Spiritual Minded Military Delaware Army Reserve: Why Do I Crave Sugar After Quitting Alcohol — The Dopamine Replacement Protocol

 

You quit drinking. You've done the hard thing. You rejected the bottle. You've made it through the first week, then the second, then the month! That's something you should feel good about.

Rather, you're in front of the pantry at 10 PM, munching down on stale cookies that you would never have grabbed before. You put the wrappers out of sight. The shame sets in again. The same shame as the bottle.

What is going on? You stopped drinking. What's making your body crave sugar now?

Now the good news. You are not weak. You are not broken. You're not replacing one addiction with another. You're healing your brain. There is no downside to the sugar craving. The sugar craving is a sign that healing has commenced.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." — 2 Corinthians 5:17

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THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE CRAVING

Dopamine was released into your brain when you drank that alcohol. The chemical responsible for the feeling of pleasure is dopamine. Each time you consumed, you were getting a big, rapid hit.

Your brain picked up on the pattern. Your brain thought, "I don't need to create my own dopamine." Your brain decided, "I don't need to make my own dopamine. It will be there when the bottle is there!

The bottle is no longer here. Your brain is craving the dose that it is not receiving. Sugar can also trigger the release of dopamine. Fast. Much slower than alcohol. Fast enough.

You do not have a broken brain. You are using your brain the way you're supposed to. You've trained it to look for dopamine from a different source. Now it's searching for another outside source.

It's not a moral weakness when you have a sugar addiction. The sugar addiction is chemical.

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WHY NO ONE WARNED YOU ABOUT THIS

The recovery industry has an incapacity.

Most recovery programs are specifically for the recovery of alcohol. They will help you quit drinking. They don't tell you what to do after. There aren't any warnings about the cookies.

Your doctor doesn't say anything about it either.

Alcohol use is screened for by doctors. When you quit, they celebrate! You won't always find them to warn you about the craving for sugar, as they are not addiction treatment specialists. They treat the liver, not the dopamine.

Your sponsor might not be aware.

Your sponsor may have forgotten about the sugar phase if he or she stopped drinking many years ago. Or they might have thought it was their fault. They didn't tell you because they believed that it was their personal weakness.

The truth is universal.

The sugar craving is virtually everyone's experience when they stop drinking. There is no blame. It's not your fault. It is biology. Your brain is healing.

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WHAT NO ONE TOLD YOU ABOUT SUGAR

Here is the truth. The sugar addiction will fade away. Your brain will get accustomed to creating its own dopamine. But it takes time.

The healing process:

• The first month. Sugar cravings are strong. You will overeat. Give yourself permission. Drinking is not the priority.
• The second month. The cravings decrease. After lunch, you realize you don't need the candy bar after all.
• The third month. Your brain is once again creating its own dopamine. You are able to do normal activities. You laugh more. You sleep better.
• The sixth month. There are no longer sugar cravings. Eat dessert when you want it, not when you need it.
• This "sugar craving" is not lifelong. Sugar addiction is a healing process.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE CRAVING RIGHT NOW

You cannot eliminate the craving overnight. You can manage it.

First, stop hiding the wrappers. Shame feeds the craving. Shame makes you want to drink. Eat the cookie. Do not hide it. Do not apologize.

Second, replace one sugary snack per day. A cup of Spiritual Minded Mushroom Coffee Blend. A ten-minute walk. A call to a friend. Your brain needs the dopamine. Give it a different source.

Third, create a dopamine map of Delaware. Where can you go that is not a bar? Cape Henlopen at sunrise. A coffee shop in Wilmington. The gym at the reserve center. Your brain needs new associations.

Fourth, tell your battle buddy. "I quit drinking. Now my brain craves sugar. It is normal. It will pass. Do not make it weird."

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THE ENEMY'S LIE ABOUT SUGAR

Sugar will be your friend's weapon to bring you back to the bottle. There's no control over yourself; you might as well drink anyway. At least drinking is honest.

The enemy is a liar.

Not craving sugar doesn't mean that you're broken. You are healing because of the sugar craving. A damaged brain doesn't want that dopamine. There is a healing brain that is seeking dopamine. The need is the proof of repair.

You are not a failure. You are healing. The sugar lasts only for the short term. There is no recovery from the sobriety.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." — Philippians 4:13

Conclusion

Delaware Army Reserve, why do you want to eat sugar when you're not drinking?

Dopamine is the obvious answer. Your brain is healing. It's not weakness when you crave sugar. The evidence is the sugar craving.

There are three steps to the Dopamine Replacement Protocol. Understand the science. Manage the craving. Allow your brain to rest.

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The enemy wants you to believe that the sugar craving means you are weak. The enemy wants you to give up and go back to the bottle.

The enemy is a liar.

The sugar craving is healing. Your brain is rewiring. Give it time. Give it grace. Give it the right fuel.

The Remnant does not transition. The Remnant re-enlists.

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