Experiencing Sugar Cravings After Quitting Alcohol

As long as you’re not binging on sugar, a piece of candy or slice of cake every now and then is ok during recovery. In these first few days, you may also be at risk for more adverse and serious side effects of alcohol withdrawal. This includes hallucinations, excessive sweating, confusion and agitation at a worrisome level, fevers, fast respirations, and at times passing out.

A separate study done and presented at the 9th ISBRA Congress showed support for an association between sweets and a genetic predisposition for alcoholism and a family history. In the study 61 percent of individuals with a positive family history of alcoholism preferred sugar solutions. This is extremely high compared to the 19 percent of individuals who preferred sugar solutions and who reported no known negative family or genetic histories of alcoholism. A study shows the link between consumption of alcohol and a desire for sweets. In this study, it was found that there is evidence that links the consumption of sweets and alcohol between humans and animals, and their preferences for such.

So how do you handle addiction replacements like sugar in sobriety?

It is this feeling that the brain craves when it is using alcohol. Your brain is programmed to seek out things that make it happy, and alcohol addiction occurs as a result of the substance’s ability to create that feeling. Part of the cravings that individuals new to abstinence from alcohol face are actually sugar cravings, not alcohol cravings. Giving in to sugar cravings during recovery from alcohol is commonplace. Rehabilitation centers often offer high-sugar foods as do mutual-help groups. Even the primary text of Alcoholics Anonymous, known as “The Big Book,” encourages those in sobriety to keep candy on hand in order to curb cravings for alcohol.

Sugar cravings like Pinyard’s are common when going alcohol free. But the urge typically fades, and there are strategies to handle it in the meantime. The year 2020 was one of the most challenging in modern history, one that took a toll on our mental and physical health. Don’t forget, you can ask questions anytime, and we’ll do our best to find the right expert to point you in the right direction. Kayla Risteen is the Director of Dietary Services at Landmark Recovery. She graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in dietetics from the University of Kentucky and has been a practicing Registered Dietitian for eight years.

The Associations Between Alcohol And Sugar

Eventually, I was able to work on the underlying factors that drove me to push my addictive tendencies onto other things. I haven’t perfectly mastered them all, but it’s getting better, and that’s the most important thing. It’s like that late 90’s film, Fallen, starring Denzel Washington, where he fights a demon that keeps jumping from one body to the next. Shortly after my daughter’s birth, I dropped to 145 pounds (because I never had time to eat), but I was slowly packing those pounds back on.

About a year into my sobriety, I struggled to piece together what in the world was happening with me and soda, in particular, diet sodas. Choosing recovery close to home means your support system is just a few miles away. Don’t let another difficult day or sleepless night pass by. We are ready to help you or the person you love stop addiction in its tracks. Whether you are looking for a drug rehab in Nashville TN for yourself or a loved one, we can help. Let Southeast Addiction Center put our decades of combined experience to work for you.

Experiencing Sugar Cravings After Quitting Alcohol

Sugar and alcohol also are known to affect serotonin, another one of your body’s feel-good chemicals. This is why sweets and alcohol can help you de-stress and generally improve your mood, at least at first. Fortunately, she said, the intensity of the cravings shouldn’t last. “The body is really miraculous in coming into a homeostatic state,” she said.

• These activities encourage dopamine production from behaviors that don’t bring about the terrible consequences of returning to active addiction.
• Dopamine is the chemical that causes feelings of pleasure and happiness.
• Herbs such as gymnema, berberine, kudzu, and cinnamon can help.
• While this statement does oversimplify things to grab your attention, it also has some truth to it.

After a few days of no candy, chocolate etc. the fruit will taste even more delicious as our taste buds stop being overcome by the loads of sugar that is in chocolate, candy etc. Still, if you have just given up alcohol and have an unstoppable yearning for chocolate or sweet stuff then go for it I say, it’s far less harmful than that nasty booze, that’s for sure. We’re here 24/7 to help you get the care you need to live life on your terms, without drugs or alcohol. Talk to our recovery specialists today and learn about our integrated treatment programs. Imagine eating a regularly scheduled and well-balanced diet, getting eight hours of sleep every night and still craving sweets. If this sounds like you, it may actually help to satisfy your craving and eat something sweet every once in a while.

Issues From Increased Sugar Intake

Eating sweet foods can reduce the intensity of these drug cravings by giving a short dopamine boost, which could be the difference between remaining in recovery or experiencing a relapse. A chocolate bar is far less harmful than returning to active addiction. When your blood sugar is low, it’s natural for your body to crave sweets to counteract it. Even if you indulge and give your body sugar to level out, it won’t solve the issue long term. Your blood sugar will drop again, landing you right back where you started.

When you eat too much sugar, you train your brain to run on sugary foods the same way it did when you were drinking. And when you go without sugar, you’ll experience withdrawal symptoms just like you did when you were struggling with alcohol addiction. Dopamine is the chemical that causes feelings of pleasure and happiness. The brain uses it as a reward system to reinforce certain behaviors.

If you want a practical approach, dietitian Lauren Manaker suggests keeping fruit on hand and seeking natural highs through activities like exercise. Eating protein-rich snacks and meals throughout the day can also keep you full and satisfied, Pinyard said, helping to avoid the sort of sugar crash that leads you to reach for more. “And it looks for what it has in its environment, which is so often sugar.”

Brittany has been working in behavioral health since 2012 and is the Assistant Clinical Director at our facility. She has great experience with chemical dependency and co-occurring mental health diagnoses as well as various therapeutic techniques. Brittany is passionate about treating all clients with dignity and respect, and providing a safe environment where clients can begin their healing journey in recovery. Addiction treatment centers help by providing a safe space, professional treatment options, and long-lasting support for you to achieve abstinence. At All Points North Lodge, of clients benefit from individual and group therapy, medication-assisted treatment, and cutting-edge technology.

Tips For Eating Less Sugar After Quitting Drinking

Some research indicates that methamphetamine use can reduce blood glucose levels³, driving people toward sugary foods or drinks. In addition, the appetite suppressing properties of stimulants make eating nutritious foods less likely. Some people in recovery use high sugar foods as a survival strategy to get sufficient calories when other foods are unpalatable. People https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/why-do-alcoholics-crave-sugar-in-recovery/ with substance use disorders often experience intense sugar cravings. Even the original printing of The Big Book in Alcoholics Anonymous mentions a physician who encouraged newly sober alcoholics to keep chocolate or candy on hand to help manage alcohol cravings. Many of these tips are the same tips for a healthy lifestyle in general, but that makes sense.

• With modern food technology and the widespread availability of high-calorie foods, at least in Western nations, this is no longer necessary for survival.
• Many people in recovery report having a craving for sweets during their first phase, and often, over the course of their lives.
• Therefore, it’s common for someone in early addiction recovery to crave sweets and other sugary foods to try and produce the large amounts of dopamine they need to feel good.
• The result is a large surge of dopamine in the brain that can make someone want to repeat negative behaviors, like substance use, in order to chase the pleasurable feeling they experience.
• In fact, according to the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, sugar affects many of the same neural pathways in the brain as alcohol does.
• Whenever you would drink, the alcohol would release a rush of dopamine that would make you feel good.