Hi Everyone,

I'm addicted to sweets, I've known it for a long time and was unwilling to give them up. However, in the last month I'm having different physical issues (such as sore throat, headaches, candida and also negative beliefs) and I've been trying to use EFT to solve them, but without much success. So I suspect toxins are involved and the obvious culprit is sugar.

The thing is, if I give up sugar, I know I'll have a hard time with the craving and other emotional issues (I know because I tried to avoid sugar before I knew EFT and it was hard, took me 3 weeks to overcome the craving and obviously I relapsed).

My question is how do I do it, if EFT doesn't work for me (at least not until I've cleaned my system from all the sugar)?

Advice would be much appreciated.

Iris

Although it was originally believed that EFT doesn't work when you have a toxin - what is now believed is that when you have a toxin or allergy which seems to be "stopping" EFT from working, then that's a sign that you need to address that toxin or allergy first. You don't have to quit sugar before you can do EFT about sugar. You might like to start by making a list of all your beliefs about sugar (deadly, decadant, dangerous, etc) and then add on all your memories with relation to sugar, times you ate it etc, then add to your list what your relatives believe about sugar! You'll have a long list! Then start tapping ! love Rachel

 Hello Iris,

 Welcome to the Addictions forum. 

You will get a lot of feedback here on this issue. 

This is what I would suggest right now.

Take your clothes off and get in the shower in order to be free of any toxins that may be on your person or clothing. While you are in there tap on this.

Even though I am convinced that nothing will work for me I deeply and completely love and accept myself.

Even though I am afraid to change I deeply and completely love all of me including this fear.

Even though they convinced me I am supposed to struggle and I don't want to upset them, I choose to take care of myself now.

Go through all the points with this. -- I am convinced this has to be a struggle.

Then do a second round with this --  I have this conflict about changing or I don't want to change because that will deprive me.

Then do a third round with this -- They convinced me life is a struggle and I don't want to upset them.

While you are doing these rounds pay particular attention to your self talk and what you say to yourself while doing these rounds. Write down any phrases, feelings or memories that come up as soon as you get out of the shower.  Especially anything related to your throat and speaking up for yourself. Also, any memories of people who said something like -  You give me a headache. or This gives me a headache. The more specific you can be about the feeling or memory the better. Focus on that feeling while tapping.

Then do a fourth round focusing on the positive.  

EB -  What if this doesn't have to be a struggle?

SE - What if I could consider another possiblity?

UE - What if I could choose to make this easy?

UN - I choose to let EFT work for me now.

Chin - I love knowing this can be easy.

Collarbone - I can feel safe even if EFT scares me.

UA - I feel so good knowing I have released this self-sabotaging behavior.

Top of Head - I choose to accept relief for these problems easily now.

 

Give this a try and see what happens. And, you don't have to be in shower, that was just a suggestion that comes right out of the EFT manual.

Also, I would seriously consider finding a practitioner to work with.  Pick someone you feel safe with but who will hold you accountable.

 

Safe journey,

Jack

P.S. I would also use the entire basic recipe including the eye rolls and the humming and counting in order to get the best results.

 

 

Hello again,

This is good advice and I will try it, thanks.

Yesterday was surprisingly much easier than I thought regarding cravings. Today was a little harder, but I tapped when i felt craving and it worked! it subsided! that's so wonderful!

Suppose I keep refraining from sugar, how long do you think I should continue? And if I tap on my sensitivity/allergy to sugar, does that actually mean that sugar won't be toxic for me anymore?!

Iris

Dear Jack,

Thanks for a very thorogh reply! I did it in the shower and felt emotionally lighter and happier. Also, I'm happy to say that my avoiding sugar starts to show results - my sore throat is MUCH better, I tapped for a craving today and got immediate relief and this really gets my hopes up regarding all the issues I want to work on.

I will report as to how my sugar withdrawal is progressing. I would ask your advce on one more thing, though. I think for me it's the sweet taste and not necessarily the sugar itself. I mean, is it OK to drink diet coca cola or eat sugarless sweet candy etc.? not that they contain the greatest stuff, but I wonder if it would be OK to use them now to help me overcome my addiction. Or maybe they won't help me because i will keep looking for sweets, even if the are sugarless.

I'll be happy to hear your thoughts on this matter.

Thanks,

Iris

Hi Iris,

You can also try:

• Even though I need this sweetness...
• Even though sweet things are comforting to me... 
• Even though I need this comfort...
• Even though I need this sweetness, my loyal friend, always there,...
• Even though it reminds me of good times, ...
• Even though something in my body is making me crave sweetness, ...
• Even though something living parasitically in my body may be making me crave sweet thing, ...
• Even though there were times when I needed comfort and I was given sweet things, ...
• Even though I like the sweet taste in my mouth, ...

Let me know what you think  :-) 

I think this is great! Indeed sweet things are comforting to me and it's very hard for me to give them up. I;ve been using sugar free stuff this past week - diet coke and other foods that contain artificial sweeteners instead of sugar, but I'm not sure these are better than sugar in the aspect of toxins and also I feel it doesn't really help my withdrawal from sugar, it doesn't make my craving go away.

I'll try it out.

Thanks,

Iris

Yes, in my opinion you are right about the artificial sweeteners.  Nearly all of them are quite poisonous.  The only exception to that is stevia, which is a plant extract.  Diet sodas are very nasty.  I think you will find that after a while of being off sweets altogether your tastes will change and you will find many of your current favorites are not so tasty anymore.

I've had an important discovery during these 2 weeks without sugar. I've discovered that for me, sweetness is like "the taste of life". It not only comforts me, but also refreshes me and fills me with vitality. I fantasize about it and when I imagine drinking something cold and sweet (it's real hot here), what comes to mind is a sense of relief, accompanied with a big sigh. I probably sound like a drug addict....

EFT helps with the cravings, but I still feel something is missing (plus I admit I don't do it all the time, it's like I don't want to give it up...). How can I give up vitality and freshness?! Also, am I supposed to avoid sugar for the rest of my life? It's hard to think about, but if I don't, I might relapse. I know, because I've done it before (without EFT, haven't heard about it then) and after awhile I was addicted again, without noticing this is what happened.

Any ideas?

Iris

 

irisa73:

EFT helps with the cravings, but I still feel something is missing (plus I admit I don't do it all the time, it's like I don't want to give it up...). How can I give up vitality and freshness?

 

Hi Iris,

When I was a child and got ill, there was a certain brand of fizzy drink I was given. I was told it was for something like your "vitality and freshness". For years into my adulthood, and when my own children became ill, I would give them this fizzy drink. Then one day, I was reading a magazine and it said that the government was trying to help people to drink less sugary drinks, and the magazine published the sugar content and resulting calorie load of popular sugary drinks. This supposedly health-giving drink my family gave me so lovingly was potentially deadly! What a discovery! With the help of EFT, I worked on how when I got ill, the drink meant my family's love and care. I have not touched it since.

Iris, Jack, Suzanne and all,

It's great to see how this community has come together to share ideas.  Iris, I'm glad you're seeing results and starting to feel better.  

In my experience, sugar cravings are often linked to a desire for a sweet and juicy life.  Iris, what if you tapped on opening to new possibilities for sweetness in life.  Possible set up phrases are:

Even though I was turning to sugar to experience sweetness in my life, I love and accpet myself anyway.

Even though I'd like to find some new ways to experience to experience sweetness in my life and I'm not sure what that looks like, I'm open to the possibility that I could find new ways to find more sweetness in my life.

Even though I'm still feeling like something is missing and I'm not sure what to do because I don't totally want to give up this taste of sweetness, I give myself permission to find new ways of tasting sweetness in my life.

My experience is that cravings and addictions are often an invitation into a deeper relationship with life.  In your case Iris, I would invite you to explore how you might be in touch with the sweetness in life.  My hunch is that as you develop this, the "something is missing" feeling will fade and you'll feel a new vitality and freshness.

With much love,

Paul

iris,

it's an interesting thing, a sugar craving, because a certain amount of sugar, whether this is natural fruit sugar, or carbs, or pure white sugar, or broken down protein - we do need to eat. Even more so when nursing does a mother's body need sugar (did you say you were nursing) or in high stress environments, such as at an airport control centre, or in a family :-). It's just a necessity. So, IMO, aiming for a lifestyle in which sugar, or processed sugar, is non-existant, is unlikely to be long lasting. Hands up who agrees?!

Hi Rachel, I don´t agree with your conclusions. Sugar is NOT a necessity in high stress situations, it´s rather counterproductive. The more the cravings and the emotions driving the addiction were gone, the more the natural inner resistance to substances that aren´t good for the body returned. (And sugar is such a substance for me.) Then life without sugar is not something I have to "whiteknuckle", but a natural thing to do. That´s my experience. Looking back I can see now that sugar is a mood-altering substance to me. Whenever I get a real craving for sweets now (on an average once in 1-2 months), I know there is something to be looked at internally. When this is done, with some EFT or whatever is necessary, the craving is gone, too. Overeaters Anonymous was also helpful for me.

Hi All,

First I want to thank eveyrone for their contribution to this discussion. For me it is very insightful, helpful and important.

I think it is getting easier to live without sweets, but I still can't say it's easy. As I said before, I don't want to give up the taste of sweetness, and it doesn't matter what form the sweetness takes. I can long for a diet coke - I know it's bad for me and was never given it as something good, but it's cold and sweet... I stopped drinking it, but I still feel the craving. Interesting that my craving now is more for sweet drinks than for sweet foods - I used to consume lots of sweet foods and almost didn't drink any sweet beverages. I do eat carbs and the only sugars I allow myself to taste directly (not via the body's metabolism) are fruit and 100% fruit juices, but I try not to overdo it. (Rachel, yes, I'm breastfeeding my 3 months old daughter).

I've been trying to think what sweetness I can fill my life with and it's not an easy question. The issue of sweetness is also linked (for me, anyway) with the issue of financial abundance and I'm working on that too, but things in that area also have yet to improve.

Some people can keep a diet forever. They can avoid certain things and just live with that. I can't do that. For me, it's like living in jail and that's something I can't and don't want to do. That is also another aspect maybe of the difficulty to give up sweets.

I  have to admit the compexity of these issues and the amount of things needing to be worked on sometimes despairs me....

hi kira,

thanks for replying. I agree with most of what you write.

however, lots of people, in their quest to be rid of sugar cravings, or sugar from their lives, have to make their lives very complicated, eg no store bought cookies, no mixes, so much extra cooking, thinking, buying, expenditures, etc. To the extent that that's not too healthy either. Since the current reality is that it's much cheaper and easier to buy foods that have at least some sugar or some white flour in them, my goal is to aim for living with a healthy lifestyle generally that can live with a certain amount of usage of white flour and white sugar.

and yes, next time i feel a sugar craving, I will try tapping with it, about it, because of it, thinking into it, etc. I am sure that the results can be more rewarding than the sugar I was seeking.