Sugar addiction is easily misunderstood by people who have never had it. It may seem like bulimia, but it is not. It is not directly related to diabetes either, although they do have related symptoms. It is best understood as the irrepressible impulse to consume sugar. This goes above and beyond a child’s fondness for sweets. This impulse is so harmful that it borders on obsession.
Recent studies have confirmed that sugar addiction is comparable to that of other addictive substances, like tobacco and marijuana. On its own, just being vulnerable to sugar is unhealthy on its own. It will also change your behavior so much so that you would go out of your way to satisfy your addiction. You become so impatient to satisfy your craving that it gets in the way of your daily activities.
Giving up sugar completely may seem excessive at first, but this has been proven effective in many cases of addiction. It is not possible to have just one last cigarette, or one last toke. Anytime you give in to the impulse, your addiction will reappear. Fortunately, unlike other addictive substances, you can give up sugar without any adverse side effects. However, you will need to take great pains to do so.
Sugar hides in the most common foods, so you need to confirm the food you eat won’t feed on your obsession. You do not have to give up all sweet food, which may be an exercise in futility anyway. Depending on personal circumstances, you will have to substitute sugar with something else.
All you may need to do is switch to unrefined sugar. In more extreme cases, you might have to switch to natural sweeteners like honey or agave, or artificial sweeteners like sucralose or saccharin. It is better to make your own food with sweeteners than to buy food that has them added in. You should avoid getting preservatives and other additives into your food. You will also be able to control the amount of sweetness in your food.
You do not have to deal with your addiction on your own, no matter what kind it is. Get help from your friends and family, as well as neighbors and coworkers. Give them apt information on what your addiction is and how they can help. Do not do the shopping for your household so that you can stop the entry of sweets in the house. If you do not come across any local support groups, you can always go online to seek comfort from other sugar addicts.
Sugar addiction is best understood as the irrepressible impulse to consume sugar. Recent studies have affirmed that sugar addiction is similar to that of other addictive substances. Giving up sugar completely may seem like too much, but this can be effective in treating addictions for most people. However, you will need to take great pains to do so.
- Beth Hoover