Caffeine and sugar will lead to relapse
Member
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 596
Originally Posted by Kaneda8888 
Hey all
I was surfing youtube the other night and watched this short video by a doctor who was criticising AA. She was saying that AA causes folks to relapse as it promoted caffeine and sweets (i.e., sugar) as substitutes for alcohol. However, all those products did was to act as placebos and sets up a person for relapse.
According to her AA and the Big Book promoted caffeine and sugar as substitutes. Now, I have been to hundreds of AA rooms and have never heard of such items being promoted as substitutes. Also, I do have the Big Book but I dont remember reading about this either.
The doctor went on to say that alcoholism was a physiological disorder and that the proper diet would help overcome the addiction. Guess whose book she was promoting
I switched off mentally in relation to 90% of what she said as I know otherwise.
However, I am curious to know about caffeine and sugar being potential aids to relapse ? I do drink a lot of coffee in the morning and do enjoy sweets (though that has tapered off lately).
I would be interested to hear any insights on this !
Have a brilliant day and much love to all !
K
I was surfing youtube the other night and watched this short video by a doctor who was criticising AA. She was saying that AA causes folks to relapse as it promoted caffeine and sweets (i.e., sugar) as substitutes for alcohol. However, all those products did was to act as placebos and sets up a person for relapse.
According to her AA and the Big Book promoted caffeine and sugar as substitutes. Now, I have been to hundreds of AA rooms and have never heard of such items being promoted as substitutes. Also, I do have the Big Book but I dont remember reading about this either.
The doctor went on to say that alcoholism was a physiological disorder and that the proper diet would help overcome the addiction. Guess whose book she was promoting
I switched off mentally in relation to 90% of what she said as I know otherwise.
However, I am curious to know about caffeine and sugar being potential aids to relapse ? I do drink a lot of coffee in the morning and do enjoy sweets (though that has tapered off lately).
I would be interested to hear any insights on this !
Have a brilliant day and much love to all !
K
Left the bottle behind 4/16/2015
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: NC
Posts: 1,416
At an AA meeting tonight they were actively encouraging people to gorge on sweets as a means of staving off the urge to drink. I didn't speak up as it was my first time there, but was bursting to say it has the exact opposite effect on me! Indulging my sweet tooth not only makes my heart pound too hard and too fast but it almost always makes me crave alcohol. My body is getting the sugar that alcohol once gave me, but not the effects of the alcohol it is expecting. Just about every "relapse" has been preceded by unbridled indulgence in sweets. I think I'm probably not the only one who sees it as a "gateway drug."
Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Western ny
Posts: 388
The nice thing about caffeine and sugar is I'm actually able to moderate my intake of both of them. I don't see it as an issue although I make sure especially not to overindulge in sugar as if you don't already know it's not healthy. Probably the single greatest cause of Americas obesity problem.
12 Step Recovered Alcoholic
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 6,620
When I was locked up in the laughing academy all the inmates were given a jug of sweet orange juice to help with dry horrors and cravings. That was the medical practice at the time. Most newly sober alcoholics seem to have a sweet tooth and I have heard it suggested in AA that it's a good idea to have something sweet if you get a craving. This is about very early days though.
AA floats on coffee. There would be a few million recovered alcoholics that would disagree with the idea that coffee cause relapses. I don't drink coffee anymore, bad for my sleep, but the standard alkie brew in my part of the world was with milk and two sugars.
AA floats on coffee. There would be a few million recovered alcoholics that would disagree with the idea that coffee cause relapses. I don't drink coffee anymore, bad for my sleep, but the standard alkie brew in my part of the world was with milk and two sugars.
Guest
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Sydney Australia
Posts: 4,225
Of course, everyone's metabolism is different. I don't drink coffee very often, but kind of enjoyed it a bit in early sobriety....til I realised my worst cravings coincided with the days I'd had coffee.
Finally realised, the "coming down" effect after the caffeine hit, was mimicking a hangover....and I'd then get a strong urge to drink.
Cut coffee out completely because I did end up having a slip and cut out everything bad.....now I think my body has adjusted, coffee doesn't knock me around, the first time I got sober, it did.
Finally realised, the "coming down" effect after the caffeine hit, was mimicking a hangover....and I'd then get a strong urge to drink.
Cut coffee out completely because I did end up having a slip and cut out everything bad.....now I think my body has adjusted, coffee doesn't knock me around, the first time I got sober, it did.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: U.K.
Posts: 13
8 days into withdrawl and I had a Panic attack, something that hasn`t happened to me since I started drinking some 30 years ago.
happily I was in my Lab (I always feel safe in there), and having a good day feeling generall cheerful, so I only had the symptoms and non of the actual "panic".
when drinking I was on 1 liter of fresh ground black coffee every morning for breakfast for years, it was the only way to get anything civil out of me in the morning LOL
when I quit the booze my brain chems were still upregulated, and so the coffee on top of that screwed me up with no alcohol to combat it either.
I switched to decafe, 1 week and many headaches later, all`s back to "normal" again, no booze no cafeine, and just as happy
happily I was in my Lab (I always feel safe in there), and having a good day feeling generall cheerful, so I only had the symptoms and non of the actual "panic".
when drinking I was on 1 liter of fresh ground black coffee every morning for breakfast for years, it was the only way to get anything civil out of me in the morning LOL
when I quit the booze my brain chems were still upregulated, and so the coffee on top of that screwed me up with no alcohol to combat it either.
I switched to decafe, 1 week and many headaches later, all`s back to "normal" again, no booze no cafeine, and just as happy
Member
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 596
Originally Posted by Croissant
Of course, everyone's metabolism is different. I don't drink coffee very often, but kind of enjoyed it a bit in early sobriety....til I realised my worst cravings coincided with the days I'd had coffee.
Finally realised, the "coming down" effect after the caffeine hit, was mimicking a hangover....and I'd then get a strong urge to drink.
Cut coffee out completely because I did end up having a slip and cut out everything bad.....now I think my body has adjusted, coffee doesn't knock me around, the first time I got sober, it did.
Finally realised, the "coming down" effect after the caffeine hit, was mimicking a hangover....and I'd then get a strong urge to drink.
Cut coffee out completely because I did end up having a slip and cut out everything bad.....now I think my body has adjusted, coffee doesn't knock me around, the first time I got sober, it did.
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