Is Your Sugar Addiction Really About Sugar?

A lot of the time, it doesn’t really matter what the actual food is does it?

Oh sure, you might go through phases.

The red licorice phase.

The supermarket-brand choc-jam donut phase.

The family-size blocks of chocolate, the addiction to which there are of course sub-phases; everything from plain to black forest to caramel to snack flavour. And of course every other flavour in between, on one occasion or another.

Year after year of sugar addiction, of telling yourself that this is the last time, certainly gives you plenty of time to really test out your options.

But mostly, and even within the phases, you’re not picky enough to turn down anything that you know will satisfy your need for something sweet, are you? Not, at least, when the need to binge; to eat really hits you.

And when that need truly comes?

You need something sweet NOW. Something decadent. Something soft or hard or liquid or solid or expensive or cheap or homemade or bought, it doesn’t matter.

Nothing matters, except the sweet sweet release.

is your sugar addiction really about sugar?

And it is a release, isn’t it? This addiction, this need, this never-quite-satisfied monster within you.

It’s a release that means that finally, and once again, if even for a short while, you can escape the stress, the overwhelm, the confusion, the uncertainty. But most of all, most of all –

It’s escaping yourself.

journal

A big part of my healing from bulimia and then binge eating was using a journal. I still use a journal, nearly every day. It’s a mental detox or purge and it is incredibly healing.

So today, or any day you feel that urge, pull out your journal and write.

Think about your relationship with food and binge eating.

What do you think you’re really addicted to? It’s not a particular food, is it? Even if you do have a favourite.

And it’s not even really about the sugar, the trans fats or sweet comfort starch, or gooey mess. Of course there is a physical addiction, a connection to sugar and all things sweet, but really, really what this is about is creating certain feelings within yourself.

For me it was always about a need to escape, a need to feel like everything else can fade away and like I can take control even if my method of taking control – binge eating – was actually all about losing control of what I really wanted; who I really wanted to be.

But let’s talk about you.

Get out your journal. And write. Write about your addiction, this thing that controls you, this monster that doesn’t want to let you escape.

Let it all out. Write as though your life depends upon it.

And somewhere in your writing, at the start or at the end or both, us this mantra –

“I am in control of my now. I create my reality. I can be free”

Whether or not you break free from attending my workshop,you are worth living an incredible life; a life you love.So whatever you do, you simply MUST find a way to get there.

And maybe it feels like this is not the right time for you, or that it’s too scary or you’re just not sure, but you know what?

It will never be the right time if you’re not careful. There will always be an excuse.

Maybe it’s time to finally acknowledge that, and step towards freedom.

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