About 4 years ago I realised I was an addict. In order to kick my drug addiction I needed to get honest about my relationship to my drug of choice – refined sugar.
First of all, I needed to realise that my sugar addiction was my baby, it was my comfort, my friend… and it was time to cut the cord.
But going cold turkey did not appeal to me. That seemed a bit harsh.
So I cut out ALL refined sugars first and supported myself with only natural sugars. This meant that I was only consuming sugar in the form of honey, maple syrup and fresh fruit..
And even though I was consuming these natural sugars, I still went through withdrawals from my dear friend, refined sugar. But I was determined to kick my drug habit and part of this detox was realising that sugar actually was no friend of mine, as true friends don’t intentionally harm you in the way sugar was harming me.
Exhaustion, Anxiety and the Quest to Eat Sugar
I had been medically advised that my body broke down refined sugars too rapidly, so thankfully, having decided to stop my sugar addiction then and there, I had halted the destructive behaviour that was possibly leading me down the path to insulin dependent diabetes. But… I still suffered with so many other ill symptoms from eating sugar that I cannot really say that I had indeed ‘gotten away’ with eating refined sugars all those years.
For instance, the exhaustion I felt when I stopped getting my ‘highs’ from sugar was debilitating for a while. I struggled to make it through the day and therefore I decided to support myself by having a rest in the afternoons just so I could physically make it through the afternoon/evening with my daughter and husband.
I realised this exhaustion had not necessarily been caused by having eaten sugar – it had in fact been around for some time – the sugar had just been numbing me to it.
Over many years I suffered from quite severe anxiety and this had indeed created a lot of the exhaustion that I was now feeling: eating sugar had stopped me from truly feeling this exhaustion and therefore inhibited my ability to actually address it.
But… could it be said that my sugar addiction had actually INCREASED the exhaustion I had already been experiencing?
The simple answer to this question is YES.
The Impact of Sugar on the Body and Mind
In fact, through researching sugar I have discovered how very harming sugar is to our bodies, and it explains a lot of the symptoms I was feeling during my sugar addiction that I was really unaware of until after I stopped eating sugar.
To explain this simply, once sugar is consumed it sends pleasure messages to the brain and this triggers an ‘excitement’ that reverberates through the body: this basically means that the body accelerates from its natural rhythm to a faster one. In order to maintain this faster rhythm the body works harder, which then depletes the body – as it is far from normal to be functioning at this excessive speed. This depletion exhausts the body and once the effect of the sugar wears off you will feel tired… so you reach for another ‘hit’.
This cycle also affects your mental health. When you are on the ‘high’ you ‘feel good’ and ‘alive’, but when the ‘low’ comes you can feel quite emotional and down.
But actually FEELING this cycle can be a challenge…
As I have also discovered, when I consumed sugar it disconnected me from feeling a lot of what was happening in my body: it NUMBED me. This then enabled me to use my body in ways that I would not normally use it, translating into my doing some or all of the following regularly:
- over-exercising
- staying up later at night
- over-eating
- working longer hours, and
- racing around like a mad idiot getting an outrageously long list of things done… to just name a few!
All very tiring to my body and, always doing more than my body could naturally handle – depleting my body: no wonder I was feeling exhausted.
For many years I also added caffeine to the mix and I was like the super-charged ‘Energiser bunny’ that just went and went and went… oh, the exhaustion of it all!
Medical Research – Confirming the Ill-effects of Sugar
So how else does sugar impact on us?
The research is many and varied but it all shows that consuming sugar impacts us in many negative ways and contributes to many health issues we are currently experiencing on a world-wide scale.
Here are but a few examples:
- Sugar impacts on our mental health; in particular, it has been linked to the development of anxiety, depression and behavioural problems (especially in early childhood). The average age for anxiety diagnosis is age 6 and for depression the average age is 13. Wow!
- Sugar impacts on the health of our heart in various ways. Which makes sense, if you think about it, because if the body is running at a faster speed than normal, this puts strain on the heart (and all other organs) as it is being asked to work faster to cope with the extra pressure placed on the body!
- It has been found that high blood glucose levels are linked to the development of such diseases as Alzheimer’s and dementia and this includes people who do not even have diabetes. This is a concern, is it not?
- Researchers have also found that when people have been given a mouthful of sugary soft drink, their brain activity is the same as that which occurs when people take a ‘hit’ of heroin or cocaine. There was absolutely no difference in the pathways that were ignited in the brain. Scary stuff!!
The bottom line is that refined sugars are a shocker for our bodies and our state of mind!
Life Without Refined Sugars – It is Very Possible
I have now been refined sugar-free for over 4 years and it feels AMAZING!
For me, the most amazing part is that I am no longer controlled by the addiction – I am now completely aware that I have a choice as to whether I eat refined sugars or not. When I was being led by the addiction it felt like it owned me, that I was a slave to the cravings and the underlying exhaustion.
It has been as simple as being honest about what was driving the addiction and being willing to address the cause. It has taken a strong commitment on my part to heal the driving force of this addiction.
This awareness and willingness to commit to my health and wellbeing leaves me feeling energised and revitalised, which leaves no room for artificial stimulants such as refined sugars. For me this is truly AMAZING!
Kicking my drug addiction to sugar has not been easy and at times I have over-eaten natural sweeteners to compensate, but I have found many ways to support myself throughout this process… from resting to recover from the exhaustion, to creating and eating yummy sweets that are refined sugar-free.
Finding ways to support myself has been an important part of my success in stopping my sugar addiction.
By attending presentations by Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon, I was able to make the changes that allowed me to break through the fog that I was in (partly from the sugar, partly from my self-imposed ignorance) so I could see more clearly the harming effects of sugar in my life. This has enabled me to share today what I have come to know so clearly.
By Robyn Jones, 38, B.Sc. (Psych), Counsellor, Goonellabah, Australia
Read Part One: Addicted To Sugar… My Drug Addiction
Read Part Three: From Sugar Addiction to Gluten, Dairy & Sugar Free Yummy Delights
Related Reading:
Sugar: The Artificial Sweetener… and My Addiction
Begin Breaking The Battle With The Sweet Poison
667 Comments
If I crave anything I know there’s something I don’t want to feel underneath it. Stopping to feel and not avoid takes the feet out from under the craving.
Only addressing the root cause of any addiction we can be truly free of it
For me I know that sugar is eaten to dull myself. It’s certainly not eaten for it’s non existent health benefits! It’s a substance that supports an errant being rather than the body it runs ragged.
I have come to the understanding that I use sugar to race my body so that I do not get to feel and appreciate just how clear I can be if I don’t eat it. So actually it is a dulling down of my awareness. I used sugar as my go to as a child because I was very aware but put sugar in my body and I became dull and silly. People I discovered preferred dull silly children because they are less able to expose the dysfunctionality of family life.
I completely get what you are saying about reaching and going for sugar because we are absolutely exhausted and instead of allowing ourselves to feel this and stop and brining in self-love just keep going hence reach for the sugar which keeps the cycle going and makes the exhaustion even more/worse as we are never truly addressing it … just feel like I am understanding this more than ever before … after a week of feeling exhausted.
Being aware of the effects of refined sugar on our body is an opportunity to start to make changes to what we willingly put in our mouth.
There is so much ill mental health in our society, and for sure our current societal diet is a big big factor in this.
Even our language is laced with sugar: ‘How sweet you are,’ ‘Be a sweetie and do this for me,’ ‘Sweet dreams.’
Sugar is so addictive I agree… it was the only thing I have ever really been addicted to. Once I start eating something sweet it’s like I don’t have a ‘no’ button and keep craving more.
Reading this has reminded me of all the sugary foods and caffeine I used to indulge in and still be exhausted at the end of the day. What’s ironic is that we take these things to perk us up out of an exhaustive state without realising that they are adding to our exhaustion.
There are many sugar alternatives, many of them just as bad as sugar, like fructose, dextrose, glucose and many more replacements that are equally addictive and damaging to our bodies.
That research is pretty show stopping, and the way you describe being refined sugar free reminds me of how I talk about being alcohol free. Just because its in everything does not mean its either safe or healthy… I’m reminded of the fact that in olden days they used to make all the plumbing out of lead until they realised it was a poison. As humanity we have made plenty of massive mistakes in the name of convenience.
‘Sugar actually was no friend of mine, as true friends don’t intentionally harm you in the way sugar was harming me.’ This line really stood out for me as if we are eating something that intentionally harms the body, like sugar, then what are we energetically saying yes to in other areas of our life that harm us as well?
Sugar and its addictive nature and the effects on our lives exposed here with a reality and understanding we all know inside and a very valuable sharing to read.
I’ve been increasingly aware of how tired I get in the evenings and how I then reach for sugar as a pick me up which doesn’t actually work as it leaves me more tired than I was before I had the sugar. Learning to honour going to bed early so that I don’t reach for the sugar in the first place seems to be making a more lasting difference.
How often are we given a reminder that exhaustion can be supported in other means that does not give us instant relief or a ‘pick me up’ but an opportunity to feel where and how we run our bodies to support us in our day to day living?
It is amazing to share how an addiction can own us and keep us from honouring our bodies. I love the process you went through and your willingness to look under the addiction and change how you were living.
Sugar is conveyed as such a feel good food, a way to sweeten life, to celebrate with cakes, etc, and the prime ingredient in foods considered treats and rewards. When you consider what it really does to the body it’s kind of like the smiling assassin.
Love this comment – it kills us with a saccharine smile.
A really supportive blog on sugar addiction and the effect it has, that is unseen and used in our daily lives. This is something I really relate to and love the rest idea when cutting it out or whenever one feels tired for I know this is something I go to then and the loss of my clarity and the raciness I feel as a result has such an impact on my life, my sleep and a waste of valuable space and the responsibility I have with this.
I agree Elizabeth, the more we understand the effects of sugar the more we are able to make wiser and more loving choices. I found the most tricky part of giving up refine sugar was to find foods that are sugar-free. I notice in the last few years there are more and more sugar-free food options which highlight that more and more people are asking for refine sugar-free foods. This is pretty awesome to see.
Great blog Robyn, exposing the harmful effects of refine sugar is very much needed. A huge population of humanity is addicted to sugar and most do not know they are addicted. Sugar has become a normal part of our diet. It is difficult to eat out or buy foods that are not loaded with refine sugar. It is an ingredient that is in almost every processed food. Bringing awareness to how sugar makes us feel is so important. We have depression, anxiety, and exhaustion going off the scales, and in my experience, all of these symptoms are related to consumption of refined sugar.
Many who look to sugar for a fix to increase their energy do so without realising that the fix will only last a short period of time and once it is over they will be craving even more sugar as they will feel even more tired than they were before. And all the while their long-suffering body is simply trying to get their attention by saying – I am tired therefore I need to rest not eat, especially a sugar filled product. This is a big lesson I have learned but one that is changing my life in many miraculous ways.
I agree, the more we talk about it and write about it the more others will benefit from it.
That will be interesting to see what they bring, to look at this sugar addiction.
With diabetes rates soaring and the NHS saying that Diabetes alone is enough to bankrupt the system we need to have this message you share Robyn shared loud and clear.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if Headline news tomorrow was “Life Without Refined Sugars – YES -It is Very Possible”
For many not eating sugar would seem an impossibility. I know that at one time this was true for me. To say I won’t eat sugar was like saying one day I will walk on the moon. The food cravings and desire to fill an inner hole was massive, but it was only after feeling the detrimental effect on my body and feeling unwell with it, that gave me the impetus to change.
I’v had a few years without any type of sugar though just recently I have been reaching out for natural sugars, all this is really telling me is I need to slow down and rest when I need to. I know once I do that my sugar cravings will cease.
A super supportive blog for anyone wishing to cut down their sugar consumption and eventually going sugar free. Commitment is key I feel, commitment to your health and well being is what can make it possible along with finding ways that support you during the process – like taking more rest or making your own alternatives when those sugar cravings come in at the beginning.
And alongside commitment we also need honesty about how it truly makes our body feel because sugar can mask both physical symptoms (exhaustion, etc) and how we emotionally feel. This means we may not want to look at it’s impact because it’s a tool (a self harming tool though) to help us manage and cope with life.
It’s clear from the way companies are marketing their products that ‘sugar’ is becoming a dirty word and so they are coming up with more inventive ways to call sugar not sugar, and to generally confuse the public.
They can change what they call it, but sugar is sugar and it is heavy and harming as a product, we all know it, we just choose it.
I would love to see how the world functions without sugar, yes sure it would be absolutely crazy as people went cold turkey – but after that we would be a far more in tune, more aware, more loving with one and other and most relevantly more honest with ourselves and others about how we are truly feeling. We would no longer be able to cover up exhaustion.
I understand what you are sharing Samantha. I reckon the reason we are seeking sugar is to cover up/numb something we do not want to feel. If we do not heal the reasons behind our sugar cravings/addictions then even we give up sugar we may find something else to replace the addiction.
It is very interesting to read about the physiological affects that sugar has on the body, especially the ‘pleasure messages’ that get sent to the brain. And I can understand why sugar is so popular, because life can be super challenging at times and overwhelming.
I use sugar as a go to when I feel the tension of life, its not something I would normally choose, but I do choose it when the tension is felt strong>
You only have to observe a child a few hours after a birthday party to know how addictive and harmful sugar is.
I so agree, any child who has had sugar they are bouncing all over the wall and they later feel very exhausted, with achy limbs.
After a long time of not eating any refined sugar and fruit sugar I have recently found myself wanting water melon, being honest with myself – its because I have been super busy and feeling more tired I have not honoured myself by resting or getting to bed extra early – the direct result of this is that I start to want sugar – its super simple if I honour my body there is no need for any type of sugar.
Its great when we listen to our bodies, we know exactly what it needs and what would support it.
Thank you for sharing Robyn and it is great to feel the levels of exhaustion that I have exposed over the years and recognise how often I used sugar to override my exhaustion and keep my body going when it was clearly asking to stop. Although I have been cutting down on sugar for years I have been under the illusion that I don’t really have a ‘sweet tooth’ but this is a lie as I still have certain things that I go to in an attempt to pick myself up when really it would be better if I tuned into my body and chose to support it in a more loving way.
I use sugar to race my body and in the raciness I lose the stillness in my body which dulls my awareness and the drop that the sugar then gives me puts me to sleep. All because of feeling the tension in my body that I can be so aware of everything around me.
Mary I can so relate to what you are sharing. Its calling this out and working on deepening that relationship with self.