Why Quitting Sugar Feels So Hard

Chapter 49 · Vihang Rahul Vasa

Sugar is not classified as a narcotic, and ordinary sugar consumption is not clinically equivalent to narcotic addiction. However, some research suggests that sugar activates the brain’s reward pathways, releasing dopamine, and that repeated activation may contribute to cravings and habit-like patterns that can feel very hard to break. Knowing this is half the battle: when you understand why you crave sugar, you can consciously choose to break the cycle.

Once I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, the most important thing I learnt was discipline, and I owe this credit entirely to my wife, Dr. Poonam Gupta VASA, who taught me the value of eating right and eating at the right time.

As I mentioned earlier in this book, quitting tobacco and alcohol was surprisingly easy for me. But sugar was another matter altogether. I had never realised, until I tried to give it up, how deeply sugar controls your mind and your daily life. It hides inside every ritual, every celebration, every small comfort you reach for without thinking. Quitting cakes and sweets was manageable: those were occasional indulgences, and I could consciously say no. The real battle was quitting the sugar in my daily tea and coffee, because that was not an indulgence: that was a habit stitched into the rhythm of my day.

I began by gradually reducing the amount of sugar in my coffee, by half a spoon, week by week. Within a couple of days of reaching zero, my taste buds had adjusted, and I could genuinely enjoy my coffee without any sugar at all. The interesting discovery was this: Indian coffee with milk, when taken without sugar, still had enough natural taste that it felt satisfying. But Indian tea with milk, chai, was a completely different story. Chai without sugar felt hollow, bitter, and stripped of its comfort. To this day, sugar-less chai is harder for me than sugar-less coffee, and I have come to accept that some habits take longer than others to release, and that is perfectly alright.

What I truly learnt from this journey was not just about sugar. It was about how quietly and deeply certain habits root themselves in our lives, disguised as small pleasures. And once you begin removing them, one by one, gently and without violence, you discover a version of yourself that is lighter, clearer, and more in control than you ever imagined possible.

(Reference for this chapter, the research on sugar and the brain’s reward pathways, is listed in Appendix B.)

Illustration: Chapter 49 illustrated summary. Small steps can change tastes.

Chapter 49 Small steps can change tastes. Cravings connect to daily habits such as tea, work breaks, snacks and conversation. Gradually reducing added sugar, choosing unsweetened coffee or tea, and patience with family support can help; some habits take longer.

Chapter at a glance: an AI-generated illustration to be read with the chapter, not instead of it. The people shown are not real.