Friends of Bill W.?

[Wynne Jones]

I'm new to the Whole 30 and I am really loving it so far! I need to be careful, though - one of the ways I have stayed sober for the past 993 days (one day at a time) is by using sweets. In fact, it's a technique used by most of my friends in AA - you rarely attend a meeting without cookies, donuts, or cake alongside the requisite lousy coffee. And, there have been a few times where I've been headed to the liquor store and steered my car to the DQ instead. So sugar has, quite literally, saved my life.

I had about a week on the Whole30, started to feel squirrelly (not wanting a drink, just restless, irritable, etc.), and ate some cookies. I felt calm and centered again right away, then got back to the Whole30 again this morning and have felt great all day.

I've gained some weight since getting sober, but more importantly I worry that the way I eat is unhealthy in ways similar to the way I drank. I don't want any addiction that blocks me from the Sunlight of the Spirit!

Any other AAs out there have similar experience? Even though my obsession to drink alcohol is gone for today, I'm nervous that taking sugar out of my diet could bring it back. Thanks for reading!

[junevarn]

Hi Wynne,

I would recommend the book Potatoes,not Prozac. People with addictions have low serotonin,beta endorphin and blood sugar problems. I would follow her recommendations for getting off sugar and not going back to the addiction. It worked for me. I also eat a lot of fat. I am actually underweight due to health issues and fat helps keep my blood sugar stable. If I feel my mood dropping I eat more yams or squash like butternut squash. Try them with cinnamon,yum! Those are treats to me now. Also getting sunshine really helps with serotonin. Also be gentle with yourself and of course take it one day at a time.

Congratulations on your 993 days!

All the best,

June

[happykate]

Welcome Wynne!! Congratulations on your 993 days!! Welcome to the Whole 30 and I wish you the very best on your journey!! The sugar dragon ( the name of mine) is a tough beast to ride. You have lots of people doing this with you!! I am sending you positive thoughts and Peace.

Kate

[Johnny M]

I have tremendous respect for all recovered addicts. I won't digress into my feelings on addictions to food and how many people are basically powerless and it's not their fault...but my heart goes out to you because i know this is about more than willpower. If you need a quick fix food that makes you feel sane and keeps you sober, get something like dried mango slices from trader joes. They taste like friggin candy and for someone in your situation if you need a transitional food that helps you through tough times and keeps you on a track that's ultimately bigger and more important than food choices, dried mango would be my choice. Do what you can to abstain but if you feel yourself crashing, have a handful of known safe foods to save you. This is all about preparedness. Another for me would be watermelon slices or cherries. Make Whole Foods and Trader Joes your Dairy Queen. Whatever your story, getting over that kind of addiction is a huge step and a huge emotional strain so make sure you're prepared. We want you to break food habits but if the risk is disproportionate to the reward, I'd rather you crash on something whole and natural than a cookie. It will get you through the moment without derailing your health. What do you think?

[Wynne Jones]

I think the idea of "transition food" is really smart, and making Trader Joes my new DQ - I can get behind that. Thanks for all the good advice and support!

[Adagio]

Eating a lot of veggies and some fruits really goes a long way toward abating sugar cravings. Fruit is so sweet these days that when you give up sugar, it tastes like candy. I find that if I eat a small portion of fruit after a meal, I don't go looking for a sugary treat after that. Good luck with it!

[AmyB]

Frozen mango chunks or frozen grapes might work, too. Congratulations on 993 days of sobriety! What a huge accomplishment. Keep fightin' the good fight.

[Johnny M]

Bear in mind, im not advocating supporting sugar cravings, just want you to think about having the right tools necessary on hand and if denying yourself is too dangerous then who cares. Have your mango! Maybe also try something like sticks of celery dipped in homemade ranch dressing or something and keep the sweet stuff as a last resort.

[Tom Denham]

Now might be a good time to do another 90 in 90. I'm just saying. And do the work to avoid Hungry, Angry, Lonely, and Tired. Many people lose weight doing a Whole30, but you don't have to go hungry to lose weight when you eat real, whole foods. Eat plenty.

[HikeMoreTrails]

I'm so glad to see this post! I've been in recover for a little over 9 years and have substitued sugar & carbs big time... finally it's time to do something about it... not ready to take the plunge of the 30 days quite yet, though I'm thinking of Aug 1 as my date... or perhaps August 19, since that's my sobriety date! though I'm not sure I want to wait that long... we'll see, for now a day at time, progress not perfection... Congrats on your sobriety, and thanks for this post. I was planning on just browsing the next couple days/weeks but had to come in and say hello when I saw "Friends of Bill." Nice to meet ya'll, Maggie

[Wynne Jones]

Hi Maggie! Maybe we can be Whole30 buddies - I have been eating this way about 75% of the time and am planning to commit on Aug. 1 to a full Whole 30. Just got back yesterday from the Maine AA Roundup, an amazing convention with incredible speakers, meetings, workshops, and of course FOOD Private message me if you want to partner up! Wynne

[RevKT]

I agree with junevarn to check out Potatos Not Prozac for the information in there around the research on alchoholism and sugar. I had an alchoholic brother so always avoided alchohol and instead I became addicted to sugar. I was in Overeaters Annonymous for a while and almost everyone had for their abstinance plan to avoid all sugar and white flower because these chemically did the same things to us as alchohol does for alchoholics. Please be very careful not to subsitiute one addiction for another. We had a few previous AA members in OA because that is precisely what happened to them.

Other than that, congratulations on you 993 days! You can totally do a Whole 30 and be able to avoid using sugar as a subsitiute for alchohol.

I have a binge eating disorder and I am starting my Whole 30 on Aug. 1 as well and I would suggest signing up for the Whole30 daily emails, I think those will be really helpful since Melissa and Dallas have done a lot of research on the psychological effects of food and really seem to be discovering how to motivate people and support them rather than just giving a set of unstuctions and hoping people follow them due to "willpower" because we all know that does not really work. You need to be mentally prepared and supported in any type of lifestyle change.

[Wynne Jones]

Yes! I received my daily email this morning and am committing to a Whole30 starting today. I'm ready! You know, so much is dependent on my attitude. Being in the program and having a higher power is an asset, NOT a liability. One day at a time I will:

A- Abstain from substances which harm me.

E - Exercise, even if it's just a 30 min. walk with the dog.

I - Be loving to myself.

O - Be of service to Others.

U - Uncover the truth to keep learning and growing.

Y - Yahoo!!!! Have an attitude of gratitude

Thanks all, have a great day.

[Derval]

Yes! I received my daily email this morning and am committing to a Whole30 starting today. I'm ready! You know, so much is dependent on my attitude. Being in the program and having a higher power is an asset, NOT a liability. One day at a time I will:

A- Abstain from substances which harm me.

E - Exercise, even if it's just a 30 min. walk with the dog.

I - Be loving to myself.

O - Be of service to Others.

U - Uncover the truth to keep learning and growing.

Y - Yahoo!!!! Have an attitude of gratitude

Thanks all, have a great day.

Love this, if everyone did this the world would sure be a happier place, huh?

[Melissa Urban]

I'm a recovering addict with more than 12 years clean. (I wrote about it, in fact... so I'm not very Anonymous.) I never turned to sugar or coffee, but I exercised my ass off for about two years before I realized what I was doing and calmed that bad habit down.

I think about our situation much like those going into the Whole30 with an eating disorder.

Don't aim for perfect. It's not about perfect. There is no perfect.

If you make a less healthy choice, it doesn't make you a bad person. You are more than just the sum of your choices.

It is not an all-or-nothing proposition. If you fall off your plan for one meal, it's just one meal. It doesn't mean you've failed. You get right back on with your next meal - that's it.

Stay committed to your recovery. The better you take care of yourself there, the better you'll want to take care of yourself elsewhere.

Bring your own snacks to meetings. Better yet, bring everyone healthy snacks!

You may find these articles I wrote helpful:

• http://whole9life.com/2012/04/sometimes-it-is-hard/
  

• http://whole9life.com/2012/02/whole30-gone-bad/
  

• http://whole9life.com/2012/07/language-of-food/
  

Go easy, and lean on your support system - us included. And remember - you've done harder things than take a pass on the candy jar.

Best,

Melissa

[carolina]

Yes! I received my daily email this morning and am committing to a Whole30 starting today. I'm ready! You know, so much is dependent on my attitude. Being in the program and having a higher power is an asset, NOT a liability. One day at a time I will:

A- Abstain from substances which harm me.

E - Exercise, even if it's just a 30 min. walk with the dog.

I - Be loving to myself.

O - Be of service to Others.

U - Uncover the truth to keep learning and growing.

Y - Yahoo!!!! Have an attitude of gratitude

Thanks all, have a great day.

Amen!! Totally going to reuse this one!

[Patti A.]

I'm also a recovering addict with more than 12 years clean!

I am so happy to read this!! I didn't substitute with sugar or workouts, I just got very sick with depression and autoimmune disorder. I ate healthy and was wondering why I didn't get better until I found out about my medical condition. Now I am soooo comitted to do EVERYTHING I can to get healthier and happier! I will buy that book 'potatoes not prozac' although potatoes are not part of my diet there is probably more to it than that? I also recommend "7 weeks to sobriety', the proven program to fight alcoholism through nutrition. I am so excited I found your website, I am still new, so I will go ahead and read a lot! Thank you so much and happy 24h!

[KC Sunshine]

Wanted to bump this - been speaking with another person on the forum who's in recovery, and we're going to put together an e-mail list or Skype group where we can talk openly about doing the Whole30 while in recovery.

We'll discuss specific issues that might arise relating to addiction as well as ways being in a 12-step program can support your Whole30 experience.

If you're interested in joining, please shoot me a PM.

Cheers.

[Jtandi]

just came over to this board for something completely unrelated and wanted to introduce myself! I just hit 13 years in March and have finally gotten to a point where I needed to address my sugar addiction. I may not have been hiding a bottle in the kitchen cabinet so I could take a sip here and there while making dinner (ok...breakfast), but I sure did spend a lot of time in the kitchen baking brownies only to eat the entire pan myself and blame it on my husband. and the white powdery substance I was loving was the powdered sugar which I would eat by the spoonful if no other sugar was available in my house...

I am so grateful for whole30, I believe it, too, has saved my life. I am grateful I am taking daily preventative measures to stay sober and not die from my alcoholism, but I also need to do the same so I don't develop health issues that will cause the same horrible, long, drawn out, suffering life!

[Beets]

I was also going to sugest Potatoes not PRozac. (Full title of which is P N P: Solutions to Sugar Sensitivity.) There is a lot of alcoholism in my family and also a lot of sugar addiction and I have veered towards both (not that they are entirely equivalent). The book has a silly name but goes into the biochemistry in good detail and was very helpful to my understanding these issues. The woman who wrote the book came from addiction treatment background and noticed that so many people she worked with ate a lot of pasta and sugar after quitting alcohol. The book goes into the cycle of depression, guilt, low self-esteem, impulse control, etc., that come from sugar as well as other addictive substances.

[L.nel]

I'm grateful to meet friends of Bill here! This topic is quite dated but I pray all of you identifying are still clean and sober, happy joyous and free. I got sober coming in from OA, so food has been the tiger I don't get to lock up and pocket the key like alcohol and drugs. I GET to take him out for three meals a day :-D:-D:-D. By the grace of God I've been blessed with continuous sobriety over 3 decades, but abstinence from food issues (sugar, wheat, refined, artificial, carbs, exercise, yada-yada-yada) has been toughest. 13 years at first, and 11 years off sugar most recently. If I was ever tempted to believe I could use or drink again, the ten years in the middle eating sugar and a host of other "less than food" foods never let me forget what my issues are. All that to say, "thanks!" Thanks for being here Hartwigs, and other recovering friends, thanks for transparency, thanks for still working at this and pursuing a greater good for those of us coming up behind you on the Whole30. It's the ultimate service to people who need food restored as a precious gift and tool to carry us through a healthy life. Glad to bee on board, in the middle of day 11 with my super cool supportive hub! I'm totally grateful:-) (don't let my crabby old body tell you otherwise!:-D:-D:-D)