justaround71

Toward the end of my drinking career I was also smoking meth and since then I have had strong cravings for suger, especially the last couple months. Has anybody else experienced something like this after you have stopped alcohol and if so is this a common side effect from abstinence of alcohol or could it be from quitting the meth? During the middle of the night I will wake up, sometimes even sweating, and immediatly walk toward this big ol bag of candy I bought for these situations and eat piece after piece. Then I am able to sleep again. What I also find strange is that when I have a craving for alcohol I will almost on habit start eating sugar and then feel better. What is up with that? Any comments would be appreciated, thanks.

The Jay Walker

Hi Justaround

I know the craving for sweets is normal for alcoholics, I don't know about the meth though.

heres a quote from the big book pg. 134

He added that occasionally
in the night a vague craving arose which would
be satisfied by candy. Many of us have noticed a tendency
to eat sweets and have found this practice beneficial.

Music

Hi 71,
When I came to AA, treatment centers were scarce. We did a lot of 12 step calls at peoples homes, sometimes to wet drunks. We were always told to take along some orange juice and Kayro syrup so that if someone when into DT's we could mix the two and stop the convulsion.
I was told that alcohol has a lot of sugar due to the fermentation process. We drink a lot and take in a whole lot of sugar so that when we all of a sudden cut off the sugar intake, the body reacts. Keep some hard candy close by and suck on a peace of candy when you get the jitters. It should help. However, if the problem is persistant for a period of time, I'd get checked out.

2stop

I craved sweets/chocolate with every drug withdrawal except the barbiturates..didn't want to eat anything at all! The narcotics especially I crave chocolate, just yesterday I bought a bunch of chocolate, gotta get more today, I was on a chocolate bender yesterday and last night!!


Many hugs and hope too,
Tammie

Kaibaby

Hey Jordan....

Yeah, the sugar craving is a normal thing. The BB says it's ok, as well as other books about alcoholism, and other people I've talked to. Funny, tho', at my treatment center, some counselors and other "powers that be" weren't on the sugar band-wagon, especially for those that were crack or meth addicts--their belief was that sugar would make the body susceptible to more cravings. But other research I've done since then has discounted that. Besides, wouldn't you rather have a sugar "high" than a meth one? Like Tammie, I have become chocolate CRAZY! LOL! Several members of my home group bring big bags of candy with them to meetings, and we all partake. Also, I guess that's why there's often cookies and stuff like that beside the coffee pot at AA.... Anyway, hope I could help with what's been my own experience.

Kai

justaround71

Thank you everyone for your responses! Jay Walker, I must have forgotten that line in the Big Book, my memory isn't the best, but nonetheless, thank you for listing it.
Music, thank you for the info about alcohol sugar, it helps to know that (P.S. What's Kayro syrup?).
Tammie, yesterday I ate SO MUCH candy urghhhh, I got the worse stomach ache, it hurt so bad! I woke up and I could barely crawl out of bed without my stomach aching. I go on candy binges also!
Kai, at my treatment I always heard the same thing as well which is why I wanted to ask about this. I was told that sugar wasn't good during recovery because it alters moods somehow. I don't know anything about THAT. Meth certainly gives you a bigger boost!
The information was greatly appreciated

TimOFromChicago

As Jay and Kai and Music have said, we do get sugar cravings due to the fact that our body is used to that as well. When I first sobered up I had a lot of mood swings, sweats, cravings, hot flashes, etc. After consulting my physician, he informed me that in most cases these were caused by my blood sugar getting dangerously low. Almost a diabetic reaction. He recommended fruit juices for their high sugar content but those irritated my already irritated stomach lining (whiskey will do that to you!!). His other suggestion was over the counter glucose tablets. These worked out great for me.

Just my $.02
Have a great 24!

TimO

P.S. If you haven't had a full physical yet you probably ought to. Make sure everything is working right...

Peter

When I stopped drinking I developed a craving for sugar and sweets.

Today I would not refer to it as cravings but I still have a love for Ice cream,chocolates and brownies where before I could'nt even stand them.

I cannot explain what caused it but I believe perhaps it has something to do with my prolonged love affair with alcohol and the fact that alcohol contains sugar.Perhaps part of the same predisposition that made me drink alcohol is now manifesting itself in a love for candy.

Peter

Music

Hey 71,
You wrote:
(P.S. What's Kayro syrup?).

You don't know what Kayro syrup is??? WOW!!
Go to the grocery store and look either where the pancake syrup is or more likely in the baking, spices, maybe. You can't miss it. It's so thick, it clings to the side of the bottle. Real tasty when mixed with orange juice....ugh!

CarolD

Ever heard of hypoglycemia?

A medical check up is always a good idea.

I had neglected my health for years...too busy being drunk.

Part of my neew sober life was to begin regular dental and doctor visits.

justaround71

Hmm glucose pills, I might want to check that out, that way I don't gain those extra pounds from eating a pound o candy a day! (That might be exaggerated a bit) I had a physical during my stay at in-patient but since then I haven't yet and know that I should start regularly doing check-ups with my doctor. Suprisingly I didn't take good care of my health either while drinking!

Tanis

I the program I was in they said it was very important to avoid sugar and sweets as much as possible. So I have for the most part (I have a soda or two a day). But I have avoided candy and chocolate so far.

Apparently, it can provide a sort of false high which is very short term. They said it's like putting your nervous system on a roller coaster. I won't claim to know all the details.

So far so good.

:shades:

justaround71

See, that was what they said in my program also, it was like an unwritten law there. Our counselor told us that sugar gave highs and that we shouldn't eat it, then once class let up there were three over-priced candy despinsing machines that were always sold out because the patients and counselors ate it all! Along with the 8 Mountain Dews every person would consume. So I never knew exactlly "how" important this topic was because the counselors weren't even practicing what they preached. I have cut back on my sugar intake but I still love eating me some candy!

2stop

I gotta tell ya this sugar/chocolate bender I'm on just might be a new addiction for me, caught myself hiding and hoarding it from the family this week!! I used to hide bottles of Rum around the house, but this seems so ridiculous, I may crave it like a drug but it sure doesn't get me high, or a high I recognize! Everybody doing okay today? Hope so!!


Many hugs and hope too,
Tammie

justaround71

Sugar anonymous?

I'll meet you there!

MootPoint

Choc-Anonymous. I'll be there waiting for you.... the one with chocolate smeared around her mouth. I guess I'd be called a "wet chocoholic"

That, and coffee-anonymous. I'll be the one with the coffee mustache

Peter

Thank you all very much......but I am not willing to give up my chocolate and coffee right now......

Peter

Chy

CHOCOLATE has been my new addiction. As the big book says it's beneficial for some. Never used to have a sweet tooth until I got sober. It works for me! I prefer this to the alternative. Also was told by my doc when I woke up with those sugar cravings it's a chemical imbalance of some sort that affects the melatonin in your brain. He suggested having a cookie or candy before bed so as to not interrupt my sleep.

Daria

Hey Everybody ! I just figured out that I have been using sugar all these years
as a substitute for alcohol.
I heard somewhere that alcohol turns to sugar in your bloodstream and that's
part of the high. It defintely messes with people's blood sugars. Someone mentioned hypogycemia and diabetes.
It is especially bad for women as it has a damaging effect on hormones and hormonal levels.
As far as I am concerned- sugar IS a drug. You won't hear that from the sugar industry and it's in EVERYTHING.
It alters my mood and emotional states. I always feel high after I eat it.
Once I had such low blood sugar, I bought a can of pre-mixed icing and ate it with a spoon - not the whole thing - but enough -

THAT was a new low (or high). There are supplements you can take for sugar cravings. Let me know it anyone is interested ! Love and Blessings, Daria

sugarbabydoll

This is probably a useless response, and I should shut up while ahead, but I thought I'd say that since quitting heroin ("quitting heroin") I overeat, particularly sweets. I think it's purely psychological. The indulgence of one thing for another. This could be different for you, but I KNOW it's the truth for me.

Sugar