My Name is Michelle, and I’m a Sugarholic!

There, I said it. Cute, cheeky, but oh-so-true. I’ve tried to quit sugar more times than I can count. Sixty-day resets, fasting experiments, swearing it off for good and yet sugar always comes back around, batting its sweet little lashes and owning me all over again.

Diabetes runs deep on my dad’s side, all the way back to the 1960s. I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant, and now, lucky me, I’m officially pre-diabetic. My numbers aren’t where they should be, no matter how many times I try to hit the reset button.

Just last week, I even did a 36-hour fast. I dropped 3 pounds overnight and got one of my best blood sugar readings ever. And yet, the cravings still whisper. The pull is always there. Sugar owns me in ways broccoli never will.

And here’s the kicker: I’m not alone. Diabetes has exploded in the past five decades. In the early 1960s, only about 1.8% of Americans had diabetes. Today? Over 11% of the U.S. population, nearly 38 million people, are living with it, plus another 97 million with prediabetes. Globally, the numbers have doubled since 1980, climbing from 200 million to over 800 million adults.

This isn’t just “a sweet tooth.” It’s an epidemic. And it’s one I feel in my own body every day.

Why Sugar is Addictive Like a Drug

Sugar doesn’t just “taste good", it hijacks the brain’s reward system in the exact same way illegal drugs do. When you eat something sweet, your brain releases dopamine, the same feel-good chemical that spikes when someone uses cocaine or nicotine. On top of that, sugar triggers opioid receptors in the brain, just like heroin does.

The pattern is eerily familiar:

The High → You get the rush, the satisfaction, the “ahhh” moment.
Tolerance → Over time, you need more sugar to feel that same buzz.
Withdrawal → When you cut it out? Headaches, irritability, mood swings, anxiety — just like detox, only dressed in sprinkles.

That’s not willpower failing. That’s biochemistry. The only difference? Cocaine and heroin are illegal. Sugar is sold in family-sized packs and handed out at kids’ birthday parties.

The Body Toll: Sugar’s Silent Wreckage

Illegal drugs get attention because they can kill fast. Sugar is sneaky. It kills slowly.

Here’s the body damage sugar racks up while we tell ourselves it’s just a “treat”:

Insulin resistance & type 2 diabetes → Sugar floods the bloodstream, your body drowns in insulin, and eventually the system breaks down.
Chronic inflammation → A root cause of almost every modern disease, from heart problems to depression.
Brain fog & memory decline → High sugar intake is linked to cognitive decline and even brain shrinkage.
Fatty liver disease → Not from alcohol, but from soda and sweets.
Weakened immunity → Sugar depresses immune cells for hours after you eat it.

All of this without the social stigma or warning labels. Just a cute cupcake on Instagram.

The Bigger Picture

So is sugar exactly the same as heroin or cocaine? No. The dopamine spike isn’t as violent. The withdrawal isn’t as deadly.

But the long-term health impact? At scale, sugar kills far more people. Heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and dementia together dwarf the death toll of illegal drugs.

And because it’s legal, celebrated, and cheap it might just be the most dangerous addiction of all.

Call to Action

If this stings a little, good. It’s supposed to. Because the solution isn’t guilt or never eating cake again. It’s awareness. It’s cutting back where you can. It’s retraining your brain to crave what actually nourishes you.

Think of it this way: sugar isn’t just dessert. It’s a drug. And every time you choose differently you’re breaking free.

Want to learn more? Here are a few powerful reads you can check out:

“Your health matters more than any craving, any quick fix, or any excuse. It’s time to embody your health -- to live it in your choices, in your rituals, and in the way you care for yourself every single day.”