Sweetd1033

I am currently 2 weeks sober! But I have these crazy cravings for sugar! I'm assuming because the amount of alcohol I was drinking had a high amount of sugar in it and my body is now like what the ****! Where is all the sugar?
Anyone else have this in early sobriety?
I am exercising almost everyday but what's the point if all I can eat is sugar lol
How did y'all handle the sugar cravings if you had any?!
Thanks! Have a great day everyone!
- D

biminiblue

I had carb cravings too. I just allowed myself anything I wanted. It's self-limiting. That went on for six-ish months.

Sugar > alcohol.

D122y

Everyone is different in their healing from being a drunk.

I was like you and wanted sweets. My AA buddy told me sugar tricks the brain into thinking it is getting its fix.

My advice is when your addiction starts to tell you everything is great and you can have a drink, that is when the hell begins.

The anxiety ramped up for months.

The addiction will do anything to get the fix.

In time, the brain returns to normal and I got happy again without needing a drink.

But, it took years to really see the switch.

Educations and the desire to quit was half the battle. The other half has been suffering and time.

Learning to live drug free. Booze was my doc.

It was well well well worth it.

Love love love.

Thanks.

Aellyce

I personally didn't have significant carb cravings other than alcohol (that's a whole different discussion) for many years, and I did wonder about it as many people report similar after giving up alcohol. So recently I thought about my long-term diet, which hasn't changed much in sobriety, except taking alcohol out of it, of course. I will link here a fitness-related thread where I posted just yesterday about my diet, and I highly recommend watching the video within my post there. There is a section where he talks about features of a so-called "fat-adapted" metabolic state, and everything he mentions rings very true to my experience, including stuff about food cravings (lack of interest in carbs and wanting other types of food), less mood swings, quite stable energy and other good stuff. If you are interested in adjusting your eating habits, maybe look into it. It's not for everyone and may take a while to get used to, but there are many possible benefits if it is right for your individual body and metabolic composition. Changing the diet likely also won't achieve fast results if your body is not set for that state yet, but might be worth considering perhaps for the longer run. The way I personally developed my diet wasn't a response to recent health trends, it was a half-conscious, intuitive solution to an eating disorder >20 years ago.

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...ml#post7642995

As for the immediate carb cravings, many people swear on using sweets etc to curb alcohol cravings in early sobriety, but I personally would try not to do that as it could create a whole new problem, which can be almost as hard to beat for some.

phoebe64

Yes! The alcohol isn’t really high in sugar, but it is a potent fuel utilized prior to other energy sources by our body. So, our bodies burn through alcohol before say, carbs, then ketones. Unless you’re making sweet mixed drinks or a beer drinker, the sugar in wine is pretty low, and nonexistent in hard liquor. The fermentation process digests the sugars.

The result is the same...our bodies are missing that fast fuel and it results in cravings for some other fast fuel. There’s also a calorie deficit if you were drinking beer, lots of wine, or really any alcohol, because it’s pretty caloric.

kittencat

Hmmm.. I haven't noticed a craving for sweets personally but I've read of many others here that do. Fresh fruits daily provide enough sweetness for me. I do snack quite a bit but go for savory, salty and crunchy rather than sweet. I love carbs and have always eaten plenty so no difference there. I just started using my food diary on MyFitnessPal again to track water as I was drinking too much of it. Just checked and my macros and micros from last week haven't changed in 10+ years.

Sorry, getting totally off track rather than answering your question.
I agree with bimini. Allowing yourself to eat what you want is much more important than letting your sobriety become compromised. Listen to your body.

enaiddes

Definitely heard of this symptom before. At the ripe old age I’ve reached now, I am an avid sugar consumer and often feel pretty guilty about it if I overdo in a single day. When I was young and active in my alcoholism, I dont think I ever even ate sugar.

Rar

I was a beer drinker. I took note that sugar helps some folks in their recovery, so during these last couple of days, whenever an intense craving popped up, I’d eat a couple of pieces of hard candy. Though it could be psychological, it seems to help. I am prediabetic, so I can’t be going crazy with the candy.

Mizz

I allow myself dessert and sugary type things. I do eat them daily.

We can only stress over so much at any given time. Changing our lives and recovering from alcoholism is a task that requires a LOT of work and dedication. Small incremental changes over time will get you in the right direction in regards to sugary type stuff.
Just an opinion.

advbike

I've been hitting the gelato place a little too frequently lately. Other than that mostly fruit. No sodas.

It's all about priorities, especially in early recovery.

Sober45

Eat the sugar. For me allowing myself to have it was a game changer. Once you’re solid in your recovery you’ll have the energy and discipline to back off. That said, stuff like fruit and dark chocolate can actually be beneficial.

You’re doing great!

Kdon853

Absolutely, I still have my double stuffed Oreos . In moderation of course.😋

C0ntr0ls

Oreos as needed and if anyone tells you different, well, they are just wrong.

comewhatmay

First of all, don’t worry. I would allow yourself some treats during this challenging time. You’re doing a super hard thing. If you need to eat some ice cream for a while, that’s fine. I think you'll find your cravings for sugary foods will die down after a while. In early sobriety your body is just trying to find its balance/equilibrium again. So go easy on yourself. Best of luck with everything

Introvrtd1

Big Time!! Almost like I’ve replaced the alcohol with sugar soon after quitting…Once I found that wasn’t helpful, I had to deal with that battle of cutting back significantly.

Slowly I changed my diet to eating healthy and restricting the sweets to very little fruits and only occasional treats.

Good luck in your journey, and hang in there.