Sugar cravings after stopping
 

I understand it's pretty common for alcoholics to develop sugar cravings after quitting drinking.

I've been sober 7 and a half months and I still have them. I'm getting frustrated because I'm starting to feel like I've traded one addiction for another.

Is it normal to have them for this long or not? And am I making it worse by giving in to the cravings?

Thanks

As I recall, sweet things like orange juice or candy are useful to ease cravings for alcohol in the early weeks of sobriety.

These days sugar is regarded as addictive, so craving sugar, not alcohol, may be a sign of sugar addiction. Once every couple of years I might pig out on doughnuts. The day after, as I drove past the doughnut shop, I noticed a slight craving.

I think it may be wise not to give in to those sugar cravings if you can. Health problems can come from too much sugar.

I'm going to try to get off it. At first I was doing it because it seemed to help with alcohol cravings like you say. But after 7 and a half months I'm starting to think it's becoming another addiction. Oops.

Hey jack don't worry about it. For me i drank Dr. Peppers almost a full year afterwards. Then the craving for sugar started to really die down. This will pass for you. Just give it time.

I too had a sugar craving, I would eat Jolly Rancher candies. I never thought anything of it until now, I wonder if there is a physiological reason that happens? Perhaps at a chemical level? Weird.....

I still think its better than the alternative...

Refined sugar like they use in candy, icecream, etc. spikes your glucose levels and produces that "sugar high" that makes you want to keep eating it over and over.

Thanks, that's good to know.

Sometimes I was drinking so much Coca-Cola that I would have a massive sugar crash the next day and feel like crap and want to drink it again to feel better. Doesn't that sound like a familiar scenario. :(

The upside is that this doesn't happen that often, and even when it does, I could probably resist doing it if I tried a little harder. These sugar cravings are nowhere near as strong as the alcohol cravings I used to get.

Like alcohol, sugar has a pleasurable response by causing a dopamine reaction. So I am of a mind to think that, because it is a substance, it continues the DOC to dopamine neuropathway and probably isn't the best thing long term, at least for me. If its the difference between ice cream and vodka, well the obvious choice is ice cream!

I try to replace an activity/behavior for the substance to dopamine/pleasure center connection. Instead of sugar, I go for a walk, watch a funny movie (laughter releases dopamine) call a friend, go to a meeting. I guess the objective is to create a connection between a positive behavior and pleasure, rather than a substance.

Thanks. I'll definitely try this.