Are you finding it tough to get off the sugar and the carbs that turn into sugar in your bloodstream?  Maybe you do okay for a while and then find yourself in the middle of a binge.

And you ask, “Why don’t I have any willpower?  Why is this so hard”

There is an answer.  It IS hard — because sugar can be addicting.  If you are sugar sensitive, the sweet stuff acts on your brain like heroine. Sugar, and even a sweet taste from artificial sugar, activate the beta endorphin receptor sites in the brain.  These are the same receptor sites activated by heroin and morphine.

Do you think heroine addicts should just be strong and have will power and quit?  Not if you know anything about addictions. It’s a tough journey to freedom.  And getting off sugar is often a journey, too.

So how do you go about freeing yourself of a sugar addiction?  We can take some lessons from the people who treat other forms of addiction.  We’ll be looking at some of those methods this week.

The first step, though, is to recognize the power the sweets have over you.  You have to see that it is a problem. Here are some questions to evaluate whether you just have a sweet tooth or if that tooth has roots in an addiction.

How do you feel when you cut out sugar?  Do you feel irritated?  Angry?  That’s a good sign that you are physically and emotionally dependent on the substance.

Have you ever lied or tried to hide how much you eat?  If you have to hide your stash and indulge in secret, you are exhibiting addictive behavior.

Does your day revolve around your meals — particularly your desserts?

Do you reach for sugar when you are stressed or depressed?

Have you gone to unreasonable lengths to get a sweet treat?  If you have made yourself late for an important appointment, gone out when you are sick to buy yourself a sweet snack, or rearranged your schedule to allow you to buy something sugary, you may be addicted.

Have you ever binged on sweets — eating until you were sick?

Ever had a sugar hangover?  If you wake up feeling sick and headachey after eating lots of sugar and feel better after eating something starchy and sweet, that’s a hangover.

Do you find it impossible to just say “no” even when you desperately want to lose weight?

If you answer “yes” to two or more of these questions, you may be addicted.  If you answer “yes” to all of them — now we know the problem. So you treat your sweet tooth the same way you would treat an alcohol or drug addiction.  Keep following the blog as we talk about how to overcome.  You can do it!