Alcohol vs. craving sweets

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trebor4258 - 07 Mar 2004 10:36 GMT

I've noticed on and off over the past year or so, that if I completely
abstain from alcohol for a few days, I usually get hit with the most
unbelievable craving for sweets. Obviously an issue on an LC WOE, but I
guess in maintenance, a "drink or few" with no mixers is okay.

The odd thing is that having thought a little more about the relationship, I
think this has happened for years. Never really thought about it before,
but will pay more attention now.

Has anybody else ever notice this?

trebor

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Brigid Nelson - 07 Mar 2004 16:07 GMT

> I've noticed on and off over the past year or so, that if I completely
> abstain from alcohol for a few days, I usually get hit with the most
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Has anybody else ever notice this?

I've noticed that for me alcohol can *be* a sweet. I've learned that I
can't drink red wine without basically drinking the whole bottle, nor
can I have sweet mixed drinks - like rum, or bourbon with diet rite -
because I will crave it and drink way too much. The only safe drink at
this point is whisky, which I can have a little of and not feel like I
really want more.

brigid

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Marcusj - 07 Mar 2004 18:27 GMT

Alcoholics are almost always big sweet eaters when not drinking.
I am a recovering alcoholic, and almost never ate sweets while drinking, but
ate huge quantities during withdrawal.
I gained a lot of weight while drinking, but gained even more from the
sweets after I quit drinking several years ago.

The sweets replaced the alcohol, and that's very common in active and
recovering alcoholics.
I'm not saying you are an alcoholic, but there are warning signs in your
post.

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Mark S. J.
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> I've noticed on and off over the past year or so, that if I completely
> abstain from alcohol for a few days, I usually get hit with the most
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
> trebor

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Brigid Nelson - 08 Mar 2004 01:12 GMT

> Alcoholics are almost always big sweet eaters when not drinking.
> I am a recovering alcoholic, and almost never ate sweets while drinking, but
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> I'm not saying you are an alcoholic, but there are warning signs in your
> post.

I remember reading in _The Diet Cure_ that alcoholics were drinking
*for* sugar. It makes sense that removing sugar from your diet would
make you crave it in other forms.

brigid

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Marcusj - 08 Mar 2004 04:18 GMT

The craving for sweets starts during withdrawal from alcohol, and continues
even with continued abstinence.
When I was drinking, I couldn't stomach anything excepts sweets during
withdrawal, and everything else had to be eaten while drinking.
In those days, withdrawal was a daily thing that I went through during the
workday, like so many other alcoholics. The withdrawal symptoms started
usually about 4 hours after stopping drinking for the day.
Those aren't fond memories, but they were almost 20 years of my life!

Mark.

> > Alcoholics are almost always big sweet eaters when not drinking.
> > I am a recovering alcoholic, and almost never ate sweets while drinking, but
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> brigid

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Martin Golding - 07 Mar 2004 19:33 GMT

> I've noticed on and off over the past year or so, that if I completely
> abstain from alcohol for a few days, I usually get hit with the most
> unbelievable craving for sweets.

> The odd thing is that having thought a little more about the relationship,
> I think this has happened for years. Never really thought about it
> before, but will pay more attention now.
> Has anybody else ever notice this?

I've never had the opportunity, nor (as an avid Scotch collector with a
four tapper keg fridge) am I ever likely to.

But I _have_ noticed the contrary. After a few months on a low carb
diet, I noticed increased cravings for, and increased consuption of,
alcohol (particularly sour mash whiskey. My BA (Before Atkins) strong
drink consumption was mostly single malt whisky. I have no idea).
Switching from beer to red wine may explain some of the increase in
alcohol consumption, given the increase in alcohol content, but I
don't believe it's just that. I consciously manage my dinner wine
consumption, I never had cause to think about it BA.

My hypothesis is that my body is seeking easily-metabolized alcohol
calories to replace its missing carb calories, but I have no idea how
to test that, nor have I found anything resembling evidence for it.

I should note that what I'm calling 'cravings' here are neither more
powerful nor more frequent than the occasional compelling memory of
the really great bread we used to get from an Italian bakery in the
Yuppy Zone. That, heavily buttered, and sopping up roasted beef juices
with it, are the only things I've noticed missing since we went low
carb. (I _was_ concerned about having no good way to eat vindaloo,
before we discovered that broccoli will adsorb the sauce quite nicely.)

Martin (215/167/165 since 4/2003)

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Martin Golding | "Drink Fresh Beer at the Ostrich and One Eyed Bull"
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