Why Do You Crave Sugar When You Stop Drinking Alcohol?

At least 25% of Americans who drink alcohol participate in Dry January, giving adults a taste of what life is like without booze. Beyond this month of sobriety, a growing percentage of people in the United Statess are also drinking less today overall than at the start of the century, with only 38% of younger adults now classified as regular drinkers.

If you’ve stopped drinking alcohol entirely or are reducing the frequency of your drinking, whether for Dry January or another reason, you may notice a surprising side effect: sugar cravings.

This feeling isn’t an unrelated desire for dessert, and it has been well-documented in research — especially for those who were previously heavier drinkers. A 2022 study of 26 adults with alcohol use disorder found that sugar cravings and sugar consumption “significantly increased” after they received treatment for the condition.

Another analysis in 2016 followed 150 people who were dependent on alcohol and found that those who stopped drinking had “significant changes” in their cravings and consumption of chocolate and other sweets. In fact, those who avoided alcohol for the entire study ate three times more chocolate than those who drank. And yet another study in 2022 of 25 adults who were hospitalized for alcohol use disorder found that participants began craving sweets soon after quitting alcohol.

Related: Why the U.S. Surgeon General Is Calling for Harsher Warnings on Alcohol

“While not a universal experience, increased craving for sugar is very common when people stop drinking or using various drugs,” says Emily Hartwell, PhD, research psychiatrist and assistant professor of psychiatry at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

The connection between quitting alcohol and wanting more sugar isn’t new, but many people aren’t aware of it — and may not even realize that they're seeking out sweets when they slow down on drinking. Here’s everything you need to know about why and how this happens.

Why do some people crave sugar after quitting alcohol?

Because booze impacts multiple parts of your brain and body, there are a few factors that could cause this effect. “Alcohol is known as a ‘dirty drug,’ meaning it impacts a variety of receptors in the brain, including dopamine, GABA and glutamate, opioid, serotonin, and dopamine,” Hartwell says. “Sugar affects some of those same systems, particularly dopamine, in the same brain regions as alcohol.”

Your brain produces dopamine when you drink alcohol, a neurotransmitter that’s associated with pleasure, points out Elisabetta Politi, RD, MPH, a dietician at Duke Health. Your brain is designed to seek enjoyment and rewards, and it simply looks for a new way to experience that when you stop drinking, according to Hartwell. “For many individuals, sugar is a natural reward,” she adds.

Sugar has also been proven to cause a brief increase in dopamine levels, so your brain may be seeking to replace the pleasure chemical it’s now missing. As Politi emphasizes, “It’s not surprising that people might substitute one pleasure-inducing substance with another.”

Similar to seeking a replacement for dopamine, your brain may look to replace lost serotonin — another neurotransmitter that helps make you feel happy and relaxed. Either drinking alcohol or consuming sugar can temporarily increase the serotonin levels in your brain, so if you’re missing that boost from one source, it makes sense that you'd turn to another.

Higher levels of anxiety — which you may feel when quitting alcohol, especially in social situations — can also incite a desire for sugar. So you might be searching for sweets due to stress, a reaction that sounds like something we can all relate to.

How the body changes when you avoid alcohol

The impact of quitting alcohol on your body depends largely on how much alcohol you typically drank in the past, and whether you consumed it on an empty stomach or with food, Politi says. “For example, pairing wine with food is probably not affecting your body as much as if you take it on an empty stomach,” she explains.

Regardless of your habits, there is generally a positive impact on your health when you stop drinking, Hartwell explains. “Alcohol is considered a depressant and impacts a host of systems in the body. Your body is always trying to maintain a constant state, called homeostasis. When you drink, you introduce a new variable that the body has to contend with to get back to that constant state.” But if you stop drinking, your body doesn't have to do as much work to upkeep its state of homeostasis.

Related: A New Report From the National Academies Highlights the Risks and ‘Benefits’ of Moderate Alcohol Use

“While you’re drinking, alcohol can cause increased heart rate, lower blood pressure, alter normal gastrointestinal system functioning, and more,” Harwell says. “Then, when alcohol’s leaving your body, you may feel the opposite effects — lower heart rate, higher blood pressure, etc.”

Alcohol, and avoiding alcohol, can both impact your mental state. As Hartwell points out, “If someone drinks to lower their anxiety, the next day they’re likely feeling more anxious.” Heavy, regular alcohol consumption can also lower your neurotransmitter levels, making anxiety much worse in the long term.

How to cope with sugar cravings linked to quitting alcohol

Again, not everyone has sugar cravings after they stop drinking alcohol. But if you find yourself wanting sweets more than usual, you shouldn’t panic.

“Reducing your drinking is always a healthy thing to do,” Hartwell notes. “If someone compensates with a little extra sugar in the early stages of cutting back on drinking, that’s probably not a problem.”

But if you’re having more sweets than you’d like, there are a few things you can do. One is to be aware of the link between those sugar cravings and your lack of alcohol. “Cravings, while unpleasant, do pass,” Hartwell says. “I always remind patients that cravings tend to be at their worst for about five to 10 minutes and that cravings become less frequent and less strong over time.” She suggests trying to distract yourself by putting on your favorite song or show, going for a walk, or calling a friend.

Related: From Nashville to Paris, Zero-Proof Bottle Shops Cater to the Sober and Sober-Curious

Politi says it’s also really important to maintain a healthy diet during this time, even while you’re having more sweets. “I would recommend having more sweet fruits like strawberries or an apple and trying to avoid processed sweets as much as possible,” she notes. Having dark chocolate may help with sugar cravings too, Politi observes.

Another strategy is to avoid having easily accessible sugary snacks at home, especially when you’ve first stopped drinking. And Hartwell emphasizes that you can experiment with different methods of coping to see what works best for you. Just keep this in mind, per Politi: “Those cravings will go away with time.” 

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