paul99

Need SA (Sugar Anonymous)!

renaldo

I was in an outpatient program and there was a guy there whose mother was a drug and alcohol counselor. Nevertheless, he got drunk and threw up in a theater.

Another person in the outpatient program had gotten a DUI from eating chocolates with alcohol in them. He wasn't an alcoholic, so his tolerance was at baseline. He said to the other guy, "you've got an alcohol problem," which was pretty obvious. Normal people don't puke on the person in front of them in the theater.

The other guy said, "you've got a chocolate problem."

A woman I used to work with had a boss who was an alkie. He came in one day when someone had brought in a box of chocolates. Some had been eaten, but he ate all the rest in one fell swoop and blew chunks.

renaldo

Yes in deedly do neighbor. Fridge full of food and no desire.

neferkamichael

Paul is there such a things as Sugar Anonymous?

whynotnow

I went crazy over ice cream after getting a divorce. I wasn't trying to quit drinking at the time, but I just couldn't get enough ice cream! It was definitely a coping mechanism. One day, I got on the scale and had hit my highest weight ever, and I RARELY ever want ice cream anymore now. That number on the scale created such a powerful connection in my brain that I just don't even WANT ice cream anymore. Now if I could make the same connection with alcohol, I will be all set. Don't beat yourself up - you too will know when the time is right to stop.

Huglets

Add me to being an icecreamaholic right now. Gotta have at least 2 bowls of Reese Peanut Butter Cup ice cream every night.

Never was much of an eater and never, ever ate any desserts. Now I'll eat anything that cannot outrun me.

It's not concerning me tho. I was malnourished for so many years it's going to take awhile to get back into a healthy state.

Alva

I'm so glad this was posted because I thought I was the only one that was hitting the ice cream hard! I've always like my sweets but this is insane! It's such a guilty pleasure to sit in front of the TV with a bowl of ice cream and just enjoy it and if that's the worse thing I'm doing these days I think I'm OK with it

My wife was in the hotel business up until a few years ago and they had hosted an large AA convention. There was obviously an above average requirement for coffee but also ice cream. We were just talking about it over the weekend and I asked some of the AA gang I was having coffee with if they had the sweet tooth and it's quite normal.

auden67

I had a serious thing with Moose Tracks. I would let it get a little melted, then eat out the fudge ribbon and mini peanut butter cups, LOL! It is a messy, ugly sight, I don't like my SO to witness.

First few months of sobriety I really craved sweets. It had tapered some but I know it is related to brain chemistry, and generally try to keep it out of the house. I still have sweets sometimes, but don't want to indulge my brain that often.

RevivingOphelia

Red Velvet Ben and Jerry's

Strawberry Haagen Daz

are both waiting for me in the freezer as I type and calling my name!

bigsombrero

Thanks for posting this - yes, ice cream is my achilles heel! In my first month of sobriety I single-handledly was responsible for shares of Ben & Jerry's to skyrocket on Wall Street. Seriously, I'd go through a pint of that stuff pretty quickly, especially their new "Chocolate Therapy" brand...oh my god that stuff is heaven!!

Just like anything else, I learned I had to moderate a bit. I still buy frozen yogurt though, and I mix it with blueberries, apples, bananas, etc. But, I have had to stop myself from buying ice cream because I can't just have it as a "snack", it's like a demon in the freezer that demands immediate consumption! So yeah, maybe try buying greek yogurt or frozen yogurt and add fruit instead of chocolate for now, see if that helps. Gradually I will stop buying frozen yogurt and move on to just the regular stuff. I have gained a bit of weight but nothing terrible - it's pretty normal what you're going through and you are not alone!!!!

Hopefull78

I've never had a sweet tooth in my life...my mom said I didn't even care for cake and ice cream at my own Bday parties as a child! NOW I totally want my daughters ice cream treats all the time!!! And hard candy life lifesavers and jolly ranchers I try to keep it in check somewhat because I need to lose weight from years of drinking but as long as I'm not drinking I'm ok with it

ArcticSA

I had lost my taste for sweets during my heavy drinking too. But it came on STRONG 3 days into sobriety. Quite a strong craving as if for cigarettes. I gave in quite a bt, but found I didnt really enjoy it, more like hurry up and swallow down this candy bar so I can feel better!
My biggest indulgence was a large vanilla sundae with Butterscotch topping and huge chunks of Reeses PB cups. Ohhhhhhhh.....drooooool

Pondlady

I scream, you scream.......WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!!!!!!!

renaldo

Ditto to that. The responses here confirm that if you've got a long drinking history, you're gonna crave sugar. Broccoli isn't gonna cut it. Although you should eat your broccoli as well. Or the greens of your preference.

Ice cream and spandex seam to dovetail. But I never ate too much of it to put on weight.

My appetite fluctuates. I used to go to all you can eat lunch buffees at Indian restaurants and that would satiate me for the whole day. I chowed down. There was one in the town where I live (now closed) and I would go there and just take tiny portions and savor them before they got cold. I would stay there for an hour just taking my sweet time looking out the window.

I was frequently the only person in there. I miss that place. Sniff sniff.

The restaurant business is a risky investment. I think working in the funeral business is the safest bet because people's fancy for various foods may change with the fashion, but they're always going to die.

Bigndfan175

I heard sweet treats curb the cravings; only you can answer the cold turkey question; I've started applying my sobriety plan to other aspects of my life and the results are there. One of the things I appreciate about my 90 days of sobriety is the 11 lbs I've lost; the fact I quit smoking; the fact that I'm exercising more, that I'm not sitting in front of the TV...

all things in moderation is a good rule of thumb.

kizzie

I have a five chocolate chip cookie a day habit. In the evening ... It mellows me out. Perhaps I've traded one addiction for another, but I'm okay with that.

Patsy22

Not really got a sweet tooth but it seems to me, without being funny, that it's better to lose your teeth than your liver. Indulge yourself for a while, then try and cut down gradually. In the meantime, enjoy, it's taking your mind off the other.

sugarbear1

"Sugar" is a nickname I've had since I was about 1 or 2 years old.

Before I found alcohol, I could be found sitting at the sugar bowl eating it raw, one licked finger at a time.

Overeaters Anonymous (OA) is the SA equivalent, but those people don't usually end up there until their weight is a serious concern.

Sugar, alcohol, whatever we do too much of....we can over come these, one day at a time.

I only drank one day at a time.......

renaldo

I heard a woman speak at a meeting, and as a child she would soak toilet paper in rubbing alcohol and stick it up her nose.

I know another woman who, when she was a child, she went to pour some pepper on some food and the lid came off. A huge quantity of pepper landed on the food and her father said, "you're going to have to eat all that!" That's when her pepper addiction kicked in big time.

And as far as sugar is concerned, back in the colonial days, they only consumed it in small quantities after dinner from what would be considered coke spoons today. And they didn't work in the fields with a cig hanging out of their mouth.

But we have to deal with the now. The colonial days are no longer the situation.

ivegotsunshine

So I was just trying to figure out how many different kinds of cookies I have had in my house the last 2 weeks. Peppridge farms Nantucket, mom's oatmeal raisin, mom's oatmeal chocolate chip, thin mints, samoas, some peanut butter cookies and a box of oreos.
Oh good god that is disgusting. Oh yes, I also eat half a pint of greek frozen yougurt every couple of days. Good thing I exercise!