Re: What do I need to do if I am addicted to candy?

Dear Caitlin,

I am sorry it took me so long to answer your request. I was just at a week
long meeting of neuroscientists from around the world. There were about
27,000 people at this meeting. I looked at topic of addiction to various
chemicals while at the meeting to help answer your question. Some of the
presentations were on the topic of nicotine that is found in cigarettes and
some other presentations were on types of drugs that are very bad for one's
body and mind.

I did not see any posters or hear any presentations about candy that I
think you are referreing to. However, researchers are looking into caffeine
and addiction. Caffeine is why many people drink coffee or tea because it
is a stimulant to help wake oneself up in the morning or to wake up late
in the afternoon.

Caffeine is also found in many candies that have chocolate in it. So if
your candy is chocolate based then you might really be craving (desiring to
have) chocolate for its caffeine. In many chocolates the caffeine level is
not that high but it also varies in different forms of chocolates.

Here is a great www site for more information about this subject:
 http://www.chocolateinfo.com/cf/cf_article_02.jsp

Caffeine in Chocolate. 
Chocolate contains both caffeine and theobromine (a
metabolite of caffeine), which are chemically related compounds from the
methylxanthine group. Caffeine is found in coffee, and to a lesser extent,
in tea, cola and chocolate products. In fact, the caffeine in chocolate is
negligible.  1.3 oz. of DOVE Milk Chocolate and 1.3 oz. of DOVE Dark
Chocolate have approximately 4 mg. and 22 mg. of caffeine, respectively
(1), compared to 120 mg. of caffeine in the average cup of coffee.

There are many reports about caffeine and addiction but mostly the concern
is with coffee and tea since it is so high with it. Nevertheless caffeine
is addictive and this has been shown over and over again.

Here is some more information about it:
 http://64.106.220.190/addiction/caffeine%20addiction.htm
Caffeine is highly addictive. Quitting coffee can cause withdrawal
symptoms such as headaches, sleepiness and irritability. The acidic nature
of coffee can lead to stomach ulcers. When the excess acid enters the
bloodstream, it also increases calcium loss in urine. Both coffee and tea
have no nutritional value.

The sugar in candy is something that might be better related to your
desires. The sugar might be giving you a real feeling of extra energy after
eating some candy. This makes you feel good and your brain likes that
feeling. After your sugar is taken up into tissues of your body then you
might feel a bit slow or tired so you want to get pepped up again with
sugar. You might be experiencing the sugar high to keep you going with lots
of energy so that you don't feel tired.


Don't feel that you are left out. Many animals have been shown to be
addicted to candy. Hunters use candy to bait animals to come to one place
so on hunting day the animals are around for hunting. Here is some
information I found related to addiction to candy in bears,

Hunters blamed for bears' candy addiction, Associated Press  Oct. 15,
2003, NAGS HEAD, N.C. Hunters who bait bears with large blocks of candy
are creating addicts with health problems ranging from tooth decay to
lethargy, wildlife officials say. 
Now the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission says wildlife officers
will cite hunters who use salt, sugar, grain or other products to attract
and shoot black bears. Especially under scrutiny are those who use large
candy blocks. 
The commission says bears become addicted to the blocks, returning to the
area even after the sugar is gone. 
Biologists found that addicted bears suffer from tooth decay, hair loss,
weight loss and lethargy, said David Cobb, chief of the Wildlife Management
Division of the Wildlife Resources Commission.


There is a www site that is a discussion group about candy addiction that
you might be interested in.  http://www.hilaryliftin.com/C_bookclub.htm
Below is a piece of the www site. Remember to always have your parents
check on any on-line discussion that you get involved with.

Reading Group Guide 
1. Hilary's memories are attached to different kinds of candy. As she
writes about Bottle Caps, "when a good thing comes along, memories have a
propensity for attaching themselves to it." Did candy play a similar role
in your life to its role in Hilary's life? Is there another lens through
which you recall events in your life? 
2. The subtitle of Candy and Me is "A Love Story" and candy is a love of
Hilary's life, both real and metaphoric. How does her relationship with
candy evolve in the course of the book? Do the different "eras" of her life
resonate with your own passage from one life stage to another? 

In summary, your candy addiction might be real with caffeine if you're
consuming a lot of rich chocolate but not that likely.

Most likely you're craving the effects of the  sugar in candy to give you
energy and make you feel good.

How to stop it- well that might be hard. Maybe little by little. Maybe if
you are feeling tired it is good to take a small cat nap (a short sleep).
Then when you wake up you will have energy. 

If you're not sleeping well at night, maybe eating too much sugar late in the
afternoon, you might not be getting a good night sleep. Then when you have
to wake up in the morning to go to school you're thinking that candy will
wake me up and get me going so you eat some if it. Then later in the
afternoon when you're tired from not sleeping well the night before you're
looking for something to wake you up and give you energy- so there goes the
sugar again. I am not sure if that happens with you but you get the idea.
So it might be good to look at your day and night and be sure you're sleeping
enough so that you're not looking for the energy boost through candy.  You
sure don't want to rot your teeth out.


As for your asthma, I am not sure there is any link with that and your
drive for candy.

I hope that helps.

All the best,
Robin Cooper