An anecdote was recently published in the New York Times about Rodney Zimmers, a 21 year old who had recently become sober from hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Three years later, he realized he had developed a different addiction-to sugar. Zimmers had gained roughly 115 pounds, increasing from 135 pounds after rehab to 250 pounds. According to the New York Times it is not uncommon to gain weight after gaining sobriety due to the main focus being held on getting off the drugs themselves. However, a recent hypothesis or reasoning for relying on sugar and junk food has been developed.
Dr. Pamela Peeke, a professor of medicine at the University of Maryland and writer of “The Hunger Fix,” suggests that “once off the drugs, the brain craves the uber rewards of the hyperpalatables — Mint Milanos, Oreos, any sugar. An apple’s reward doesn’t cut it,” this change has become known as a “transfer addiction.” There have been recent findings by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that sugar causes cravings, and how food, junk food in particular, and drugs cause similar consequences on the reward center of the brain.
Recognizing the reasoning behind the development of a new addiction could potentially help psychologists and those who have recently become sober prevent new addictions to substances such as sugar. Proactively fixing issues such as this could help promote an overall healthy lifestyle, and demonstrate how it is not only drugs can harm your body. I guess sweets aren’t so sweet after all!
Ellin, Abby. “Off the Drugs, Onto the Cupcakes.” Well Off the Drugs Onto the Cupcakes Comments. New York Times, 15 Sept. 2014. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.
I am not surprised to learn that people often “transfer addiction”. Even though unhealthy eating habits can occur after getting off of drugs, I think it is better to eat cupcakes over drugs. If you consume unhealthy foods you can push yourself to work out and prevent permanent health damage, unlike doing drugs, which can have an immediate and sometimes fatal effect on the body.
It is possible that the people who transfer from drug addition to craving sugary foods have a naturally additive nature. I read another post on the blog about something similar to this where people can crave sugary foods more than other types. The cause in that article was because of repetition and could be the same in this case. I also think that another cause of the sugar addition is because those who are recovering drug addicts need to replace the drug addiction with something else in their life. Sugar can give them energy or make them feel buzzed if they have enough which could possibly simulate the drugs they take. It’s a stretch but could be another cause of this strange addiction. Either way I would agree I was surprised by this and turns out you can have too much candy.