…for almost a week!
I have been sugar-free since Monday….today will be my fourth CLEAN day and I feel great! I’ve been detoxing all week. Thankfully, my detox manifests itself as gastro-intestinal issues and not headaches and other nasty things.
Two weeks ago, I couldn’t drive to work without getting an urge (and usually following through) to go to a 24 hour grocery and pick up Cakesters, Peanut Butter M&Ms and other sweet treats garbage. This morning I realized that what I consider to be extreme hunger was actually extreme CRAVINGS. My cravings were fueled by the increasing amount of sugar I was literally shoveling into my body.
I listened to a great show on Coast to Coast AM this week about sugar being the oldest drug legalized and sold en masse to the public. How true that is! As soon as the substance is out of my system, I become a different person. My mood swings subside, I have more energy, I’m far less drowsy in the morning and my body doesn’t retain water. I’m far more productive at work because my brain isn’t being sidetracked by cravings of sugary junk and when I’m going to get my next ‘fix’.
My limited experience with addiction begins and ends with my obsession with the television show “Intervention”, yet I can definitely see parallels between how I feel and the feelings of those who are addicted to much worse things like heroin, cocaine and meth. The only difference between what I experience is that I tend to hide my addiction (probably because being a chronic overeater makes you more withdrawn) and many of the addicts on Intervention are completely open about their addiction to drugs.
Tomorrow I will be on vacation. My short term goal is to make it through until Tuesday without falling off the wagon…..hopefully, I’ll be able to come back and shout about my victory. Only time will tell….
