Sugar Vs Heroin? Kicking Heroin Is Easier.

Modern life is full of destructive drugs: Coke, weed, alcohol, porn, lottery tickets. And then there’s sugar.

Sugar is addictive the same way breathing air is addictive. But at least you can substitute your sugar addiction for a slightly more healthy alternative. (Not sure about alternatives to air, so we’ll get back to you on that later.)

Now the bitter side to sweet:

• Americans consume 19 spoonfuls of sugar a day, twice as much as men should, three times as much for women.
• Sugar is primary culprit behind America’s obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
• Added sugar can be found in 73% of grocery store items.
• The Agriculture Dept. has done virtually nothing in four decades to counteract this ballooning public health crisis.
• You never tire of sugar, unlike other foods which taper off the dopamine spike when repeated. It is the dopamine burst that makes sugar addictive. It creates craving that delivers time after time.

Ever seen a sugar cold turkey? Imagine what a heroin cold turkey would look like- now imagine its bigger brother. Not very promising news if you want to kick the sugar habit but there are several back door paths toward slaying this scary bird. Keep in mind that an abrupt sugar “detox” may jolt your system, and you won’t handle the sugar-deprivation shock.

I recommend you wean yourself away from sugar progressively:

• Cut the most flagrant culprits first: sodas, cookies and donuts, for example.
• Try downsizing portions of ice-cream, frequency of desserts.
• Find substitutes to ease the transition: natural fruit juices and healthy snacks like dried fruit.
• Have cheat days to splurge. Observe a strict regimen Monday through Friday and indulge on the weekends. This is a concession to help you transition.
• Re-discover the delicious of fruit and vegetables. If you are accustomed to junk food, you probably have “grayed out” natural and nutritive food. Consciously recognizing that you have fallen prey to the food industry’s craving-creating machinery, you can make decisions to return to food the way God made it.
• The dopamine habits and pathways of the brain are the key. You can reform new paths and begin to feel the sensation of delight over healthier choices.
• Realize that rewiring your brain will not happen instantaneously. But it can happen as you apply your thoughtfulness to your eating habits and seek to implement transition strategies.
• Enjoy the rewards. Savor every little advance, whether it be a pound shed or a medicine no longer needed. I learned long ago in terms of diet:

You either enjoy the good feeling on your tongue or the good feeling in your body, not both.

As to the dangers of sugar exceeding heroin, I would say that sugar ultimately kills more people, is legally and culturally acceptable and therefore more pernicious, is lurking everywhere and starts addicting from babyhood. This is why I dare to say kicking the heroin habit is easier than kicking the sugar addiction.

No one wants to admit to addiction. But the good news is this: You can get addicted to healthy food. Sugar — and drugs, alcohol and porn are not the only — is not the only path towards dopamine. You can get a dopamine jolt from other things.

To read about transitioning to healthy, click here.

Michael Ashcraft is the CEO of Cuisine Natural healthy home and kitchen products.