C hapter 5:  Withdrawal Symptoms of Sugar Addiction

There are some deadly and disastrous withdrawal symptoms of sugar addiction. When the sugar addict comes off sugar, they face lots of problems that are part of the withdrawal process. It is really very easy to be addicted to something but it is two times more difficult to come out of that addiction. When you break your sugar addiction, you may face weird things happening to you as a consequence. In an addiction, the people involved become addicted to the substance on a very unhealthy level.  Some withdrawal symptoms are discussed below so that you can recognize them instantly.

1. Feeling sad and down: The person who just cuts off sugar addiction may feel extremely sad and down. This is because the person was accustomed to sugar and had complete dependence on sugary substances. And now he is left alone having nothing. This sudden change in routine has an effect of a shock on him. It will take some time for the addict to get his metabolism back to normal. Until then, his body will constantly remind him about his dependency on sugar. As an addict the person may have already developed a tolerance to sugar. So if he does not get that level of sugar every day, he is expected to go into tremendous depression and lack of motivation. As far as the addict is concerned, he has lost something vital to his existence. The effect of changing the habit is that the addict feels deprived and sometimes at a loss. This is because you’re suffering from a lack of energy that has been deprived from your body. Your physical reactions are also bound to take notice of this fact. The pancreas has become used to secreting more insulin for an addict. So when there is no sugar to accommodate it, all that insulin goes to waste. The over secretion of insulin is going to cause extreme lethargy and you are5 going to end up tired very quickly. Your body may not respond as fast as it used to. You will notice the change in response level very quickly. You will seem out of breath after climbing a flight of stairs that you could have climbed with ease on a normal day. There’s something missing in your metabolism and in your basic chemistry and that missing element is sugar. This sensation may make you feel like you are running your body on empty. Your body needs to have some source of energy to get you going and you’ve pulled the rug right out from underneath you. Now, it’s just running on fumes. In order to get your body back up on that level, you’re going to find something new and different to get rid of this fog that is hanging over your body and your emotions. The gap that your sugar addiction left on your routine and in your functions has be plugged by something else. Just make sure not to plug it with something addictive this time.
2. Extreme fatigue and tiredness: One of the noticeable signs of sugar withdrawal is feeling fatigued and tired. The addicted person may feel extreme tiredness if he withdraws from eating sugar. This isn’t necessarily a mental issue as it is a physical condition. Like the sadness and the depression that you might be suffering from with a lack of sugar, your muscles are going to react to the same thing as well. Your muscles have been running on an artificial energy source when they need protein and other nutrients that will give muscles some healthy and durable support. So, when you’re taking away this artificial substitute that your muscles have not been used to for so long, they may feel like they are dying. They aren’t getting the real deal and now they’re not getting this substitute that you were giving them. Since an addict consumes a whole lot more sugar than the recommended level on a daily basis, your metabolism is provided with a ready energy source to burn. This energy source is usually more than enough to see your needs through the day. The metabolic system chooses the more easily available source over the conventional way leaving some muscles and tissues unused and dusty. When you give up sugar and put yourself through some heavy exercise you will notice that you cannot keep it up for long. You will run out of breath, get cramps and possibly injure yourself. This is expected because the body will need time to get used to switching back to the normal functioning mode from the artificial energy it had been favoring for so long. So now, you’re left exhausted and very tired even after doing the simplest task.

3. Headaches: Initially, some people feel headaches when they remove sugar from their diet. This headache is most likely caused by the altering of the eating habits or exemplified from the growing tension the addict faces. So, the addicted person may feel headache primarily if he withdraws from sugar consumption. This withdrawal is what’s going to bring your mind to this painful point. When you take sugar from your diet, it’s like reaching into a car, grabbing a handful of wires, and then ripping them out. The machine doesn’t work and it’s super painful and that’s what is happening to your body when you deprive it of sugar after establishing it as a vital presence in your body’s sustenance program. The addict is bound to suffer from such headaches as his source of getting high has been abruptly cut off. The reward center in his brain would have gotten used to secreting large amounts of dopamine. So when there is an abrupt stop of that source, the cerebral cortex will take time to get accustomed to it. This gap between giving up and everything going back to normal is going to be extremely painful and not a very rewarding experience. One of the best ways to prevent these headaches or reduce its magnitude is to phase out the addiction rather than attempting to bring it to an abrupt stop.

4. Sleep patterns may be affected: During the withdrawal, you may notice some changes in your sleep patterns. The changes are so spontaneous that they may affect sleep to some extent. A disturbance in the diurnal pattern of a human being is common when experiencing a drastic change in one’s immediate environment. This change in pattern is usually not a big deal and gradually settles into rhythm after some time. With a sugar addiction it is a completely different scenario. Since sugar is a part of our daily diet, the metabolic system makes certain allowances for it. So a sudden absence of sugar in your system will render the general functioning of your body unstable. One of the systems most affected would be the sleep cycle. Sugar usually helps people stay awake late into the night when they have a ton of work to do. An absence of it will have this same effect on you for a few weeks at least, where you will feel exhausted but unable to fall asleep immediately.  You may find changes in your energy levels, arousal and mood. All of the issues are thought to have a great impact on your sleeping patterns. So, it will be wise to take it lightly if your sleep pattern is affected due to sugar withdrawal. There are always ways to counter this struggle that you’re having with supplements like melatonin and other healthy ways of getting your body comfortable again with sleeping like a normal person. This can be hard and you may feel even more exhausted from this, but it will pass. That much I can guarantee you. However, this is going to give you an excellent glimpse into the strange neurological relationship that sugar has with your brain. Your dependencies are so deep with sugar that you can’t even help your body recharge and relax when it’s so exhausted all the time. Dependency is such a dangerous thing and it’s going to be hard for you to recover from it with a disturbed sleep cycle, so it’s wise to find a supplement that can help you.

5. Intense sugar cravings: After quitting sugar, you may feel an intense desire to have sugar and to break the diet. And it is the most obvious withdrawal symptom an addict may face. The craving for sugar intake may be intense and difficult to overcome. You can recover from these cravings if you follow a disciplined life and self-denial. You can remove sugar or sugary substances from your kitchen cupboards and if possible out of your reach in order to curve intense sugar cravings. These cravings however, are going to ramp it up to level eleven in your mind and in your day to day life. It’s going to be extremely difficult for you to battle these cravings. Having a healthy substitute and drinking lots of water is going to be your best defense against the argumentative mind that you’re going to quickly develop. Remember that cravings will pass in time and they won’t have such a rampant and dangerous hold on you, but in the meantime, you’re stuck with them. All you can do is dig your heels in the sand, grit your teeth, and fight them off as well as you can. Remember, giving into intense cravings only makes it harder for you to keep fighting them off in the future. This method is usually hardcore and cannot be followed by weak willed people. In some cases, the dependency level is so high that you go out of control when faced with a situation where you are absolutely cut off from sugar. The best method for people like this would be to gradually phase it out as opposed to cutting it off in one go. Reduce portions of sugar in your diet gradually. This method will give you the same result but it will take longer. It is recommended for weak willed people who might become unstable with the hardcore treatment.

6. Anger and anxiety: Many individuals have reported recently the feelings of anger and anxiety after giving up sugar intake. Besides, a recent survey shows that addicted people, after quitting sugar intake, may become angrier and their anxiety increases to some level. It is well known that sugar can have an influence on dopamine levels and activity. And these feelings of anger and anxiety are the likely caused because of changes in those levels. But these two withdrawal symptoms may vary from person to person. It is just a matter of being able to wait it out, and everything will be normal after few days. Your body is reacting to a sudden and devastating change that is affecting it on a molecular level. It’s vital that you understand that this is not something that you’re choosing to lash out about, but rather than you’re suffering and responding to an incident that your body isn’t able to comprehend. As we have seen earlier, sugar is capable of releasing dopamine to high levels, when you give up sugar after being addicted to it for quite some time these levels of dopamine and other secretions seem quite pointless when they do not have any sugar to deal with. These timely secretions will happen for a few days after you stop. It will gradually reduce and go back to normal when it sees a period of consistent ban of use of sugar by the person. However, during the initial days after the stopping of sugar, these levels of dopamine and other hormones are going to fluctuate in a very unstable way. Since these secretions are also responsible for determining a person’s mood and behavior. It is normal for you to have unreasonable fits of anger and episodes of low tolerance. The fluctuations cause you to be on a short fuse. You will throw a fit of anger at the slightest excuse making yourself extremely unpleasant and anti-social. When tensions rise, you just need to remember that you’re in a position that requires you to take a break, go for a walk, or just put some distance between you and whatever stressful stimuli is eating away at you for the moment. Getting away is going to be the smartest and the safest way to ensure that this rising anger and anxiety doesn’t affect anyone that you know. After all, the last thing you want on the road to a healthier life is making enemies as you go. So keep your chin up and keep pushing forward. Let whatever is bothering you go. Let it slide off your back and tell yourself it is just part of the withdrawal process. Running away from problems when you are not in control of your senses is not cowardice. Rather it is the smartest move you could pull off at that time. Taking stressful stimuli head on when you are on a short fuse may not always have the best results. The ultimate aim of this treatment is to ensure that you grow out of your addict persona into someone more acceptable and pleasant. This result cannot be achieved if you choose to throw fits of anger at everyone who chooses to cross your path while you are recovering. Once you are recovered you might wake up to face a reality where the people will judge you based on your violent acts during rehabilitation. So keep your head low while recovering.

7. Depression and dizziness: People can face a crash of mood and can feel dizziness when they first come off sugar. Sugar intake may make someone feel like his/her depression and anxiety levels are better but this is not the solution because excessive use of sugar can cause you much more long-term harm. But not everyone will experience depression and dizziness when they stop consuming sugar. Depression is a state of mind and consciousness. Depression is harmful for body, mind and soul. Firstly, your mind won’t function properly after giving up sugar. But all these conditions are temporary. You will be more sound and healthy after saying goodbye to sugar and sugary substances. What this leaves you with is the reality that you’re going to need to find a way to start dealing with your emotional problems on a very real basis. When you take away the crutch that you’ve been using as a support in avoiding your problems, that leaves you with the gaping reality and you’ve got to fill that need somehow. In the end, you’re going to need to know what you plan on doing. Having a plan is going to help you manage the emotions that require an outlet and an avenue for you to express yourself and to cope with situations that cause depression and emotional stress.

8. Intolerance, irritability and changes of appetite: Sugar consumption can lead people to experience intense cravings for carbohydrates. But if you stop sugar, you may notice some fluctuation in your eating habits. Primarily you may eat more or less of one kind of food, but over a period of time, this balances out. Besides, after quitting, you may fall a prey to intolerance and irritability. Intolerance and irritability are the most likely symptoms of withdrawal from sugar consumption. But these signs are also temporary if you can cultivate the bait properly. Imagine your mind is so desperate for sugar that everything has been put on high alert in the hunt for something that will offer sustenance and enjoyment out of life. Everything is going to grate against you that isn’t sugar based and being hyper sensitive isn’t going to help the situation, but that’s where you’re going to find yourself. If you find that you’re being irritable and intolerant toward others and have started lashing out, then I would suggest that you consider apologizing to people you meet and making it common knowledge that you’re suffering from withdrawals right now. They’ll understand that this is only temporary and that you’re not exactly yourself right now. Gaining family support is vital.

9. Insomnia and weight loss: Dropping sugar primarily results in changes in sleep patterns and arousal. You may experience insomnia and weight loss. You may not be able to sleep soundly at a proper time and arousal can be an impediment in your sleep. Besides this, you are likely to find that you are losing weight. But you can follow some relaxation exercises regularly before going to bed and that will ensure a sound sleep and help your weight to become stable. Sugar in large amounts is capable of single handedly piling on the pounds. So, a lack of sugar is bound to reduce your weight really fast. In some cases, by a huge margin depending on your addiction level. This might seem pretty frightening because it will be quick and drastic. As for weight loss, this is a desired effect that everyone is going for and it’s a great way to keep you motivated to start turning your life around. Adding a little exercise to your life will help tone your body and also assist your sleep patterns. Sugar is a way of poisoning your body and mind into thinking that it’s receiving sustenance and, in reality, you’re just packing on fat and encouraging fat development. By taking away sugar, you’re going to start seeing symptomatic weight loss, which is great, and hopefully it will inspire you to keep going by defining your health and your lifestyle choices.

10.                    Mood swings: when you put aside sugar from your diet, you may experience minor mood swings. For children, the impact is to some extent difficult. They become intolerant, depressed and unwell sometimes. Minor depression, anxiety and negative feelings may arise but it’s only a question of time before life gets back to feeling great. This lashing out can turn violent or turn into tantrums that really test your parenting or tolerance levels, but just keep in mind what is happening to them. They are rewiring their brain and that’s never an easy task and it’s something that very few people have experienced. It’s a lot to throw onto a child and they’re entitled to be a little upset about it. Again, just make sure that you’re tolerant and that you’re understanding in the days where they experience their withdrawals the most heavily. Cut them some slack and remember that this won’t last forever. It’s just a matter of time before life starts to get back to normal.