ANewDayNYC

I'm in early recovery and not sure if this is related to withdrawal. Neither item has alcohol so I think it is fine, but I will be careful to use moderately. I wonder if my body misses the feeling of being amped up, but realizes I am committed to sobriety.

suki44883

Chances are your body misses the sugar. It is quite common to crave sweets when early recovery.

Spongebob

It's the sugar NYC. Alcohol is very high in sugar and your body craves it. It gets better after a while if you work on it.

ANewDayNYC

Thanks everyone - I will work on reducing sugar once I am further along in recovery.

MelindaFlowers

I have probably consumed upwards of 50 liters of Pepsi in the 4 months I've sober and I feel like a million bucks!

There were times when an ice cold Pepsi saved me going insane with cravings.

If I ever write a self-help book on how to stop drinking the first chapter would be called Pepsi and the New You. I would try to get Pepsi to sponsor the book and I'd wear a Pepsi t-shirt on the cover.

ANewDayNYC

Thanks Melinda – I drink soda occasionally, but this is the first time I ever had an intense craving for soda.

MelindaFlowers

I never really drank it before either. It is such a treat to have one when eating out with friends. It is a nice substitute for booze.

MelindaFlowers

I really let myself go wild with candy and soda for a month. After the month the sugar cravings almost disappeared. Almost. Had some on Halloween to lift my spirits! We're consuming so many fewer calories a day from not drinking (~1,700 for me per day). I say a little treat won't hurt!

Coldfusion

Not just sugar, but Red Bull and many sodas are full of caffeine. I have noticed that a lot of recovered alcoholics really enjoy their coffee because it gives them that "amped up" feeling.

lostinthetrees

I was NEVER a soda drinker in my adult life until I quit. Now I do have lots of sugar related cravings (even 5 months in), but I think part of it for me is the carbonation. I'll often drink seltzer water with a bit of fruit juice (sometimes just lemon/lime) mixed in. For some reason, this is satisfying without all of the sugar/calories.

Hawks

Did alcohol gave you an amped up and plugged in to life kind of feeling?

It did me.

I have been caning caffeine drinks for the last 3-4 months.

I discovered that "pre-workout " drinks like C4 and the like, have very few calories or sugar and actually work out much cheaper.

Better lift, buzz than red bull too.

I'm starting to taper off them a bit now, but they definitely helped me get through that "zombie " early sobriety stage.