How to Break a Sugar Addiction
Chemical addiction is something that is still not completely understood by medical researchers. What they do know is that certain stimulants such as amphetamine, caffeine, cocaine, nicotine and now fructose stimulate the release of dopamine in our brains.
But anything you do from which you gain pleasure will stimulate a dopamine response. I enjoy gardening (not really, but I was looking for a vertical activity so as to keep my G rating), but I’m not addicted to it. A lack of exposure to garden beds doesn’t cause me to become depressed or moody. I don’t feel the urge to break into parked cars to steal change so I can buy compost. I don’t carry a shovel in case I come across an unloved garden.
No, addiction is not about enjoyment. Ask any smoker whether their first cigarette was enjoyable. They’ll tell you they almost choked. Ask any alcoholic if their first drink was enjoyable. They’ll tell you it was repellent (unless they learned to drink using wine spritzers).
Very recent research on the mechanics of addiction suggests that addictive substances do more than stimulate dopamine response. They actually change your brain. These drugs take over our brain’s learning function. When we learn or practice something we strengthen the links between neurons. These strengthened links help us remember and apply knowledge.