Being at the middle point of my 30 days, I was re-reading a few things in the book and something donned on me. Whenever I mention to people what I'm doing, the reaction is the same: "But I love bread and sugar!" Love? Really?
It occurred to me that this would be the reaction a drunk would have if a friend was giving up drinking and said they could too. Can't you hear it? "But I love drinking!" OR as a close friend of mine likes to say, "If I wasn't an alcoholic I'd be drunk all the time."
Knowing and admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery. And that's true no matter what the addiction. Ask yourself this: SHOULD you need bread and sugar? Should you actually feel sad about not getting to eat a food? Should you utter the world love about food?
Foods purpose is to properly harness the energy of the sun and make it something that our bodies can digest in order to sustain us. Nowhere in that sentence does it say that we should feel emotionally satisfied by food. Like an alcoholic relies on liquor to bring them comfort, a sugar-holic relies on sugar and bread to bring them comfort. Don't believe me? Then stop having them. See how you feel.
My guess is you're now going to come up with justifications. "But I can stop whenever I want" "But I have control over it because I only have it in moderation" "It's not effecting my life negatively, not like an alcoholic." Sound familiar? I have several friends in recovery and my guess is the first time someone suggested that they quit drinking or getting high they had something similar to say.
In my article in
Examiner.com I touch on the medical reasons for giving up sugar. Mainly heart disease. Heart disease is the number one killer of men and women in the United States. And what is a proven cause of heart disease? You guessed it: sugar.
"But what about holidays and birthdays and office parties and happy hour and romantic evenings with my partner??"
Believe me I get it and I'm not saying never. You're a grown up, that's going to be up to you. For me, in my life, it's almost never. I don't live in a strict world. I'm a grown up too and if I want to go to happy hour, I'm going to strategically plan for happy hour (after my 30 days, of course). If somebody's birthday is coming up and I know we're going somewhere awesome I'm going to prepare for that and I will make an educated choice as to what I want to eat or drink. The important part in this is knowledge. It's impossible to control an addiction you aren't aware you have.
I'm simply asking this: Are you addicted to sugar? No? Prove it.
Once you realize that yes, you are; try out any of the sugar detox diets out there. Whole30 has worked for me, but there are others. Once you're off sugar and can think clearly, you will likely discover that you no longer feel the need to "love" a food. Instead, when you eat, you'll love the way you actually feel. Physically. Not emotionally.
