In early recovery, it is best to avoid too much sugar and instead focus on developing a healthy diet. Unfortunately, when consumed in excess, sugar can lead to serious health problems.įor long-term drug users, a high-sugar diet can be especially damaging as their bodies are often already in bad health and they may be experiencing malnutrition. For some, this may mean turning to sugar for a more natural high that their substance abuse once provided. When a drug addicts gets treatment like at our drug rehab in Langhorne, PA, it is not uncommon for them to be tempted to replace one addiction with another. In particular, drug addicts in early recovery may start to experience sugar cravings as their bodies go through drug withdrawal and their brain desperately craves these chemical changes that the drugs are no longer providing. Unfortunately, because their bodies are used to higher amounts of these chemicals, they may consume large amounts of sugar in one sitting to chase this high. They may come to look for this same effect outside of just drugs, and sugar is a less intense but still a viable way of achieving this. Drug addicts’ brains have adjusted to expect that euphoric rush and dopamine surge that drugs provide.
2īecause drug addiction and sugar cravings involve the same chemicals and parts of the brain, some drug addicts will crave sugar. Although people are not as likely to become addicted to sugar in the same ways as they would to drugs, there is some evidence to suggest that intermittent sugar intake can lead to both behavioral and chemical changes in the brain that are similar to the effects of substance abuse.
The sugar crash is also similar to the comedown of some abused drugs. It causes the same initial euphoria as drugs, hence the term sugar rush, but is typically less intense. Like many illicit drugs, sugar triggers the brain’s reward system and increases the production of dopamine. This is why many addicts struggle to stop on their own without the help of an inpatient or outpatient treatment center. 1 All of these factors work to together to make someone dependent on drugs. These drugs also increase the production of dopamine, the neurotransmitter related to reinforcement of pleasurable activities. The result is an unnatural euphoric rush that the brain comes to crave. These drugs can disrupt the normal flow of chemicals or cause a surge of neurotransmitters or chemical messengers in the brain. Specifically, drug abuse often triggers the reward system in the brain. What starts out as a drug use habit will develop into dependence and addiction as the brain begins to rewire itself in anticipation of using this drug again. Addiction is a disease that is the result of changes in the chemical makeup of your brain that make a person crave the substance they are abusing. Sugar Cravings & Drug Addiction in the Brain While a sweet tooth seems like little to worry about in comparison to a substance abuse problem, drug addiction and sugar cravings are, in fact, more similar than people realize. They also probably warned you not to do drugs for the obvious health implications. Your parents probably advised you not to eat too much sugar because it can cause cavities.
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