⭐️ Social ⭐️ Replacing Drugs with Food - Sugar "addiction" - HELP

[ChemicallyEnhanced]

Not sure if this is in the right place, so Mods feel free to move it is so.

First of all, I had very heavily addicted to alcohol for 7 years and have been dependant on opioids for 9 years now so I am NOT comparing this to drugs.

For maybe 17 months now I DO feel I have an addiction to sweet foods almost like with drugs. I can't go a single day without eating sweet stuff - like a pint of Ben and Jerry's and a family size chocolate bar every night - I'm trying really hard but I feel very frustrated, depressed and even desperate if it seems like I have to go without for just one day. Somehow I have only gained 11lbs in all this time (going from 114lbs to 125lbs) but I still wanna lose it again.

Anyone experienced this, or know what to do, or how to either reduce or STOP?

 

[MsDiz]

You need to stop buying that food. You need to “retrain your brain” by eating something sweet that isn’t laden with calories, like fruit. Although fructose is actually worse for you than sucrose, you’ll not eat enough of it I guarantee.

Oranges are a great sweet food that will satisfy that craving but not be as bad for the waistline, bananas also. Also, drinking that awful diet shit will satisfy the sweetness craving again without hurting the waistline.

 

[Larimar]

The opiates makes you crave the sugar . I crave it when I’m buzzing off my oxy . I have heard others around here saying the same thing and people on methadone say it as well . Not sure the science behind this maybe someone else does ???

 

[MsDiz]

Oh and when you’re getting frustrated, distraction distraction distraction. That’s all you need. If you keep yourself occupied for a while that craving will melt away.

 

[idontremember]

I know this is an old thread but I have this problem really badly too. It started three years ago after getting sober from opiates (dilaudid, percocet, etc) and kratom. It's out of control. During the day I'm OK but then at night when everyone else is asleep, i crave it so badly I gorge. I eat so much candy at night. Hell, I'm eating candy right now! It really does feel like an addiction to me. I look forward to it and everything. I even hide it!

 

[Jnowhere]

Not sure if this is in the right place, so Mods feel free to move it is so.

First of all, I had very heavily addicted to alcohol for 7 years and have been dependant on opioids for 9 years now so I am NOT comparing this to drugs.

For maybe 17 months now I DO feel I have an addiction to sweet foods almost like with drugs. I can't go a single day without eating sweet stuff - like a pint of Ben and Jerry's and a family size chocolate bar every night - I'm trying really hard but I feel very frustrated, depressed and even desperate if it seems like I have to go without for just one day. Somehow I have only gained 11lbs in all this time (going from 114lbs to 125lbs) but I still wanna lose it again.

Anyone experienced this, or know what to do, or how to either reduce or STOP?

I have been prescribed opiods for slightly less time(8 years or so) and a lot of my diet is gummy worms and other gummy candy ( my doctor today even laughed a little, when I explained why my cholesterol was very low) little to no fat in them.
However I also have some pancreas issues, so I usually eat one big meal a day. Then I snack on gummy candy and animal crackers that I buy at the dollar store. I brush my teeth a lot. But opiods do cause sugar cravings. My problems all stem from an alcohol addiction that started in college. I have cirrhosis of the liver and I thank God I am allergic to alcohol now. However I crave sweets and because of damage I caused to my pancreas or something I have trouble with the high fat foods I love and use to eat. The cravings of sweets are one of the side effects of opiods in some people.
However, I did notice that when I was deprived of candy and other sweets for several days; that my cravings for sugar went down considerably. However I went back to eating gummy candy, animal crackers and drinking lots if cherry lime soda pop. Then my cravings went back to normal, ( for me, which is a constant craving)
The only way to stop this, from my experience, is to go several days or so with no sweets, including no sugary drinks. It may not be easy, but time away from sweets seems to be the only way. The opiods make it difficult. They increase the cravings. Since the cravings are only 17 months into your opiod dependence they can be over come. The only way is to go for a while without any sweets. I know firsthand how difficult it is but: on more than one occasion I went for days with no soda pop or sugary beverages and no sweets, due once to a snow storm and poor planning on my part. But after a several days the desire was gone. The opiods make it difficult but maybe tapering down and filling up with non sugary foods might help. However if you can hold out long enough like I did a few times you may lose interest in sweets.
Good luck.

 

[ChemicallyEnhanced]

Update...I'm now diabetic (type 3c...nothing to do with diet/what I eat/weight) blahh
Still having some issues, but I'm one of the 15% of people who have what my doctor called "cravings based on actual need" so because [I'm now unable to make any of my own insulin, my body was still making SOME 2 years ago when I started this thread] my body wasn't able to USE carbs I was eating, my brain was demanding more.
The weight gain wasn't from the sugar (which my body couldn't use much of) but because I was eating "normally" besides that (like actual meals etc) because I no longer had opioids suppressing my appetite. And also partly oedema because my kidney function isn't great (~60% now).

@Jnowhere RE your pancreas: PLEASE get it checked! My type of diabetes (3C) is rare and is cause BY pancreatic failure. It's very similar to type 1, but where in type 1 it's autoimmune, where the immune system attacks the healthy insulin-producing beta-cells of the pancreas, in my type the pancreas as a whole fails, so I don't make any pancreatic enzymes, so I need PERT (Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Treatment) to be able to break down fats and proteins properly or else I get horrendous, painful gas (protein) or diarrhoea (fat)...so if you think you're issues with fat come from pancreatic issues, I'd seek treatment ASAP.

 

[Jnowhere]

I didn't realize how old this thread was because someone responded to it a little over an hour before me. Thank you for the response and concern. Actually diabetes runs on both sides of my family. Both of my maternal Grandfather's had it along with my aunt( my mom's sister) my late father had diabetes that was sort of strange, for a while he didn't need insulin injections but it got worse as time went on and I do get my pancreas checked from time to time. I went to my doctor yesterday and he said I would get blood work done next office visit, I have a phone visit in a month. He is aware of my late father's diabetes and my pancreas problems.
My late father was a thoracic and also a vascular surgeon and he saw my blood work results in the past and said the same thing my GP said that my pancreas issues aren't related to diabetes, but I am on zen pep(enzymes or something to help digest food) However my dad and my aunt didn't develop diabetes till later in life, well into their 50's.
My father saw my blood work a few years back and said I had different issues, which were related to my severe abuse of alcohol for 20+ years and not the same issues he had.
My next office visit is in about 2 months and I will have blood work done and have it checked to see if there is any problems. I realize that my relatives were older than me, which means, It could happen. Luckily my doctor checks to make sure because I have had chronic pancreatitus which has lessened.
Once again thank you for your concern and I am very sorry to hear about you developing diabetes.