Hi All, day 4 without alcohol. Are the sugar cravings normal? Any tips to beat that?
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They're pretty normal in the first few months. Personally I would embrace the cravings and use them to my advantage. Alcohol causes unnaturally high levels of dopamine and when you quit you experience a crash and lack of motivation since normal every day life can't compare to the highs you get from drinking.
For me sugar was the closest I could get to the surges in dopamine I became accustomed to while drinking without being overly addictive. So I found myself craving it a lot. After about 4 months though my brain readjusted to no longer expect the surges from drinking and I was able to feel content with normal life without relying on sugar as much and the cravings went away.
I wouldn't just replace drinking with binging ice cream or anything, but use it as a tool to help motivate and reward you for doing things to help get your life back on track. Use sugary treats as motivation to start eating healthier, or reward yourself for going to meetings, exercising, reengaging old hobbies, and building healthy sober relationships.
It might become an issue later on, but for the first few months while you're going through withdrawals it's pretty normal to rely on it to help you stay sober. Just use that time to work on rebuilding healthier habits and you should be fine.
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Oh yeah… the sugar cravings are for real! I never had a sweet tooth. My first week in I was standing in the kitchen and looking for cake… my wife still thinks it’s funny as he!l. I found ice cream was helpful. And pie… and cake…. And chocolate bars…lol. I am almost 2 years in and still have the sugar cravings.
If you want to be more healthy, try fruits berries and yogurt, or tropical fruits. You get better sugars and the sweetness is there to help trick the mind.
Good luck! It gets better.
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Oh yes, very normal…..some helpful tips already given.
Thanks all. Definitely very helpful! And makes sense.
Unfortunately VERY normal 
Yes!! Alcohol has a lot of sugar so when I quit, my sugar cravings went through the roof!
Eat eat eat what you want. Don’t try to focus too hard on restricting your food, just focus on not picking up that drink, even if it means eating more candy than you usually would 
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In early sobriety, my “go to” sweet treat was peanut butter m&m’s. I would buy the “sharing size” bags and fall asleep while still eating them. It was beat the alternative of having a drink!
Perfectly normal. My first year sober I ate ice cream almost everyday
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Oh my goodness YESSSS. Mine were (sometimes are) insane! I’d go out of my way to buy cake, ice cream, ANY kind of candy.
Yes, I definitely loved sugary drinks w/ alcohol in them so when I stopped drinking alcohol, the sugar cravings remained or were stronger. The folks at the local sno come place got to know me on a first name basis I got my sugar fix so much. I’d take the sugar fix one million times over drinking.
Very real I carried sweets or candies for almost a year... Well every day up til now
Perfectly normal. If you want some Ben & Jerry's, go for it!
I didn't fight the suger cravings. I just ate what I wanted. After the first 5 days I got sick of the candy and moved on to healthier alternatives. Now I love to eat freeze dried fruit like granny smith apples, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries( Trader Joes has a good selection). Chocolate, I eat frozen dark chocolate banana coins. Or dark chocolate covered raspberries, blueberries from Brookstone. I figured why make tossing the booze harder? And I dont feel guilty about it at all. I'm getting through just 
fine.
Get yourself a ridiculous large slurpee from 7/11 or something similar. Thanks me later. Also all of the ginger ale. Ginger ale mixed with cranberry juice is delish. Don't do this forever though, as sugar can prolong post acute withdrawal symptoms.
Do what you have to. You can fix the sugar thing later. Stay sober.
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Thanks all again. These are all great tips. Definitely will stock up on sweets as well as fruits and not going to feel guilty about it. Totally agree it's 1000x better than drinking so whatever it takes!!
Yes, sugar is a great substitute for use of any nature. But, it is still a substance to take a look at eliminating down the line.
Oh absolutely. It's funny too because I always hated sweets.
I still eat all the candy I want. I recommend Bottlecaps if you can find them. Avoid doughnuts.