mns1

Hi everyone.

I wanted to see what some of you have done to get past the sugar cravings that I know are a part of early sobriety. I'm six months in and although I feel very secure in my sobriety I am really struggling to stay away from sugary foods and it's definitely making me feel cruddy a lot of the time. My main go-to's are doughnuts in the morning and Haagen-Dazs chocolate peanut butter ice cream at night. When trying to abstain from them I can get this vague feeling of anxiety. I feel like I can't fully wind down at night and get ready for bed unless I've had my ice cream. It has kind of replaced the ritual that used to involve drinking.

Would love to hear what's worked for others.

Thanks.

Anna

Congratulations on 6 months of recovery!

I've cut back (but not eliminated) sugar. My suggestion would be to go slowly to help ease the anxiety you're feeling. I always have dark chocolate (80%) on hand. It's a great treat. There are lots of different types of ice cream in most grocery stores so maybe try to find something that's low in sugar. I substituted low-fat, low-sugar yogurt. I often make blueberry muffins as an afternoon treat and I control the amount of sugar. Fruit is always a good option.

fishkiller

I used lots of sweets for quite a while. Still do more than I should but have cut back.
Nightly ice cream has been replaced with raisin bran. Probably just as much sugar but cereal sounds healthier than ice cream.

Don't stress too much about it quite yet. It is better than booze for now.

mns1

Anna you just made me realize I could make my own ice cream with less sugar or an alternative sweetener. I have an ice cream maker stowed away that I haven't used in a long time. I'm actually surprised I didn't think of this before.

fishkiller the cereal actually seems like a pretty good idea. I'd bet that raisin bran would fill you up faster than ice cream regardless of the sugar content. I could easily eat two pints of Haagen Dazs if I let myself.

Hevyn

Mns - I almost forgot about that aspect of it. I've never eaten many sweets, but suddenly I was craving them & I just gave in to it. I was so happy to be free of the alcohol I just figured it would be ok if it helped pacify me. I was chomping on lifesavers, lollipops, candy bars - & yes, doughnuts, ice cream. Just anything sweet! After a couple months the craving started to leave me. I still eat more sugar than I did when I drank - but it's under control.

I agree with fishy - don't stress about it yet. You're doing great.

mns1

Thanks Hevyn.

I know that it's no big deal compared to drinking but I am recovering from some severe health issues during which I was very limited with what I could eat for a while. Now I'm cleared to eat what I want and my appetite is getting better so I'm just craving things left and right. I've always eaten pretty healthy even when I drank, and I want to continue eating healthy since I am on medication that weakens my immune system.

I'll try some of the suggestions here and focus more on gradually cutting back on sugary foods. I definitely agree that it beats the heck out of drinking.

Farrier

I never ate sweets before I quit drinking.....now I fear no cake or candy bar!

JamesW

Since giving up alcohol I've developed a marked addiction to blueberries.

Behappy1

Same way with sweets! I was NEVER a big sweet eater. In very early sobriety I could kill a family size pack of oreo's in NO time! Lol!! Little Debbies too. I really didn't limit myself because I knew why it was. I am and have always been a healthy eater otherwise. As said above, you can make your own healthy ice cream. One where you can control/substitute sugar for a healthier alternative. You can also make your own popsicles (silicone molds on amazon). I also started buying a higher quality, richer chocolate. I'll break off pieces here and there. Healthier and it does help with cutting back. With it being summer, fruits and smoothies are also a great option. I know early on my body was screaming for sugar to replace the alcohol that I wasn't pouring down my throat.

There are also great and healthy bread/muffin/cake recipes out there as well. Hang in there and I hope this helps!!

DriGuy

I've heard old timers recommend keeping hard candy in your pocket for when an alcohol craving comes along. It never made sense to me, because when an alcohol craving came along, I wanted alcohol. A piece of candy was such a poor substitute that I would eat the candy, and then drink the alcohol anyway. If I never had a problem with drinking, I would still be fighting the ice cream challenge. You don't have to be an alcoholic to have insatiable cravings for ice cream. After 26 years of sobriety, I still can't keep ice cream in the house. Just talking about it, is triggering me right now.

Kaily

When I was getting sober I turned to chocolate, cake, biscuits and ice cream. It helped to have a treat to look forward to and combat the cravings slightly.

I am in the minority but over time I have developed a secondary addiction to sugar and now at close to 4 years sober I am battling binge eating anything sugary.

Like you mns I feel anxiety if I don't have it to hand. I am seriously working on stopping and manage months at a time but then end up going back to it with vengeance.

Like alcohol, sugar is not something I can moderate so needs to be removed from my life completely.

If you think you might be getting addicted I would nip it in the bud now.

Oglsby

I, too, never liked sweet things before I quit drinking, but when I did quit, for the first time in my life, I did crave them. I just let myself have them for a while, and gradually started substituting in healthier choices, like fruit. Maybe you could start by letting yourself have some ice cream "if" you have a piece of fruit first? Kind of taper off the unhealthier choices. Also, I agree with Anna about Dark chocolate. I like it, but it is not my favorite, so I tend to eat less of it.
Hard candy also helped me in the beginning because I could control how much I had. I now eat more fruit than ever, and it tastes better than it ever has. I consider that a win. But.........sometimes just go for the ice cream!!!

CH333

I ate a lot of sour candy in my early days of sobriety. Tbh I ate a lot of it when I was drinking every night too. I believe I traded the candy for a major caffeine addiction that has been going on since childhood lol but I'll take that any day over alcohol!

mns1

I can relate to this Kaily as I actually do feel a bit like this is my "new addiction." Am I inhaling sweets all day long and struggling to resist them? No. But the fact that I feel like I can't fully wind down at night until I've had my ice cream does make it feel like this has replaced my nightly drinking ritual. I've also noticed in past attempts to get sober that I really relied on sugar as a sort of crutch.

But thanks for all the great suggestions. To replace the Haagen Dazs I have made some homemade vanilla ice cream sweetened with a little organic maple syrup that I am topping with some peach slices as my night time treat. Perhaps I will try my hand at baking as well.

nez

In place of ice cream in the evening, eat dates. Yes they contain sugar, but it is natural sugar and they make an excellent bedtime snack due to their high fiber content, which means longer digestion time and slower absorption rate of the sugar, translating to better blood sugar levels.

mns1

Good suggestion nez. I don't actually like dates on their own but I have had snack bites made with dates and cocoa powder and couple other natural ingredients before that were absolutely delicious.

DriGuy

I'm going to buy some dates. You know, I don't think I ever ate a date before. I'm more just curious about them than anything.

JamesW

DriGuy, can totally recommend Medjool dates, large and taste like sticky toffee. Can be a bit expensive, but worth the price (in my humble opinion). I used them to help wean me off sugar.

KTB5000

Hi mns1

Thank you for sharing this. I thought/think I'm losing my f****g mind with my sugar and carb cravings! I'm 4 and half months and somehow remembering the cravings were only supposed to last in the first month or so...which they did and I spoiled myself with indulging in sweets. Now I've been able to go a week or so at a time before I succumb to my sweet tooth and my binges ain't nothing pretty! I am looking for support in OA but at the end of the day, it's up to me to make the right choices and learn to say no to sugary foods that cause me only to crave more and more. Don't be too hard on yourself.

Good luck and keep up the good fight!

sugarbear1

I ate a bowl of cereal. Those bowls of cereal helped. I ate the low sugar cereals or I'd eat oatmeal and add fruit. Fruit is my friend, sugar is my current battle, 11 years into sobriety....

I came in here a lot for about 10 years before I could stay stopped. At that time, there was a huge discussion on Candida and on sugar cravings and how all of this pertained to our alcoholism.

For me, there is a serious link. I was the child caught eating sugar out of the sugar bowl at a young age.....

Currently eating hummus and carrots, probably going to bake me a low cal oat bar soon......