Sugar Addiction Vs Alcohol Addiction: Similarities And Differences

Alcohol is a substance use disorder addiction, but sugar is not considered a substance or a non-substance addiction. While its symptoms are the same as those of alcohol and other substance use disorders. Alcohol and sugar are not the same, but both share the same neurological pathways. They release dopamine in the brain and affect your brain’s reward system. They both have some similarities, like Neurological, Behavioural, Psychological, and Metabolic similarities.
In this blog, we compare sugar addiction and alcohol addiction, including differences, types, how they happen, how they affect, early signs of addiction, and how to control them or overcome the situation.

What is Addiction?

It is a chronic brain disease. There is an unmanageable need to use a substance, even if it is harmful to your health, relationships, and life. It affects the brain’s reward system and makes a person crave an addictive substance that provides the feeling of pleasure or relief. Sometimes it gives you long-term problems, like complex brain disease, lung and heart disease.
Common addictions are alcohol, drugs, sugar, smoking, and digital habits like social media and gaming.
There are two main groups of addiction:

• Substance addictions
• Non-substance addictions

What is Alcoholism, and Does It Affect the Brain?

Alcohol use disorder or alcohol addiction happens when you lose control over drinking, and spend most of your time drinking alcohol. In this addiction, you have a strong craving and need for alcohol, you are unable to control this situation, every time you make failed attempts to leave and limit alcohol use, and your body becomes dependent on alcohol, and without it, you may feel sick or disturbed.

Behavioral, Physical, and Psychological Signs of Alcoholism:
Nervousness, irritability, and personality change, skin tone changes, spider-like blood vessels, and abdominal pain. Negative feelings, Sudden mood changes, Anxiety, Panic disorder, and Impulsive behaviour.

How Alcohol Addiction Affects Your Brain

It affects your brain by releasing dopamine in the brain that disrupts your communication pathways. Too much alcohol can affect the brain and harm your learning skills, cause sudden mood changes, lower concentration on things, and make it harder to make decisions, health issues and emotional problems. It may also cause trouble in school or college studies. Sometimes, it can lead to dependence or addiction.

What Is Sugar Addiction & Symptoms of Sugar Addiction?

If you live without sugar is not possible because we need sugar to survive, but we don’t need extra sugar. Sugar addiction is a strong and unmanageable craving for high-sugar foods, and sometimes you find it’s an uncontrollable need. It occurs when we consume sweets or any type of sugary substance in excess. Sugar is necessary for our body, but its excess is bad for our health. They release dopamine chemical in the brain, which affects the brain reward system, reinforcing the behavior and leading to cravings. Taking sugar makes a person feel happiness, and eating more sugar, the brain wants to experience that same feel-good rush again.
Here are some symptoms of sugar addiction:

• Craving for sweets even though not hungry
• Feeling tired and moody without sugar
• Difficulty without desserts and soft drinks
• Guilt after overeating sugary foods

What Do You Mean By Sugar Alcohol?

They are neither true sugars nor alcoholic beverages. They are a type of carbohydrate, also known as polyhydric alcohols and polyalcohols. Sugar alcohols are used in foods to give them a sweet taste as other alternative to regular sugar. Sugar alcohols are used broadly in the food industry as sweeteners. It’s less sweet than sugar and also has fewer calories than normal sugar. Xylitol, Erythritol, and Sorbitol are popular sugar alcohols that are used in candies and baked goods.
The benefits of the sugar alcohol are:

• Sugar-free
• Reduced calories
• Improved dental health
• Lower glycemic impact
• Smaller impact on blood sugar levels

Can Drinking Alcohol Cause Diabetes?

Any person who engages in long-lasting heavy drinking can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. Extreme alcohol intake increases the fat in the body, and it also damages the liver. Regular heavy drinking can decrease the body’s sensitivity to insulin, which can prompt type 2 diabetes. It also makes our body less sensitive to insulin. The insulin-resistant body is also the cause of diabetes.
How does alcohol affect diabetes

• It affects your blood sugar levels
• Stopping the release of glucose
• Impaired glucose control

Sugar Addiction Vs Alcohol Addiction: Key Similarities and Differences

Key factors	Alcohol Addiction	Sugar Addiction
Early Symptoms	Strong cravings for alcohol, and Aggression issues	Frequent cravings for sweets and Energy crashes
Cause of Addiction	Releases dopamine and affects the brain’s reward system	Similarly, sugar also releases dopamine affects the brain’s reward system
Risks	Flushed skin, stupor and decreased appetite	Obesity, dental issues, and anxiety
Physical Effects	Eye problems and Bone damage	Heart issues and nerve damage
Mental & Emotional Effects	Depression and poor judgment	Confusion and low motivation
Withdrawals symptoms	Upset stomach, hear palpitations and confusion	Bad breath, Muscle cramps and weakness
Preventions	Set limits, identify and avoid triggers	Balanced meals and managing stress
Treatment	Medical detox, therapy, and More	Healthy diet, gradual sugar reduction, and  exercise
Risk Level	Increase your risk of self-harm and suicide	Harmful to health but rarely life-threatening immediately
Long-term Impact	Permanent organ damage and mental health disorders	Inflammation and fatty liver disease

How To Naturally Control Sugar And Alcohol Addiction

Some people have allergic reactions to medicines, which is why they prefer the natural treatment to treat sugar addiction and alcohol addiction. So here we describe the natural tips and remedies to treat both addiction naturally.
The natural treatments to treat sugar and alcohol addiction are:

Natural Treatment for Alcohol Addiction:

• Acupuncture
• Mindfulness Program
• Maintain Sleep hygiene
• Physical exercise and martial
• Change Lifestyle
• Increased Fluid Intake
• Herbal Remedies(eg, Kudzu Flower, Ashwagandha, and Silybum marianum based properties)

Natural Treatment for Sugar Addiction:

• Eat Healthy
• Drink plenty of water
• Focus on the natural diet foods
• Get enough quality sleep
• Increase protein and fibre

Conclusion

Alcohol addiction and sugar addiction might appear to be quite different, but they have a lot in common. They both steal the reward system of the brain. They develop addiction and damage physical and psychological well-being.
Alcohol addiction is better known as something harmful, but sugar addiction is silently consuming millions of people a day. The solutions to the recovery are awareness, balance, and healthier lifestyle choices.
The most effective solution is, finally, not to prohibit these substances, but to learn to use them in moderation, to regard sugar and alcohol as some treats, but not as emotional support systems. Both addictions can be controlled through a balanced diet, regular exercise, as well as emotional awareness, so that one can enjoy a happier life.