Ustacallmelola

Wowza!! I have not had this happen to me other times when I quit drinking. I am not a big sugar eater at all. I had gastric bypass surgery in 2003 and still dump from sugar and too many carbs. I literally never crave sweet food.

My current sugar cravings are off the charts!! I have to be careful so I do not get sick, but I am eating sugar every couple/few hours. I bought candy, made cookies, and even stopped to get a doughnut after the meeting this morning and that was AFTER I ate a good breakfast. Ugh! Please tell me this eases up. I am going to gain 10 pounds at this rate.

SIB

Pretty sure its because alcohol breaks down as sugars, so after quitting drinking you crave sugar. I am no different but its actually not that bad this time. 7-8 wine gums usually does the trick for me, tend to get those cravings in the evenings.

least

I had intense sugar cravings too, for a while. But after a few months sober they dissipated. Better than drinking.

listae

It's normal Ustacallmelola. Have you read Sober Living? It's for early sobriety and I think available online. The book says it is normal to crave sugar and gives you strategies for coping.

I have tiny bits of chocolate until the cravings go away.

Evoo

Yeah, this is a thing. Very very real.

My first big “quit” I had intense sugar cravings. In fact I filled the space with anything I could get my hands on... fast food, tobacco, candy.

Now I am actually in my 6th month of clean eating / Whole30 so I fight back sugar cravings with things like blackberries and rasperries... I stick to a clean keto and don’t eat anything with added sugar.

Honestly most of the time I “quit” drinking in the past I paired it with an intense diet plan. Mostly as a distraction and to give me an “excuse” for why I wasn’t drinking. Though I also know now I used it as a way to not *really* be a sober person (I always had “the drink at the end of the tunnel”).

Going full clean keto isn’t a solution for everybody, to be sure, but it’s helped me a lot to focus on mind, body, spirit in all things. And plus cooking is a fun distraction .

lessgravity

Just ate a large ice cream order as I read this!
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Common refrain on this site Worse things and ways to focus on health that can confront this.

noaddedsugar

CRRHCC

Don't forget to rule out diabetes.

WhoDeyPI

When I got out of the hospital my primary doctor warned me that my body would crave sugar. He said because alcohol is basically all sugar, my body would be looking to replace it. Boy was he right. I crave cookie dough ice cream EVERY NIGHT. Weird, because I was never an "ice cream guy". I've limited myself to having a half pint 3 times a week...but also crave candy too. I've learned to accept it, because candy is better than alcohol!

I've lost 33 lbs since I got sober 171 days ago, so I'm not too worried about it....yet.

WaterOx

100%. I never had a big sweet tooth before my first quit last year. For 6 months I was all over sugar. I was having like a pint of ice cream every night. In fact my food intake in general was nearly doubled!

The way I see it, you're being attacked on three fronts.

1) if you're anything like me, you just gave up an extra 1000 carbs a day when you quit drinking. Your body is freaking the hell out and looking for replenishment where it can.

2) you brains "feel good system" is totally out of whack. The brain's dependence on alcohol is looking for a decent substitute that affects things like dopamine and serotonin. I'm no expert but as far as I know, refined sweets are the next best thing.

3) Boredom. Without the proper plan to replace alcohol and its sedentary lifestyle, it's easy to look to food as a replacement activity.

I thank God that this second go at sobriety seems to be easier for some reason. I still find myself eating a bit more, but not nearly as bad as before. Thank goodness because I'm still working off the 10 pounds I gained over a year ago!

Sunflower79