commitment. I guess the good thing is though…that I keep persevering, and, this time it’s different as I’m posting here for some accountability and support, putting it out there, it’s no longer just a thought in my head but a declaration and now, time for action.
Well, sadly it’s another reset already going to learn from this, and try harder tomorrow. Need to remember where to turn to in moments of unease and craving! I feel sick right now, and disappointed too, but I’m going to keep going, knowing tomorrow is the gift of a new day and I will honour my mind, body and spirit in my commitment to be healthier and free of this sugar addiction.
same here. sugar junky… started when I was a period underweight and trining to much. I was short on nutrients. and got worse when I gave up alcohol a few years ago. Now I was back on both. and find the sugar very hard to give up but it is doing havoc on my body as well.
I went real heavy into the sugar once I got sober and I was fine with that. Once I felt confident in my sobriety, I decided to tackle the sugar issue. I started eating very low carb, moderate protein and healthy fats (and no processed foods) and was able to move past the sugar issue. I have been eating this way since Sept 2019 and I have lost about 35 lbs and my ‘numbers’ are great. I don’t miss pasta and bread. I am eating lots fewer fruits than I used to, but once I lose a few more pounds (I am still in the overweight category), then I will add in more fruits and more variety of vegetables…including my favorites…bananas and sweet and regular potatoes. Yum! LCHF isn’t for everyone (people with a history of disordered eating should avoid), but as a post menopausal woman, it fits well into my active lifestyle.
For most people I suggest lightening the carbs and eliminating processed food, not to drink sugary beverages and eating more vegetables and fruits (more real food).
I will say that I do enjoy Rebel ice cream, which is low carb and made with sugar alcohols. So…my sweet tooth does get indulged.
Had to reset again tonight. I knew this sugar addiction was bad, but I don’t think I realised just how much of a hold it has in me. Even with my hormones being completely imbalanced, and ALL the symptoms that come with that, I still crave and eat processed sugary crap. Despite everything I have learnt and know about healthy eating and healing. You’d think the symptoms alone would deter me… grrr it’s so frustrating, because unlike alcohol and cigarettes, chocolate IS comforting : ( well, it pretends to be, in my brain, while I’m eating it. Until I eat too much and feel sick, regretful and physically and mentally suffer! So I suppose, for me, it is just like alcohol & cigarettes… they are the same.
My reset tonight was due to being unprepared. So, now I know. I need to be more prepared when it comes to what I’ll eat when I’m out. Even if friends are having sugary treats doesn’t mean I will or want to, because I don’t. I want to heal my body and feel good. That’s what I want.
Preservance and Persistence. I will keep trying, and this will get easier. I hope.
Back again, to post Day 0 of my sugar addiction. Man, this is tough! In all honesty, I have not yet been able to go one day without some sort of sugary food (usually chocolate). My skin is still breaking out, amongst other issues, and I just feel sick and fed up. Fed up of wanting and deciding to stop eating the chocolate and sugary shit, but then just giving in. I can’t seem to stop myself. I make excuses, and I forgot how crap it makes me feel - I just get such a craving that I can’t do anything else but just give in to it. Why can I not follow through…?!!
Tomorrow is a NEW day, thank God. I will try again. Hopefully this time I succeed I want to learn self-discipline, because I want to feel good and stop living with such cognitive dissonance, because I think that’s the worst part… wanting to change a habit or behaviour but not actually doing it. I guess that’s when you know it’s an addiction. I know I can do this. I care about myself and I am worthy enough of trying again and of succeeding.
Another reset. Emotion, boredom, uncomfortablness and habit are all definite triggers. Again, I’ve said one thing and yet done another. I just really wish my actions would align with my intentions. Day 1 tomorrow.
I’m finding the sugar addiction almost harder to beat than the drink (meaning no offense to anyone here!), it’s just mad! Since it’s not as detrimental and is not ruining my life, I’m allowing myself to have some cake on birthdays and I’ve eaten a few chocolate Easter eggs which were given to me as presents from my family. Other than that I have found substitution (sugar free sweetened cocoa, fruits, dried fruits) and not having artificially sweets things in the house at all to be absolutely necessary if I’m to stay away from the sugary stuff.
God, that liquor store reference is more than adequate! I’m doing a lot of posting parcels for eBay and the corner shops where I have to post them from are chock-full with, you guessed it: alk, tobacco and SWEETS! I’m not normally triggered very much by the sheer presence of my DOCs, but it’s become a nightmare I have to spend so much time in these shops! Argh! 🤦😧
Resetting my timer tonight. Still in the depths of this sugar addiction. I’m really confused as to how I can be so determined to recover and stop drinking alcohol for almost a year now, no nicotine for over a year, but I cannot go ONE DAY with out some processed sugary crap. I don’t want to be too hard on myself, but I also don’t want to keep making excuses… I feel caught in a catch 22 … one minute my brain is telling me to just accept and be okay with it, it’s just “a bit” of chocolate, stop making a big deal, it’s my only thing seems I don’t drink, use or smoke… but then, every other minute, I feel disappointed and foolish, for I feel sick from the all the sugar, and my skin is terrible and my hormones completey out of balance. Grrr, wish the daily decision wasn’t a constant mind-fuck and battle between “just have it, it’s okay” and addiction
Dr. Pepper took over for alcohol in my case. I don’t claim perfection in this area but I don’t drink it most of the time. I was really bad about it for a while though, and I was shocked to see how nasty the withdrawal was.
Checking in, end of Day 1, processed sugar free. I have a headache. Feeling good however that I didn’t give in to my craving for chocolate/sugar today.
Okay, I am still on Day 1 of the sugar addiction. But right now, I feel I have had and harnessed ‘that’ moment. The moment of desperation and realisation. That I am done. Done with the excuses, done with the reasoning and the critical self. I am done with it all. The obvious and simple fact here is that each time I gorge on processed sugary or salty, fatty foods, I DO NOT feel good. I feel sick and regretful. I get disappointed and down on myself and it shows up in my life in more ways that I care to admit. My skin, my moods, laziness, poor choices in other areas of life. Just like any other drug or poison, for me, this processed JUNK food is stripping me of joy, health and wellbeing. So, tonight, I feel invigorated and determined. I am going to cut the crap, and get real. I am going to actually give this a good shot. Because I know I can do it, and I’m certainly worthy and deserving of feeling good and healthy and happy. My body needs to heal. This is all part of my journey. 13 months ago I smoked my last cigarette, 10.5 months ago I drank my last alcoholic drink, and now I’m going to start eating foods that nourish my mind, body and soul. Its that simple. Well, it’s going to be! I am going to make loving decisions around food that heal rather than harm. Feeling good! Self-love starts now. I no longer choose to substitute my previous addictions with these new potent sugar/fat/salt ones. A whole-foods, plant based diet is what I KNOW makes me feel good, I’ve done it before and attained my evidence first hand
Wow! I’m overwhelmed by your pure determination and bare honesty dealing with sugar. I have sugar on as an addiction for me. Alcohol and sugar go hand in had with me. I am now nearly a weak alcohol free, but I’m deep in sugarland. You give me hope that I too can beat this addiction. I’m resetting daily right now on sugar. I keep hoping for relief, but now I see a lifeline in your struggle. I am with you. You are my pathfinder!
Sugar is a touchy subject for me. I am still in recovery from past eating disorders. I feel like I truly am addicted to sugar, always have been. But if I try to give it up completely, I’m pretty sure I’ll be thrown back into trying to starve myself and be afraid of all food. Completely abstaining from sugar doesnt work for me, because of those reasons, but I know addiction to it isn’t good either.
I cant tell if I am listening to my addict brain with sugar, or worrying about slipping back into my eating disordered patterns with it. It is certainly a confusing, mixed up thing.
I also struggle with sugar and disordered eating. I know that if I don’t eat any sweet things at all, after a while I binge, then purge or restrict more. But trying to eat sugar moderately is hard, and will start off eating moderately then binge. My weight swings so badly. But no matter what the status with sugar, am trying to focus on other positives - eating lots of veggies, exercise.
That’s my experience exaclty aswell! Cutting out sugar or sweet things completely leads to bingeing for me. If not on sugary things then at least on carbohydrates. The dimensions of these binges have become mind-boggling in recent times. Then comes anger, guilt, more restrictions. Additionally eating sweet things is very emotionally laden. It gives comfort, not lasting and not clean comfort of course, sweets are linked with childhood, celebration, safety, many things. This makes it prone to be enjoyed and abused both. To eliminate sweets completely has not worked for me. I try to eat sweetened things instead of sugary treats cos I find them less triggering binges, easier to stop. And I eat naturally sweet things like fruit, moderately.
This addiction feels more complicated to me than the alcohol and definitely keeps me on my toes. I am trying to better my behaviour with it rather than abstain and therefore do not consider my relapsed as such. It’s a learning curve.
You seem very determined but are resetting your timer a lot. One practical thing I have found beyond valuable is to not ever buy sweets. If I buy them, I will eat them eventually and more often then not end up wanting more and maybe binge. You can’t eat what you don’t have.
It feels almost like its “more acceptable” to discuss in society, if that makes sense! Like, when I say I have an alcohol addiction, the conversation can go deep, people might judge etc. But when I say sugar people are like ‘ok naughty!’ Like it’s not a big deal!
going to learn from this, and try harder tomorrow. Need to remember where to turn to in moments of unease and craving! I feel sick right now, and disappointed too, but I’m going to keep going, knowing tomorrow is the gift of a new day and I will honour my mind, body and spirit in my commitment to be healthier and free of this sugar addiction.
