It is common for people ceasing to drink alcohol to shift to food to make them feel better. Addressing my spiritual condition at all times helps me eat a balanced and comfortable amount.

If I am consistently requesting that God help me in all areas of my life, including food, balance will come in due time.

Hello tinydancer02,

I cannot recall if I ate more when I stopped drinking but what I can tell you for sure is that I eat a lot less these days.

Trying not to drink is hard work so it is not the approach that I took. First of all, I accepted the reality that I could not drink safely. Then I went about finding a means of removing the obsession of the mind that had been making me want to drink in the first place. The result was that within a short time, alcohol was no longer an issue.

It may be that you are eating more in order to replace the high sugar content of alcohol, in which case it should be a temporary condition.

alcohol is / was sugar. very normal to eat some extra. I finally was able to get the eating under control after afew weeks. I now eat much more healthy. I used to eat fried cheese and wings and drink lots of calories. Today I still have a coke or eat some ice cream.. Life is just too short to quit all the indulgences. Very normal tho. The reward mentality is that i have not done this so I GET this.. its just something to recognize and move foward.
1is2many

It's very common to pick up another addiction if the underlying issues that triggered the drinking, have not been healed. I remembered being treated for depression and ptsd which caused multiple addictions in me, one right after the other. When I was able to let go of some of the horror from deep inside, it was alot easier to be normal again, but it took a counselor to know what she was doing when I had emdr therapy done on me.

God Bless

I craved sugar and lots of it and I was never far away from a chocolate biscuit for the first few weeks.

Alcohol is loaded with sugar and therefore it negatively alters our natural blood sugar levels. When we abstain from alcohol our body's crave the sugar from other sources i.e. food.

Whilst I was concerned about the affect of alcoholism on my liver, I couldn't bring myself to have the liver function test straight away. I was also extremely conscious of the other affects alcohol had had on my body, ie. damage to bone density, nervous system and vitamin deficiency so I opted to take vitamin supplements which also helped with the sugar cravings and insomnia.

It may be something that you may wish to consider but before you run out and buy lots of vitamins, consult with your Doctor as he/she will be aware of your medical history.

Remember also that as your body repairs, you will feel more energetic and may wish to exercise and combine that with healthy eating. You could start by substituting complex sugars with natural sugars found in fruit and veg.

Eating more is common when people stop drinking. And as many people have stated, there are different reasons. What do you believe the reason(s) or "roots" you are eating more?

Sometimes, I found it was a physical root, like craving sugar; sometimes, an emotional root, that I just wanted to "stuff" my emotions; and often it was a spiritual root, that I was being stubborn and just wanted what I wanted, when I wanted it. I didn't really want to figure out the "right" thing, or Godly action, I should be doing. My eating is so much better now because I have figured out many of my "roots" and have tried to replant them with better choices. Hope you can identify your "roots" too!