Misssy2

I had a really hard day today...as far as problems..and medical insurance issues..and phone calls...and a Drs appointment for my Dad...2nd time this week.

Normally, days like this would be days I would reach for alcohol.

On the way home I stopped at McDonalds...and ate j..cheeseburger and a fry...I then stopped in the market and bought chicken wings to cook with mac and cheese (cooked and ate this).....then I ate about 1 cup of ice cream.

A person in my life ended up setting off my "fear" instinct tonight and SO after eating all that above..I remembered the LAYS Potato chips...in the kitchen and just like I USED to say when I would go to drink...I said F-IT..I'm eating as many f-ing LAYS as I want.

Then I realized what is happening tonight and has happened a couple times in the past 59 days...that I am pleasing myself with things I like to eat...just like I did with beer.

Very bad, so I decided tomorrow (like I used to say I would quit drinking tomorrow)...I AM WALKING around the block no matter what! And will I?

I am not heavy I'm 124 ...5'2 but I will be overweight and VERY UNHAPPY if I keep doing this and frankly I am scared about this problem..

AnvilheadII

well, it's actually good that you are SEEING this pattern! remember, we have to learn our way into sober living. what takes time is recognizing the urge for "something" and finding the best, least damaging way to deal with it. we have to learn to live through our feelings and come out the other side.

i remember when my therapist asked me - so what are you going to replace the alcohol with? i was so confused....was i supposed to pick a drug? what did she mean???

her response was that i needed to find new, healthy ways to fill those gaps and voids inside me that i used to fill with booze. and all the things that booze "represented" in my life.

stay sober, stay aware, first things first.

JScatt

I went through the same thing. My mind would tell me junk food was ok because of all the calories I was "saving" by not drinking 15 beers or a fifth a day.
The first week sober I was eating everything in sight but that passed.
Sounds like you splurged twice in 59 days, thats not bad, if you were eating like that 3+ days a week then maybe be concerned .

Anvill pretty much explained it well

FreshStartOk

Filling the void with good food is not necessarily bad though. We all have to eat about three times a day. Training yourself into good habits is cool, I like trying out new stuff like venison and mussels, and learning new recipes. The low carb diet sounds promising too if you're really worried about weight.

WaterOx

I hear you loud and clear Missy. I never had much of a sweet tooth until I quit drinking. Suddenly I'm an ice cream fiend. What's up with that?

Addiction! The dopamine centers are crying out for anything. Add to that, we stopped consuming and extra 500-1000 calories every night. Your stomach is freaking, wondering if there is an eminent famine!

I am still struggling with this but I will say it has mellowed out over time. Part of what keeps me away from too much sugar is it makes me feel terrible. My whole body aches. I'm on the thin side like you but if I keep it up that won't last. My belly has a way of inching out and I hate that!

BTW there is a sugar addiction thread in the "daily newcomers" section.

Misssy2

I love this..thank you...

Misssy2

No, I think I have been doing this 3x or more a week I just noticed the pattern tonight...went like this...Problem equals food...and then I feel better....I have to change this.

Misssy2

I am worried about weight...and your right...."good food" is needed if I'm going to do this....I still have Watermelon! LOL....Thank you.

Misssy2

Hi Waterox...yes..my belly also sticks out the most...
I am not really craving the sweets but I know carbs turn into sugar and I do crave carbs...

JScatt

Yeah, I found myself reasoning with junk food like I did with booze. Plus you seem like a busy person who might find it hard to cook something healthy after a long day.
I started cooking a weeks worth of meals and freezing them,
Its good you caught yourself

Dascha

Hi Missy2...

I have the same problem....I'm replacing alcohol with sugary food, carbs etc...
When I'm drinking I could care less about sweets, now I can't get enough. I'm frightened of gaining too much weight and worried about how I'm going to deal with this...

If you find a solution...please let me know!! ☺
Congrats on 59 days!!!

Kaily

Yes! And it is getting worse. In the very early days I treated myself with whatever junk foods/ sweets my heart desired. After all I deserved it ~ I had given up drinking after years of trying so nothing else mattered.

Now nearly 10 months sober sweet treats have taken over. A habit, a compulsion I don't know. Feel guilty afterwards, excited before. Familiar feelings. I can't be without and get anxiety if they are not in the house. Sugar is the new alcohol!

So a newly acquired addiction that needs addressing and replacing with some sort of healthy alternative. Soon ...

dcg

I had gained a metric ****ton of weight. Had lost control and couldn't get full. Family just figured I increased my alcohol consumption. Lost it all over 7 months. It's very easy to sub out food for booze.

Misssy2

hi..I think the solution is for us to if we are going to turn to food...to limit the amount of "junk" food we turn too....I did buy grapes and Watermelon and could have reached for that instead of the ice cream.
I'm also worried about gaining weight....seems to come on faster as I age...

Misssy2

Me too...soon.....

Misssy2

I guess it is better then subbing out with drugs or weed...but its still becoming another "problem" for me too.

thomas11

I did not experience emotional eating, but when I got sobered up for good, my digestive system started working properly and I now eat all the time. I love to eat. Eat and sleep has been the two biggest rewards in sobriety.

Rd2quit

I could have written this post. I am 10 months sober and starting to borderline on over weight. I have gained about 10 pounds since quitting drinking.

about 4 months ago I decided I needed to combat this with exercise and a healthier diet. I started by running a mile a day 3 days a week. I got up to 5 miles a day, four days a week, 3 weeks ago. I was feeling so great about myself then I tore my achilles. My running is obviously on hold and my diet is suffering because I dont have the goal of running.

yesterday I went to the podiatrist and got mostly bad news after my MRI results. Driving home from my appointment I also said "F it im getting McDonalds."

DriGuy

I never ate to fill the emotional void left by sobriety. I heard people in AA talking about having candy in their pockets to curb cravings, which always gave me a shiver of horror, because next to drinking, eating may have been my next biggest bad habit. To me potato chips were meant to be eaten by the bag. The size of the bag being irrelevant. You open a bag. You eat it. If they didn't mean for you to eat the whole bag, they wouldn't sell potato chips in bags. OK, well you get the idea. We do crazy things for crazy reasons.

You might as well curb your cravings for alcohol by eating some arsenic. Alcohol was just one of my vices. I won't say I never ate to curb cravings for alcohol. I probably did along with other things I did to justify that habit. When you've got bad habits, there is no end to the reasons you come up with to justify them.

Does it sound like I'm screaming right now? I feel like I might be. Well actually, I want to. "STOP THE TRAIN. I WANT TO GET OFF!"

Fearlessat50

Hi Missy, I did a lot of this in the beginning. One of the recovery books I read, the author suggested doing whatever you need to do in the early stages of sobriety to avoid alcohol. This meant allowing myself anything at all, when I felt triggered, as long as I didn’t drink. So I did. I loaded up on chocolate, ice cream, mc Donald’s, Taco Bell, excessive shopping, then obsessive exercise too. While it did help keep me away from relapsing, and my therapist supported it temporarily, I did have to move away from the habit of replacing alcohol with other potential addictions. I started turning to mindfulness habits, like meditation, yoga, journaling and art therapy as healthy substitutes. Yesterday was a bad life day for me. It’s been a while since I had a day like that. I put on my head phones and listened to a meditation on my app for 15 minutes. It was enough to make me feel calm. Then I spent some time journaling my thoughts. Then I talked to my husband and son. Everything that was bad yesterday has passed and today is a new day .

Stay strong. You are doing great!