Craving Sugar After Quitting Drinking? Here's Why - And How to Cope
Setting down that last bottle of alcohol might've felt like a victory, until, unexpectedly, a fresh challenge rose - an insidious sweet tooth you didn't sign up for. Ever found yourself trading your nightly wine for a midnight raid on the cookie jar?
Sounds strange, doesn't it?
In fact, you're far from alone. Over three-quarters of people in recovery experience sugar cravings after quitting drinking. That's like if the entire population of Texas started eating dessert for dinner. But why does it happen, and more importantly, what's the game plan to fight the sugar demons without reaching for the bottle? Let's pull back the veil on this lesser-known aspect of sobriety, while laying down some strategies to help you steer clear of both booze and undesired candy conquests. Chaos might be the law of nature, but your dietary habits don't have to be.
Understanding Your Sugar Cravings After Quitting Alcohol
Unravel the intricate relationship between alcohol and sugar
Grasp the science behind why we crave sugar after ditching alcohol
The Connection Between Alcohol and Sugar
Both alcohol and sugar throw a party for your brain's reward system, but secretly they also have a tumultuous affair with your blood sugar levels. Depending on your drink of choice, alcohol can be rife with simple sugars and rapidly absorbed carbohydrates, boosts your blood sugar levels swiftly. Over time, your body gets accustomed to these skyrocketing sugar levels. So, when you pull out the alcohol card from the game, your body stages a sugar protest, making you crave that sweet, sweet rush.
A common misunderstanding is that alcohol is made of sugar or it turns to sugar in the body. Neither are true and I break down those myths and explain what’s actually happening in episode 41:
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The Science Behind Sugar Cravings Post-Alcohol
Shedding light on the science behind these intense sugar cravings after giving up alcohol, we find ourselves in the complex labyrinth of neuroscience. When alcohol is cut off, the brain – now conditioned to the quick fix and reward from alcohol – panics. This panic mode manifests as an intense craving for another easy quick-fix, sugar, while the brain figures out how to recalibrate itself to life without alcohol. It's a sophisticated survival strategy – you scratch the alcohol component, and the brain, not ready to forgo its sugar fix yet, shifts to craving sweets.
How to Manage Your Sugar Cravings After Quitting Alcohol
Keen awareness of sugar cravings is emphasized
A step-by-step guide to curb sugar cravings
Employing mindful eating, hydration, and regular exercise as tools
Recognizing Your Sugar Cravings
Comprehending that sugar cravings are a common side effect of quitting alcohol will aid in its management. These cravings are unbeknownst to many, invading subtly with symptoms like persistent thoughts of sugary food, anxiety, restlessness, and even mood swings.
Awareness that craving sweets is not a failure or a weakness, but a physiological response, will contribute to reducing guilt. This understanding might even augment your confidence in the journey towards sobriety.
Practical Steps to Curb Sugar Cravings
Knowing how to handle your cravings efficiently is equally as vital as recognizing them. Here's a compilation of strategies that can help you navigate through the sugar cravings.
To start with, the practice of mindful eating might be the tool you need to manage sugar cravings. This entails pausing before eating and acknowledging the reasons for your cravings. Often, it's not hunger that drives the craving, but boredom, stress, or other triggers.
Bringing mindful eating into play will not only help you understand when you're legitimately hungry versus when you're emotionally eating, but it can also convey a sense of control over your food choices.
Additionally, maintaining a regular exercise routine can offset these cravings by reducing stress and helping regulate your hormones. Exercise also stimulates brain chemicals that can leave you feeling happier and more relaxed, which might also reduce cravings for sweets.
Learn how exercise can help you stay sober in episode 122
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Lastly, don't forget to hydrate. Drinking enough water throughout the day helps maintain body functions, promotes proper digestion, and may substantially lessen your craving for sweets. Physical signals for thirst can sometimes mimic hunger, leading you to erroneously reach for a sugary snack when a glass of water might have sufficed.
Learn more about how drinking impacts your hunger hormone Ghrelin in episode 191 (releasing 2/2/24)
Understanding that the desire for sweets following alcohol abstinence is a normal phenomenon is the first step towards managing it effectively. Being proactive and employing techniques such as mindful eating, hydrating, and exercising regularly will then adequately arm you to cope with your sugar cravings.
Learn how alcohol impacts your gut health in episode 169:
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Healthy Alternatives to Satisfy Your Sugar Cravings
After understanding the basics of managing sugar cravings post-alcohol, let's look at some healthy alternatives that are not just satisfying but add to your overall well-being. Healthy alternatives may sound boring or may make you roll your eyes, but that’s only because we get used to instant gratification while we’re drinking. Nothing healthy provides instant gratification.
Nutritious Foods to Curb Sugar Cravings
Focusing on healthy, natural alternatives can be an effective way to manage your sweet tooth after quitting alcohol. Including foods high in fiber, rich in protein, and loaded with healthy fats can keep you satisfied for longer and hence, you are less likely to be drawn towards sugary substances.
Fruits like apples, oranges, and bananas are great choices as they contain natural sugars which can satisfy your cravings while providing necessary micronutrients to your body. Likewise, nuts and seeds which are rich in protein and healthy fats can keep you satiated and help in balancing your blood sugar levels.
Drinking herbal teas or having dark chocolate with a high cocoa content can also be beneficial in fighting sugar cravings. These food choices not only satisfy your cravings but also nourish your body with vital nutrients necessary for a healthy recovery post-alcohol.
Learn more about focusing on wellness over weight loss in episode 188
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The Role of Hydration in Managing Sugar Cravings
Hydration can significantly influence your body's craving responses. Often our minds confuse thirst for hunger, which can lead to unnecessary intake of sweets. Staying hydrated can easily prevent this confounding feeling.
Set reminders if you find yourself forgetting to drink water throughout the day. Try and switch to flavored water or herbal/fruit teas if you find plain water boring. This practice can help you consume more fluids.
Moreover, starting your day with a glass or two of water can set a positive tone for your body's hydration requirements. Ensuring you're well hydrated before meals can also curb overeating and consequently, help manage sugar cravings.
Sometimes you may feel hungry or have a craving for sugar or alcohol, but a glass of water would be enough. Learn more about this phenomenon in episode 191:
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The Impact of Sugar Cravings on Your Recovery Journey
Important to recognize the influence sugar cravings have on recovery from alcohol addiction.
Professional help plays a key role in managing these cravings.
Resources like the SAMHSA National Helpline exist to assist individuals experiencing these cravings.
How Sugar Cravings Can Affect Your Sobriety
Substituting alcohol with sugar might appear harmless, but it's far more impactful than you might think. For starters, alcohol and sugar trigger similar dopamine responses in the brain - this means replacing alcohol with sugar during your recovery can lead to excessive sugar consumption and a whole new problem.
An uncontrolled sugar habit not only potentially derails your sobriety efforts but can also lead to health issues like weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease. Adapting a healthy, balanced diet can help regulate your sugar intake, ensuring a more successful recovery.
Understanding these dynamics better positions you to manage sugar cravings and stay focused on maintaining sobriety.
Learn more about transfer addiction in episode 130:
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The Importance of Professional Help in Managing Sugar Cravings
Embarking on the road to sobriety shouldn't be a lonely endeavor, and managing any emerging sugar cravings isn't an exception. Professional help goes beyond prescribing a diet plan—it also equips you with coping mechanisms and invaluable support during this transitional stage.
Recognizing the potential influence of sugar cravings on your recovery journey anchors your commitment to overall healthier habits and favorable recovery outcomes. In pairing awareness with professional assistance, you equip yourself with the necessary support to tackle any sugar cravings head-on and stay steadfast on your road to sobriety.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sugar Cravings After Quitting Alcohol
When quitting alcohol, understanding your cravings can be the secret weapon you need.
Explain the correlation between alcohol cessation and sugar cravings.
Strategies to manage sugar cravings effectively.
Why do I crave sweets after quitting alcohol?
Sugar is also rewarding to the brain and is a quick fix, just like alcohol was. We can use sugar to control our emotions and relieve boredom. Now that we’re not using alcohol for instant gratification, our brain is seeking the next best thing, which in a lot of cases is sugar.
Learn more about this in episode 41:
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How long do sugar cravings last after quitting alcohol?
The duration of these cravings can differ from person to person, largely relying on factors like the severity of your addiction to alcohol, personal body chemistry, and diet. However, generally, these intense cravings tend to lessen over a few weeks or months as your body normalizes and the remnants of alcohol leave your system. The more you do “the work” the less you’ll need sugar or other external things.
Learn about my 30 day no sugar challenge in episode 165:
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Can sugar cravings lead to relapse?
Unfortunately, the grappling tug of intense sugar cravings can make individuals susceptible to relapse. The pleasure sensation derived from sugar consumption, akin to drinking alcohol, can trick the brain into seeking the original addictive substance. It’s crucial to be aware of this and work on managing your cravings effectively to safeguard your recovery journey. Learn more in episode 96: do sugar cravings increase the risk of relapse
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What can I do to stop sugar cravings after quitting alcohol?
Acknowledging your cravings is the first step. Then find healthier alternatives to satiate your cravings, such as fruits and increasing your protein intake. Regular exercise and staying hydrated are also excellent strategies. Emotional support from friends, families, or support groups can do wonders. Coaching can provide individualized strategies factoring your particular state and needs.
Ultimately, the journey to quit alcohol may be winded with sweet temptations along the way. Thus, understanding your cravings, tracing their root cause, and arming yourself with effective coping methods could turn this seemingly rocky journey into a smoother path towards recovery.
Get support to quit drinking
If you’re struggling to stay sober, then it’s important to get more support. Many of us try to do it alone without success. Here are some options:
Alcoholics anonymous (AA)
Therapy
Online communities & virtual meetings
Smart Recovery
Recovery Dharma
Inpatient treatment
Outpatient treatment
Talking to your doctor about medication
Cite this article:
Gillian Tietz. Craving Sugar After Quitting Drinking? Here’s Why- And How to Cope. Sober Powered. 2024
Please respect my intellectual property by citing me as your source.
