An Insight

Today, as I was preparing my strawberries for snack, I was in the lunchroom and a woman was eating Cheerios with milk.  Instantly I wanted them.  I wanted to put my strawberries in cereal with milk.  I didn't have any with me, so it really wasn't an option, unless I stole some of hers.  I knew that seeing that food made me start wanting it -- a craving, if you will.  And I remembered something from years ago when I was doing some typing at home for this company who was doing research on a new drug to control cravings in addicts. 

They were using MRI or PET brain scanning to identify when certain portions of the brain would "light up" to create cravings.  They took addicts, hooked them up to brain scans, and then showed them pictures of their drug of choice, and, sure enough, certain areas of the brain would produce chemicals (dopamine and endorphines, I believe) when the addicts either handled or saw pictures of drugs or even drug paraphernalia.  Their brains made a connection to what they were looking at, and produced chemicals in response.

And I believe that is exactly what happened to me today.  Seeing a certain food released certain chemicals into my brain which produced a craving.  And, of course, not feeding that craving allowed time for the chemicals to subside, and I was fine.

I am wondering if you think that after a long period of abstinence from certain foods, if those chemicals are no longer released when a memory is stimulated.  Like if an ex-cocaine addict hasn't used the drug in 10 years, will his brain still react if he sees cocaine 10 years later? 5 years? 1 year? 

I'm looking for the light at the end of the tunnel here.  LOL.

Good question and i would have to say yes.

I have not had any sugar in 5 years almost.
I do not crave it. When i see chocolate candy cake etc It does not bother me at all
it might as well be dirt, So i would say yes after years of abstinence those light up chemicals would leave,

I would agree.  I haven't had sugar in almost 3 years and did crave at first but now has absolutely no effect on me.  I can make my traditional pre-rny desserts for the family and never even care about eating/trying any.  I'm not even interested in making the sugar substitute versions.  Just don't have the same reaction to the sweetness.  Now this comes from someone who pre-surgery would eat an entire strawberry shortcake then go make another one so the family wouldn't know. . . . or run out and buy another pumpkin pie because the first one was devoured by me.

I would agree also. I will be 4 months out on July 4th and since I wasn't a sweet eater befroe It's not really bothering me much. Bread was my downfall and if I see it or smell it I pratically start drooling. I know what it will do to me so I make the choice to stay away from it. Right now I'm so hungry for stuffed mushrooms I can taste them. I keep thinking, this too shall pass.

Jill

I also believe that after a time of abstinence there is a possibility of not being reactive towards a stimuli, however, I also will comment here on something as from the big book, in relation to the drug alcohol, a man who went 25 years without a drink, retired and thought well I am ok now, it's been quite a number of years without one, he had a drink and was dead within 3 years as once he took in that drink, it created the phenomenon of craving so bad that he could not stop and so while we may be able to be unreactive, the point is that once ingested it triggers the memory of what was in our bodies, because our response to certain things is hardwired into our physical selves. . .

Laureen