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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To say there is such a thing as a sugar addiction?

60 replies

Crimblecrumble1990 · 26/08/2021 22:23

I am braving AIBU for the first time...

For nearly 20 years I have what I would call a sugar addiction. In particular, chocolate. It's normally the first thing I think about when I wake up to the last thing at night. I will go out of my way to get it, hide it, eat it. Suggest entire meals out when I don't even want to see people just because they have a good dessert menu.

I am beyond miserable. It is wrecking my life and my health. I have always gotten away with being a bit chubby but I've now tipped into fat, high blood pressure etc. I've detested the way I look since I was pre teen. The one thing that could have changed it easily would be me stopping eating chocolate, why on earth haven't I done it??

It's a running joke in my friends and family that I eat so much of it - endless themed bday presents and I want to cry with shame every time I receive one. I've tried hypnotism and CBT as well as trying to not eat the stuff. I literally don't know what's wrong with me. I eat when I'm happy, sad, stressed, whenever. I adore the taste of it.

This sounds like a joke writing it all down but sadly this has been my life for nearly 2 decades. I made my son very poorly by consuming so much sugar while I was pregnant with him yet the utter horror of that has still not stopped me. I live with a smoker who loves me but cannot compare my 'addiction' with a 'proper' addiction like cigarettes, drugs, alcohol etc.

I guess I am wondering if I am alone??? Is there anyone else who feels the same way? Or if there are people who think this is not an addiction then please I would like to hear your thoughts also.

YABU - no such thing as sugar addiction
YANBU - yes there is such a thing as sugar addiction

Sorry for the long read.

OP posts:

Ifyouarehappyandyouknowit21 · 26/08/2021 22:27

I could have written your post op. I'm a self confessed Sugar addic. It really is an addiction and one that I haven't been able to break myself.

Danikm151 · 26/08/2021 22:28

It is real.
You can crave sugary things the same way you crave caffeine etc
It’s hard to get away from because sugar is in a hell of a lot

Idontgiveagriffindamn · 26/08/2021 22:29

You can 100% be addicted to sugar. Anything you hide, crave or go out of your way to eat is an addiction. There will also be initial side effects from not eating it.
The long term effects of too much sugar as bad just like smoking and drinking - it’s just more socially acceptable.
I know I feel better without sugar. I can go without it for a while - I only crave for the first week. But once I fall off the wagon I binge.
Not great as I’m type 2

Aquamarine1029 · 26/08/2021 22:31

Of course it's a real addiction. Science has proved it. It is also an addiction you can overcome.

Nameandgamechange123 · 26/08/2021 22:32

I go through phases (years sometimes) of going without. When I'm on it, I literally feel ill if I can't have it. I get terrible headaches and fatigue and even feel cold and depressed. Its like I'm addicted to drugs. I need to wean myself off it and I will when the kids are back to school and I've got time and space to do it. So yes, I believe it's a real thing!!!

Loocheeyar · 26/08/2021 22:33

I’m well and truly hooked I can’t seem to get off it it’s horrible

Germolenequeen · 26/08/2021 22:36

YABU to post this - everyone knows that sugar addiction is a thing 🙄

DukeOfEarlGrey · 26/08/2021 22:51

Sugar addiction is definitely possible, in fact we are all hardwired to want it and shouldn't depend on 'willpower' to stop us eating it, it's better not to have it around at all but the sugar industry is massive and it's now very hard to avoid. I think it has been shown to light up the same part of the brain that crack cocaine does, so you really aren't being ridiculous in your comparison.

This documentary captures it well:

I'm no medical expert but your experience sounds extreme - presumably you have been checked for things like diabetes? Otherwise I would have thought that hard as it might be, having a total detox from sugar (to get you out of the addictive cycle) and making sure you have a well-balanced diet should help you. Low GI to keep your blood sugar stable and prevent cravings, and good nutrition to give you natural energy. Being under-slept can also cause sugar cravings, so getting plenty of sleep could help too.

This sounds tough OP and I hope you have some support

Barkleyspaubles · 26/08/2021 22:52

I'm the same as you. Chocolate replaced alcohol which I slowly phased out while pregnant 15 years ago. I gave up smoking in 2003 so it's my final vice .. I've just started Restrain. Down load the App and do the initial questionnaire. A trial is being run by Cardiff university for a new weight loss/ healthy eating regime. I was in the in the middle of Noom but it's a bit twenty something speak for me and too American ( I had to buy a set of cups for example). Anyway, you are certainly not alone!

Polecat03 · 26/08/2021 23:16

It's absolutely real. You can be addicted to anything that rewards and gives pleasure, not just substances - look at gambling and sex addiction.
Sugar as a substance is addictive anyway though, not just because it tastes nice.
I've experienced the same naysayers as you OP, friends and family that refuse to take my food addiction/binging seriously .

Polecat03 · 26/08/2021 23:21

@Germolenequeen

YABU to post this - everyone knows that sugar addiction is a thing 🙄

OP has explained that they are struggling with people not taking it seriously, with other posters sharing they've experienced the same. I have too, people literally laughing while you try to explain how badly you're struggling with sugar addiction, and being told not to be so ridiculous. So lots of people clearly do NOT know, or believe, that it is 'a thing'. Op is not being unreasonable to post for some consensus and support!

poppymaewrite · 26/08/2021 23:36

Absolutely it’s an addiction. I ised to eat sugar at least every hour, maybe half hour, or I would get really agitated. But I managed it and now completely abstain from sugar (I have lapses sometimes but not common and never planned). I found it helpful to eat yummy meals and to eat and much as physically possible so that my body didn’t feel as deprived. Do you tend to cook meals from scratch? I found it helpful and gave me more of a routine around food and made me feel less like wanting to reach for the sugary foods.

44PumpLane · 27/08/2021 02:57

Sugar addiction is a scientific reality.

Your best bet is go cold turkey but it has to be ridding pretry much all sugars and sweeteners to break the habit of the sweet tooth...... Honestly I'd highly recomend Fast 800.

Even if you don't do the coloric deficit part of it, switching to a medeteranian style diet with lots of veggies and proteins, no sugars or sweeteners, will you you the world of good.

You'll feel like shit the first week or 2, then by the 3rd week you'll feel like a new person. If you can stick with it after a couoke months you'll form new habits and break that addictive streak.

FriedasCarLoad · 27/08/2021 03:00

I had treatment for alcoholism, years ago.
I'm finding sugar addiction even harder to break.

YADDDNBU

Original poster

Crimblecrumble1990 · 27/08/2021 03:17

Thank you everyone for your replies, I really appreciate it. Whenever I've tried talking to people in real life I get a lot of 'oh me too, last Friday I nearly ate a whole tub of ice cream to myself!'...

OP posts:

AntiCandidaDietChangedMyLife · 27/08/2021 03:42

You are right, sugar addiction is real. But the good news is that like any other addiction it IS possible to get off sugar. You'll feel headachy, anxious and possibly nauseous for the first 2-3 weeks as all the yeast in your gut flora are dying off, so you'll need to prepare for that. Paracetamol for the headaches, lots of sleep and rest, no other stressful stuff going on in your life. Eat lots of fat and complex carbs, drink lots of water.

Sugar addicts are self medicating with sugar, so you'll need to develop new strategies for dealing with stress and anxiety, and tiredness.

It is really, really hard but once you get through it you honestly won't crave it any more and will think chocolate is a bit nauseatingly sweet.

This video is also interesting, about a girl who was eating 5 kilos of chocolate a week and quit with the help of a psychologist

Good luck OP if you decide to quit, in order to succeed you need to make quitting sugar your top priority over anything else including work for 2-3 weeks. I never would have thought I could do it but I did in the end!

Barkleyspaubles · 27/08/2021 04:16

www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-57635128 here is the link to the article mentioning the Cardiff study.

RubyGoat · 27/08/2021 04:54

YANBU. I struggle with this too OP. For me it's specifically chocolate, i have multiple food intolerances so have come to see many foods as not available to me, in the sense that they aren't real food as they make me feel really ill quite quickly. I've managed to quit chocolate completely at least once, & significantly reduce my intake several times, but I always seem to end up back with it.

The problem with sugar/carb addiction is that it's a normal thing to consume, whereas alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs & even caffeine can be successfully & completely eliminated, they are recognised as being harmful, & there is support & generally zero judgment for addicts who want to quit. Sugar addiction is much less well understood.

Cozytoesandtoast00 · 27/08/2021 05:59

Sugar addiction is very real and I felt regularly traumatised when going through the cycle of quitting and re starting.
I'm a bit of a science freak and have researched this subject to death.
According to a Neurosciencist from Harvard and others. The best way to tackle this is to go cold turkey. The first 10 days are hard, the second 10 days are easier and by day 30 the cravings should be pretty much gone.
I actually made a chart which was really motivating to tick off. You will feel like crap initially. A bit of anxiety and boredom but stay with these feelings as you are re setting your dopamine levels which will be out of wack with consuming too much sugar.
By sugar free, I mean nothing with added sugar or sweeteners, no white bread/pasta, and no sweet fruit such as grapes, mango etc. You may be fine eating sweet fruit after 30 days but just try and see if they triggers cravings after the abstinent period. I can now eat pasta occasionally if I have protein with it.
Good luck. You can do this!!!

LaBellina · 27/08/2021 06:05

Oh yes, I 100% believe sugar is addictive and even if you try to actively avoid it, loads and loads of processed foods contain hidden sugars. I read an article a few years ago about this, a journalist who ate reasonably healthy but enjoyed sweets now and then was going to eat/ drink completely sugar free for a few week and kept a diary for the article. I remember being shocked at how hard it was for her to find any processed food that didn’t contain any hidden sugars and she also went trough a whole period of withdrawal where she literally felt sick and got headaches because her body was craving the sugar it was used to.

Bluntness100 · 27/08/2021 06:13

I thought this was common knowledge, sugar addiction is widely discussed. You jist need to cut sugar out your diet and the cravings go away, like any addiction except it’s arguably easier and quicker to do than say drugs booze or cigarettes.

Try low carb it works to remove the cravings totally, you just need to get through the first couple of weeks,

ElvenDreamer · 27/08/2021 06:17

OP it's worth looking up BED too (binge eating disorder) as with what you say about feeling ashamed, body image etc too on top of the sugar it may be more than just a sugar addiction. If that is the case, going cold turkey may not be exactly the right course of action, although I do agree that if it is a sugar addiction only then getting it out of your system completely for a few weeks is a good idea. And I feel your pain, it's a total nightmare when you feel constantly like other people are sabotaging your efforts. Best of luck xx

birdling · 27/08/2021 06:27

I was definitely carb and sugar addicted. I gave up totally 1 year ago.
The first week was hard, after that was a breeze.
I've lost 3 stone in 6 months. (None since then, but can if I want to).
You need to be completely low carb to make it easier though.

gofg · 27/08/2021 06:43

YANBU, and you are definitely not alone. I've been addicted to sweet foods all my life, and it is not easy to break the addiction. I can't have chocolate or ice cream in the house (well I sometimes do, but I know what will happen!).

GalaxyGirl24 · 27/08/2021 06:49

YANBu! There's a lot of science to back it up

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