Why You Feel Addicted to Sugar (And What’s Really Causing the Cravings)

If you feel like a total addict around sugar - sneaking biscuits when no one’s looking, hiding wrappers from your partner, or driving to the corner shop at 10:00 PM to get your fix - this is for you. In this post, I’m breaking down why sugar feels so out of control, what’s actually driving those intense cravings, and how to turn down the volume on them without cutting out a single food group. The full video is available to watch below.

As a psychologist and binge eating coach, I work with high-achieving women who feel calm and confident in every area of their lives, except around food. And one of the most common things I hear is, “I think I’m addicted to sugar.”

Women tell me they can’t keep chocolate in the house because they’ll eat the whole thing until they feel sick. They’re convinced sugar has hijacked their brain. They talk about detoxes, sugar cleanses, and “resetting” their system. I understand it, because it truly does feel like an addiction.

But what if sugar isn’t actually the problem?

Is Sugar Really Addictive?

The term “sugar addiction” has been heavily pushed by diet culture. You’ve probably heard that sugar lights up the same reward centres in your brain as drugs like cocaine. And technically, yes, sugar does activate reward pathways.

But so does stroking a puppy. Listening to your favourite song. Hugging someone you love.

Those same pleasure centres are designed to light up when we experience something enjoyable, so calling sugar “addictive” in the same way as drugs or alcohol is misleading. Sugar does not have the same physiological properties as alcohol or drugs.

What’s often missing from the sugar addiction conversation is this: when we look at the research on binge eating disorder, there’s a strong link between dieting and bingeing. Studies repeatedly show that 40–60% of people were dieting before their binge eating behaviours began.

That’s important because it tells us that the real trigger is restriction, not sugar.

When a client tells me she’s addicted to sugar, I don’t immediately look at the sugar. I look at the restriction.

Are you skipping breakfast?
Eating as little as possible during the day?
Being “really good” all week?
Cutting out entire food groups?
Telling yourself sugar is off-limits?

In most cases, the answer is yes.

Here’s what tends to happen: you restrict all day, or all week. You cut out sugar completely. But eventually, something gives… You have one cookie… and suddenly the floodgates open. You eat the entire packet.

It feels like addiction. But psychologically, it’s something else entirely.

The Forbidden Fruit Effect

There’s a concept in psychology called the forbidden fruit effect. The more you tell yourself a food is bad, toxic, or off-limits, the more your brain assigns value to it.

You put chocolate or cookies up on a pedestal and they become special and scarce.

So when you finally allow yourself access, your brain reacts with urgency: “Quick. Eat as much as you can now that it’s available.”

That urgency is not addiction, rather it’s a reaction to restriction. The more forbidden something feels, the more powerful the desire becomes.

The Biology Behind Sugar Cravings

There’s also a biological layer to this. When you restrict calories or cut out food groups, your brain doesn’t know you’re on a diet. It thinks there’s a famine, and during a famine, high-energy foods - especially sugary ones - are incredibly valuable because they provide quick energy.

If you’re under-fuelled and you finally eat sugar, your brain releases a large spike of dopamine. It essentially says, “She’s found high-energy food. Eat as much as possible before the famine comes back.”

That “out of control” feeling is your brain trying to protect you. Ironically, the more you try to quit sugar completely, the more obsessed with it you may feel.

How to Stop Binge Eating Sugar

So if restriction is driving the bingeing, how do you stop?

The answer feels counterintuitive, but it’s incredibly effective: habituation. Habituation means the more you’re exposed to something, the less exciting it becomes.

You don’t binge on broccoli or carrots, do you? That’s because you’ve given yourself unconditional permission to eat them whenever you want. They’re not forbidden and they’re not special.

To reduce sugar cravings, we want to normalize sugar in the same way and that means allowing it, regularly and without drama.

When I was recovering from binge eating and bulimia, I genuinely believed I could never have chocolate in the house without eating all of it. If there was half a bar open, I had to finish it. It couldn’t sit there.

Yet now I can have a half-open box of chocolates in the kitchen for weeks. I’ll have one when I fancy it, and often I forget they’re even there.

That shift didn’t happen through willpower. It happened through removing restriction and practicing habituation.

Food Pairing: A Practical Strategy

Another powerful tool is food pairing. Most binges happen in secret, on an empty stomach, or at the end of the day when you’re exhausted and underfed. Instead of eating sweet foods in isolation, try pairing them with meals you’re already eating.

For example, you could have a small bowl of ice cream after lunch, or two squares of chocolate at the end of dinner.

Pairing sweet foods with balanced meals helps stabilise blood sugar levels. But more importantly, it teaches your brain that sugar is just part of normal eating. It’s not secret or shameful, so you remove that “last-supper” scenario.

The more you practice this, the less urgency you’ll feel.

“But Won’t I Lose Control?”

This is the fear that comes up every time.

“If I give myself permission, I’ll never stop.”

That’s the restriction voice talking - it’s the fear of letting go of control.

What I’ve seen - after walking hundreds of women through this process - is that when restriction ends, obsession also ends.

When your brain trusts that sugar is available, it stops screaming for it. This is how you reduce food noise, it’s how you feel calm around chocolate and it’s how you stop hiding wrappers and driving to the shop late at night.

You don’t fix it by cutting sugar out, instead you fix it by removing the scarcity.

Ready to Feel Calm Around Sugar?

If you’re ready to stop feeling addicted to sugar and start building a healthy relationship with food, support can make this process so much easier. You can book a 1:1 call with me to talk through what’s keeping you stuck and how we can build a calm, confident relationship with food together.

Or, if you have any questions, just drop them below and I’ll get back to you with some tips and ideas.