You’re Not Addicted to Sugar — You’re Addicted to Memories

November 06, 2025

Honesty? Yep! Let's do it!

You’re not sneaking that slice of sweet potato pie because your body needs it.
You’re reaching for it because a piece of your childhood lives in it.

That sugar rush?
It’s a rush of memories—of Ma/Madea humming in the kitchen.
Of feeling safe, loved, seen.
Of a time before bills, breakups, burnout, or betrayal.

This is why you crave certain foods during the holidays.
It’s not just emotional eating. It’s emotional remembering.
Sugar becomes a shortcut to joy. A way to feel full when you feel… empty.

Thing is...

You’re not addicted to sugar.
You’re addicted to how it makes you feel.

You’re chasing the comfort, the nostalgia, the escape.
That moment where everything slows down and your taste buds scream,

“This is love.”

But is it?

The Truth About Attachment Eating

Psychology calls it “conditioned emotional response.”
That means your body links a feeling to a food—and the cycle sticks.
Especially when grief, stress, or loneliness sneak in.

So the pie isn’t just pie anymore.

It’s:

• The hug you haven’t had in months

• The conversation you never got closure from

• The family tradition you don’t want to let go of

And that’s why you eat… even when you’re not hungry.

The Real Problem Isn’t Willpower — It’s Wiring.

The part of your brain that stores emotional memories (the amygdala)
also lights up during cravings.

So it’s not weakness. It’s wiring.

And that wiring gets especially loud this time of year—
when the holidays shine a spotlight on what’s missing.

The shift...

You can honor the memory…without repeating the habit.

3 Truths to Take With You This Week:

1. Your comfort food has a story. Don’t shame yourself for craving. Ask what memory it’s tied to.
2. You can create new rituals. Nostalgia can live in tea, in music, in memories that don’t make you sick.
3. Healing doesn’t mean forgetting. You can love Ma/Madea and still remix the recipe.

You don’t have to cancel the tradition.
But maybe you cancel the inflammation.

 Oooh $h*t! Sorry, not sorry, but literally said this outloud as I write.

Ok, back to it...

Maybe you upgrade the sugar crash into soul nourishment.
Maybe you keep the love and leave the dis-ease.

You’re not just breaking food habits.
You’re breaking emotional attachments that no longer serve you.

And that, my love, is sacred work.

Quick Reflection:
What “sugar story” do you keep telling yourself every year?
Write it down. Then ask:
“Is this about sweetness… or something deeper?”

This season, don’t just break up with sugar.
Break up with the story that says you need it to feel whole.

You are already whole.

-Dr. Denise THINKS💚

#FedUpJourney #ThinkDifferent #ComfortFoodTruths #MemoryCravings #HolidayHealing