At the end of their drinking days, many alcoholics have a very poor appetite and are thin and weak. Some have gone the other way and are overweight and bloated. But, on the whole, more of us are malnourished and need feeding up than need to lose weight. We have often struggled to eat anything much at all in the weeks before finally deciding to do something about our drinking problem. I can remember forcing myself to eat little pots of fromage frais (that I started buying for my babies!) and little lumps of cheese.
Many of us find that once we stop drinking and get over the tension and fear of the early days, our appetite returns and we begin to want to make up for lost time. It is wonderful to get an appetite back and to begin to enjoy food again. We may also find that we now have a sweet tooth when previously we did not and mainly enjoyed a savoury diet (perhaps enjoyed is not the right word here!).
Eating – Sweet Tooth
Our newly discovered sweet tooth is because we used to get all the sugar we needed – and possibly more – from our alcohol. Some years on from my last drink I can tell you that where I used to not eat chocolate or puddings from one month to the next. Even one year to the next. I now enjoy a pudding (though not every day) and my consumption of chocolate has rocketed! In fact, it has become a new addiction of sorts. I buy some for every day when i do my weekly shop. I do not concern myself about this. It is a harmless new ‘addiction’ as I am not overweight and it is not a mood altering substance.
Another good reason to eat chocolate or something sweet in the early days after you have stopped drinking is that if you have already had some sugar, your craving for a drink (and the sugar in it) is less. We would all of us have drunk more when we were hungry than when we were full and it is another form of protection against taking that first drink.
Don’t Worry About Putting on Weight
If you are worried about putting on weight, please try not to be, at least in the early days. Surely it is better to be a little overweight than a drunk? Most of us could do with the weight anyway. Admittedly I have met several people with alcohol problems who also have an eating disorder and this too needs treating. The two can have a lot in common in that people with alcohol issues. An eating disorder often do not like themselves very much and lack some form of control in their lives.
Drinking to excess or controlling their eating in an unhealthy way (anorexia or bulimia) can therefore go together. If you need help for an eating disorder. This too needs treatment (you can try Overeaters Anonymous which is for all people with food issues, not just overeaters). But if you are not one of these dual addicted people. Try the eating something sweet therapy to help you stay sober. It is another tool that you can use that has been proven to work.
The Haynes Clinic is a drug and alcohol rehab clinic offering detox and treatment for those suffering from addiction to alcohol, drugs and prescription medication.
Call 01462 851414 for confidential help and advice.
