Threshold

My BF sites weight gain due to this "syndrome" as the major reason he started drinking again.

It's real common due to all the reasons given above. But I will suggest one more. Oral fixation. Not to go all Freudian or suggest it's sexual, it's just that we've developed a real time significant habit of putting something in our mouths, swallowing, feeling relief.

Smokers who are quitting cite the same thing, what to do with their hands, feeling weird without the constantly bending elbow, without something in their mouth.

Also, many of us associated drinking with watching tv, talking on the phone, or whatever. So now, when we are doing those things we automatically reach for something. It feels wrong, even scary to not be bending that elbow, filling our mouths, feeling sweet relief moving down our throats.

Anyway, it's something to consider if this has become an issue.

whitehorses

I have been craving chocolate, didnt touch it for years whlie drinking.
The weight thing is bugging me.. i lost a stone whilst drinking, because of strict, non dairy diet, since stopping have not lost any more, but that could be due to the fact that i have been told i AM my ideal weight for height?
5 3 tall, and 8 stone.

littlefish

I wouldn't let it worry you: it is perfectly natural. Your liver got used to processing alcohol for energy and developing a sugar craving just after quitting alcohol is your body's way of trying to replace the alcohol with another fast energy source. All the above suggestions are excellent. Introducing slow carbs into your diet is a good way to minimize the sugar cravings. In time your liver will get back to normal and you will find the craving for sugar is less and less.

Kingman063

Hey Camillebelle,
I dont know if you're into exercise but what helps me from giving in to my food cravings is to hit the gym. Try it, that might help you...good luck

munchkin05

Everyone here who mentioned the sugar=alcohol link is correct. My doctor confirmed it on Friday. (plus I've read that one in so many different places)
It's more or less our bodies have grown addicted to sugar (in alcohol) and now that many of us have moved past the initial first cravings our bodies are screaming for the sugar we're used to.
I've really done my best to limit somewhat the sweets but I do have a little bit of chocolate in the house so when the craving REALLY hits it's not so bad. I actually bought a bag of fun size peppermint patties and threw them in my freezer. This way if I do have a sugar craving it'll take me longer to chew it and of course the mini peppermint patties have about 46 calories. Not bad. If you can you can also substitute sugar free gum and chew on that for a while. (I can't per dentists orders)
Good luck to you!

desertsong

I've never had much of a sweet tooth but since getting sober, I'm craving the sweets too. For some reason, I can't eat refined sugar anymore because it makes me get heart palpitations, so I've been chewing a LOT of sugar free gum and eating a lot of fruit. That definitely helps and is healthier too.

DarrenW

I did. I craved chocolate. My therapist recommended Potatoes...not Prozac. Explains the "alcoholic brain and sugar connection" I got a copy from my local library.

LivingOutLoud

Oh dear Lord thank you, I thought it was just me! I'm going through chocolate like it's going out of style and couldn't figure out why.

Pigtails

I've been craving and eating bad food, like sweet/sugary foods and fast food. I think/have heard that it's normal, and I was too overwhelmed to make too many big changes at once, and decided I would just gain weight if it meant not drinking!!! I have put on a few pounds, but to be fair, it was over Christmas break. Really I had put on probably 20 pounds over my last year or two of hard drinking, so, what's a few more in the meantime until I feel confident enough in my sobriety to address other issues. Now I am at 64 days sober, and finally addressing some changes in my diet and exercise. I have found that I have more energy and pride when I eat healthy. I think that cravings for alcohol and sugar are related and I am going to try to make my life as healthy and bad-substance-free as possible. But I think that everything else can happen in baby steps as long as I avoid alcohol! Best wishes Camille.

Pigtails

I wanted to add that I've been reading the book Seven Weeks to Sobriety which is a nutrition plan to fight alcoholism. I disagree with the author's premise that alcoholism is only a physical condition caused by chemical imbalances because for me it has also been emotional and pscyhological and mental and I think it's all linked. Therefore I'm trying to address the emotional/psychological side of alcoholism as well as the physical side. However I agree with her statements that alcoholics tend to crave certain substances, such as sugar, caffeine, and obviously alcohol, more than other people, and that our bodies process them differently. I think it's important to address nutrition and new ways of living that include eating healthy and right. But again to me it's all a distant second to my goal of abstaining from alcohol and working on myself (although again I do think nutrition is linked and plays a big role in how we act/think). Good luck everyone.

CamilleBelle

Thanks for all your replies! It helps to know I'm not the only one having these cravings! I took some advice and got some fat free yogurt and fruit as well as some sugar free gum... I also looked up the class schedule here at my new gym and am planning on going this week a few times. My husband got on me a bit tonight when he realized most of "his" ice cream was missing, but we had a good laugh about it and moved on. I also found the box with my scale in it and put it right in the kitchen. Good motivation!

FLA

Enjoy the food not the booze! Try and eat healthy large meals to cure your hunger and occupy yourself. Maybe cook your own meal from a health food store so there's no worry of weight gain?