Carrie36

Im eating entirely too much junk food. I am craving fruit too but way too much junk....seems im using junk food to fill the pleasure void that alcohol gave.

Any advice here? Is this typical?

Thank you God for giving me the strength to have 18 hangover free mornings

Fandy

alcohol has a lot of sugar and now your body is adapting...the first month I was stockpiling these little chocolate shortbread cookies like a squirrel...that, cadbury bars and flavored coffee creamer.

it will pass too, try to use more fruit.

duggy

Carrie, me too!

I just decided that I am going to make myself a priority as a whole..or at least try. So I am making sure to eat protein in the morning and then protein with each meal..first..then if I want a snack I allow it..

I am so scared of swapping one for another..that i'm trying not to either..will be work? dont know..but I have to try

Its so amazing how we're wired..we take away one thing and substitute with another..and food can be just as bad..ugh. I think us who are here..or trying to be sober are very much wired in the same way

Carrie36

alright im grabbing some oatmeal and a large plum for breaky..lol

ClosetExtrovert

I did the same thing, but weirdly, I ended up losing weight. I think the booze added a staggering amount of calories to my diet so even getting both feet in the trough at mealtimes was consuming less. I didn't worry about it and it eventually leveled out.
Congrats on the 16 days!!!!!

caribbean

I don't know if it is normal or not, but you are not alone! For me, my first week sober, my body doesn't seem to tell me when I am not hungry anymore, so for the first few days especially, I kept eating and eating and eating. It has gotten better, but I can tell it's going to take a little while for everything to balance out. As someone else mentioned, the sudden absence of sugar and carbs is a big deal for your body, too, and it can translate those cravings in all kinds of ways. Sweets not so much for me, but definitely carbs (which are a separate addiction for me anyway).

A woman in a meeting I went to had a hilarious observation: "The problem is looking for an external source to take away all of my internal issues. Alcohol was it for me, but I can do it with anything. I could do it with pot, I could do it with food, I could do it with sex... [names a bunch of other things]... I could probably do it with kittens!"

Even though food might not be the healthiest substitution, it is generally safer than alcohol, because it won't affect your judgment nearly as much.

The ideal for me is to work toward a life where I don't need an outside source of happiness to solve my problems and I can do it for myself. Baby steps right now. My recovery from alcohol abuse is my current priority, so I'm not going to beat myself up too much about eating at this time.

firestorm090

I used to think, while sitting at the bar half smashed by 3pm, that if I ate popcorn with my beer, that could serve as dinner, lol.

I think I was bloated from the beer, but undernourished.

At 4 weeks now, I eat better and more, and just eat till I'm full.

Tackling the booze is hard enuff, so give yourself a bit of leeway with the chow for now.

And remember, regardless of what the experts say, to me, chocolate is a food group too and just happens to be high up on the pyramid, lol.

caribbean

Oh, and the other thing is, I'm just used to having something to put in my mouth! I drink a ton of water and tea, as well, but since that isn't "satisfying" to my brain, I wind up eating more for that reason, too.

duggy

I had gastric bypass 10 years ago..lost 180 pounds and kept it off..even with drinking I just didn't eat..but now i'm mortified of going back to food because that was my 1st addiction..

I can't do sugar or carbs because they make me sick and I can't eat a lot of food at any one time..but now that I gave up my wine, i'm petrified of going back to food..oy

leo21

I've read that when the person stops drinking, that person probably suffers from malnutrition and deficiency in vitamins. When I stopped drinking, I was hungry all the time. It wasn't suprising, how could I have eaten regularly when I was filling my belly with over a 12pack a day?

Just recently, my appetite has leveled out. I got the skinny gene so I just eat like I used to but I do make good choices and go by the food pyramid, and I take my daily vitamins.

LaFemme

Oddly, food isn't that y interesting to me. When I drank I used it to cushion my stomach against the wine. Since quitting my appetite is gone, so I try to eat healthy and not care about anything else. I wonder if all the drinking ruined my taste buds? I've been sober 3 months now and have not lost hardly any weight...boo:-(

I have heard that overdoing it on sweets in early recovery can increase your risk of relapse, so be careful!

firestorm090

Thanks LaFemme, as I sit here munching on a donut, lol.

LaFemme

The only food I've had since getting sober that I absolutely loved was the nocciola gelato at eataly in NYC the other day....at 4$ for a medium cup I don't think I will be having it that often!

loveon2legs

Congrats first of all on your sober time!!
I have been sober for almost 9 months, and for the first 5 and even sometimes now I get cravings for sweets....and I remember drinking alot of pop (soda) so it's not unusual to have these cravings...just try and eat as healthy as you can!! drink lots of water...it helps!!!

Mcribb

I snack the same reasons I drank, bored, unhappy, tired, for entertainment. It is important to write down or be aware before i pick up (the cheese sticks

Renee65

i can totally relate...my entire appetite seems screwed up (i'm at 11 days) i cannot tell when I'm hungry (seem to be hungry all the time) and when I'm just wanting to consume SOMETHING (other than alcohol). I'm just trying to be patient and let my body heal and even out. That being said, I am definitely eating more junk food than I used to...I trust it will get better and it helps to hear others going through the same thing. Thanks everyone.

jamdls

For at least the first 6 months of my recovery I craved junk food and chocolate, specifically M&Ms and I gave in to the craving and I gained 25 pounds. I was bored when I quit drinking didn't know what to do with myself and the M&Ms were a reward for me for not drinking and so what if I gained weight at least chocolate never caused me guilt and shame; eventually I gave up the junk food and started working out at gym and lost all the weight I gained.

PrairieFire

I haven't had a drink in 21 days, am off junk food, exercise at LEAST 3 times as much as I did while drinking and haven't lost an ounce! I also drink water like a fish and eat about the same amount of food as I did when drinking. Has anyone had a similar experience?