My Name is Mel and I am...a sugar addict part 2

When most people think about addiction, they think of alcohol or illegal drug use. Merriam-Webster defines addiction as, “a strong and harmful need to regularly have something or do something.” Unfortunately, addiction is not reserved for those who have developed habits that are illegal or come by way of intoxication. People do not think about sugar being an addiction. It is not recognized as a true addiction but a sugar addiction is by definition a real addiction. For people out there like me, sugar is a true addiction. Tonight is a great example of that. I wanted to be good. I really didn’t want sugar but I had sugar anyway. I know the thought process of so many out there, “Well sugar in moderation is not harmful and sugar is not necessarily harmful.” That is true. If it actually eaten in moderation, once in a while, it isn’t harmful. When it is eaten to excess, like most Americans eat it (myself unfortunately included), it becomes harmful. When it becomes harmful, by definition, it is an addiction. When consumed in excess this white, legal, encouraged drug can cause obesity, exhaustion, anxiety, depression, and lack of productivity. It impacts people’s callings. If you do not have the energy or motivation to be productive in life, you are not living up you potential. Well, that’s all fine and dandy. I know the statistics and I know how it makes me feel. As I track what I am eating and how it is making me feel, I realize how much it is impacting my life. I am not taking care of my family like I should, I am not the weight I should be, I don’t have the energy to manage my household and work out. All of those things tell me that I am not living up to what I could be and not creating the family life that I need. When I look at those facts, I do say that I have a sugar ADDICTION. If I do not have energy to complete what I need to and lead the life I am leading, I have an addiction. It has had a harmful effect on my life. This is no excuse for what I have not accomplished or my failures and shortcomings. The first steps to recovery is admitting you have a problem right? Well, here is my admission. I have a problem. My name is Mel...and I am a sugar addict. My mission right now is to develop a step by step process that works for me to kick my sugar addiction permanently. I want to break my addiction, get healthy, lose weight and become the person I know I am meant to be. Step 1: Track what I am eating so that I can see where my shortcomings are and what my feelings are when I do eat sugar. So far I have found that I do tend to eat sugar when I am stressed, feeling inadequate, or to “self-medicate”. Check back soon for more details and steps to my plan to become a recovering sugar addict.