Don’t Lick the Spoon: One Girl’s Breakup with Sugar – You know you’ve hit rock bottom when your dog has frosting on his snout, your walls are suspiciously glazed, and you wake up with sprinkles in your hair, unsure if you went to bed or blacked out in a bakery. Hi, I’m Dr. Cali Estes—and I’m in recovery from sugar addiction. Let me tell you, my relationship with sugar was less “cute craving” and more “toxic situation with sprinkles.”
Let me paint you a picture.
It was a Thursday night. All the girls had gone to Ladies’ Night—heels on, lashes curled, cosmos clinking. And me? I came home alone. Again. Tired, single, and emotionally bruised from a week of pretending I was fine when I wasn’t. So, I did what any grown woman with access to butter and unresolved childhood trauma would do: I baked a vanilla cake.
At first, I told myself it was “just to unwind.” One slice, maybe two. Ten minutes later, I was on the kitchen floor, cross-legged, eating that thing straight out of the pan with my bare hands like a sugar-deprived raccoon in yoga pants. No fork. No dignity. Just me and that cake, trying to process my abandonment issues one bite at a time.
It’s Not You, It’s Biochemistry (Okay, It’s Also the Cake)
We love to joke about being addicted to sugar. “I’m a total chocoholic!” “Don’t leave me alone with that cheesecake!” But for some of us, it’s not funny—it’s real. Sugar can hijack your brain like a pro. It triggers the same reward pathways as drugs like cocaine, lighting you up with dopamine and temporarily making the world feel less like a trash fire.
And the kicker? Sugar is everywhere. It’s in your morning coffee creamer, your protein bar, your “healthy” yogurt. You practically need a private investigator to avoid it. And because it’s legal, cheap, and socially celebrated, no one bats an eye when you’re on your fourth cookie before noon. They just hand you a fifth.
Don’t Lick the Spoon—That’s How the Spiral Starts
Here’s the thing: I wasn’t eating that cake because I was hungry. I was eating it because I was hurting. Because I felt alone. Because life felt unfair and exhausting and a little too quiet. And in that moment, sugar wasn’t food—it was therapy, attention, love, and control.
But like any toxic relationship, it came with a crash. After the sugar high fades? Boom: bloating, fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, guilt, and a heavy dose of “What the actual hell just happened?”
That’s the sneaky power of emotional eating. You think you’re treating yourself, but really, you’re numbing yourself. Sugar just happens to be wrapped in sprinkles instead of warning labels.
Cupcakes Are Basically a Public Health Crisis (Fight Me)
Our culture doesn’t help. In fact, it makes sugar addiction almost impossible to escape. Sad? Ice cream. Happy? Cake. Bored? Chocolate. Alive? Sugar.
Can you imagine if we normalized cocaine the way we do cupcakes? “Oh, it’s Cheryl’s birthday—let’s do a little bump after lunch.” Ridiculous, right? But no one questions a box of donuts in the break room or a post-breakup pint of ice cream. Sugar is the only socially acceptable addiction that’s encouraged from childhood.
How to Break Up with Sugar Without Crying in the Baking Aisle
So… how do you stop licking the spoon? First, you drop the shame. Sugar addiction isn’t about weakness. It’s about a chemical, emotional, and behavioral pattern that’s wired into your brain—and reinforced by society. You didn’t fail. You were set up.
Here’s how to start breaking free:
- Balance your blood sugar. Add protein, fiber, and healthy fats to your meals. It stabilizes your cravings and energy.
- Drink water like you mean it. Half your cravings are actually dehydration disguised as hunger.
- Move your body. Even a walk can boost your mood and decrease cravings.
- Sleep. I repeat: sleep. Exhaustion makes your brain desperate for quick energy—aka sugar.
- Notice your triggers. Is it sadness? Stress? Loneliness? That one ex who keeps texting “hey” at 11 PM?
- Ask for support. You don’t have to white-knuckle this alone.
From Kitchen Floor Meltdowns to Helping Others Heal
Here’s the truth: I’ve been there. I’ve stood in the pantry hiding candy wrappers. I’ve eaten frosting off a butter knife like it was a lifeline. I’ve licked the spoon, the bowl, and the cake stand—searching for comfort I didn’t know how to find anywhere else.
But I made it out. And now, I help others do the same.
I’m Dr. Cali Estes, founder of The Addictions Coach, and I specialize in helping people break free from sugar and processed food addiction—without shame, judgment, or boring meal plans. I bring the tools, the strategy, and yes, a sense of humor—because recovery doesn’t have to feel like punishment.
If you’re tired of feeling out of control around food, if your dog has frosting flashbacks, or if you just want to finally feel good in your body and brain again—come find me.
Visit our website and take the first step toward food freedom.
Because you deserve better than kitchen floor cake.
You deserve healing. You deserve energy. You deserve a life that’s sweet… without licking the spoon.
Get Dr. Cali Estes’s Book
Well, you know it ends. The question is, how did we get here? The saying goes, ‘There are only three ways out of addiction: death, institutions, and jail.’ Tim managed all of them in one lifetime.
This book is the raw, uncut truth behind what happened that led to his death. Multiple overdoses, car crashes, hit-and-runs, police arrests, and even SWAT were no match for his addiction. If that doesn’t shock you, what happened AFTER he died will.
Authors Note:
Ready to learn more about how to create abundance, wealth, and happiness? Our UnPause your Life Knowledge Nuggets are easily digestible bites of wisdom to help you achieve your goals of wealth, abundance, and happiness. Define you, not break you, as you step into the new year.
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