Diary of a sugar addict
It has been two weeks since I kicked the white stuff into touch and despite one or two relapses, I am doing well.
It’s not easy, I found cigarettes less of a challenge, but will-power seems to be winning through - so far.
I had no idea I was heading down the perilous road of cross-addiction - making the swap from one chemical crutch to another.
Joking aside, any unwanted addiction (I know some people are perfectly content with their substance habits) is not a pleasant experience.
There is the feeling of being controlled by an alien substance and the frustration of eventually giving in if you can’t take the withdrawal.
There is also the guilt, and the fear you just don’t have a single shred of self-restraint.
I am fully aware I have what they call an addictive personality.
It is one of the reasons I have never tried hard drugs (apart from our legal and Government-taxed friends alcohol and tobacco), I know I would get hooked.
As a smoker I graduated from a sneaky cigarette behind the bike sheds when I was 16 to a 40-a-day habit with frightening ease. Sugar was no different.
I found myself following the same patterns of dependency I did with cigarettes and to a certain extent alcohol.
Stocking up on sweets in case there was a global disaster and shops ran out, convincing myself I could have just one biscuit before finishing the family box, getting the immediate sugar rush of the first taste and then loading up on to a sucrose high until I felt totally disgusted with myself.
The spiteful thing about sugar is it seems so harmless, and is associated with all things nice, Christmassy, child-like and comforting.
But there is a sinister enemy behind the smiling clown mask.
My decision to give up was sparked by some pretty nasty side effects: headaches, feeling bloated, puffy and sluggish, nausea, palpitations and, after a proper binge, a hangover.
A sugar hangover is nowhere near as bad as an alcohol one, but I would spend a day feeling spaced out, craving more sugar, headachy, irritable and worse of all guilt-ridden.
This is not the first time I have tried to quit and I have been doing it slowly with the help of will power, dark chocolate - Lindt 85 per cent kills the chocolate craving at a relatively low sugar burden - and the odd artificial sweetener.
The whole science of sugar addiction is surrounded by controversial, studies are ongoing.
There are those who believe it is as physiologically addictive as nicotine or heroin, myself included, and others who say it is purely psychological.
I think they are the same crew who deny the existence of nicotine receptors in the brain and put the ferocious grip of cigarettes down to “needing something to do with your fingers” - rubbish.
She agreed the arena of sugar and its addictive nature was the subject of much frenzied debate.
She explained humans are wired up to want sugar because in our hunter gatherer days it helped us gain weight - a good thing if you are living in a cave during the winter.
“Humans are hard-wired to crave sugar,” she said.
“During the evolutionary process it was not readily available and when people found honey, for example, it led to weight gain and that was a good thing.
“Nowadays we are surrounded by sugar and sugary foods, it’s everywhere.”
“If you combine the physiological [in-built] need humans have with the fact that psychologically sugar is associated with treats and rewards and is generally pleasant you can see how eventually people can become over-dependent on it.”
I have been “killing” my sugar cravings with very dark chocolate, if I fancy a sweet drink I use artificial sweeteners.
Apparently I am doing the right thing by cutting down gradually, unlike other addictions where I feel the only way is all-out cold turkey.
“Look for slightly lower-sugar versions of the things you are eating, instead of a chocolate chip cookie have a digestive, that sort of thing.
“It will take weeks or even months, but in time you will find things that tasted normal will start to taste sickly sweet and you won’t want them.”
Sweeteners are a Godsend, there is a new family on the market made from Stevia - a calorie-free plant extract.
It comes from the Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni plant native to South America where its leaves are traditionally used as a sweetener.
There are powder, crystal and tablet forms, probably others if you search the web.
The good people at La Maison Du Stevia were kind enough to send me some samples to give it a go.
They claim it is 300 times sweeter than sugar, has no calories and is 100 per cent natural.
Dr Norris said: “Sweeteners are useful, but it is important not to become over reliant on them.
“Stevia is an interesting one, and is relatively new on our market.
“There has been a lot of research and it looks like it could have other health benefits.”
I found it was not as sweet as sucralose (Splenda) or aspartame. I needed three tabs to sweeten a cup of tea, usually I use one.
But it does the job, and there is no vile after taste, unlike the old generation saccharin sweeteners which left you feeling like you had sucked a paracetamol.
But it does the job, and there is no vile after taste, unlike the old generation saccharin sweeteners which left you feeling like you had sucked a paracetamol.
I also feel better about using something which is a natural plant derivative and shall definitely be keeping it in my armory.
I have posted a link to the website, you can even grow it at home (I love gardening by the way guys if you fancy sending some seeds my way).
So it seems I am on the right track, still a way to go, but I certainly feel better after just two weeks.
I am interested to hear of anyone else who has experienced sugar addiction who has tips on what works, doesn’t work. Please post below or feel free to tweet me @ExpressNathan.
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