For most of us, we often associate chocolate with our childhood. Either chocolate was forbidden or used as a treat to reward us for doing something good, either way, it made this sugary luxury desirable. Maybe you associate chocolate with happy times, with comfort or if you weren’t allowed it very often, with a sense of excitement?

Here’s the problem though: We know too much sugar is bad for us. But trying to reduce the amount of thing we eat isn’t easy!

For many of us, giving up chocolate seems all but impossible. We can break the habit for a few days or weeks. But before we know it, we’re back to snacking on it throughout the day.

If you’ve struggled to kick your chocolate addiction you’re not alone!

Avoiding temptation can only do so much! The sugar contained in chocolate reprograms your brain and creates its intense cravings. Research shows that, when consumed in excess, it reprograms our brains.

How? Eating sugar triggers the production and release of addiction-forming chemicals in the body. These chemicals stimulate feelings of pleasure, relaxation and comfort. Over time, the brain learns that the body needs sugar to function which you are getting from chocolate.

In other words, sugar addiction is very real! Studies have shown that sugar is as addictive as street drugs like cocaine and heroin. That’s serious stuff! so is no wonder it’s so difficult to cut sugar from our diets.

Willpower alone isn’t enough to cure our chocolate addictions. The reason is that sugar addiction is rooted deep in the unconscious mind. Our subconscious has developed a positive attachment to sugary foods and drinks. The bottom line is, without changing these subconscious associations, we aren’t getting to the root cause of our sugar habit, so we are programmed to fail.

Sugar addiction doesn’t happen overnight. It develops over many years. Yet, there’s some compelling science to what’s forming the addiction. Sugar hijacks your body’s biochemical systems, and when we eat a lot of sugar, the body’s natural mechanisms to control cravings gets thrown out the window. An excess of sugar affects the production of three important biochemicals:

Serotonin - When you eat refined sugars, your body produces and releases serotonin. Serotonin helps to control mood and relieve pain. Over time, the subconscious mind learns to associate sugar intake with feelings of comfort, reduced pain and/or calm. This complex biochemical process can, therefore, explain one reason stress causes weight gain – we use chocolate, sweets, and sugary foods to comfort ourselves.

Dopamine - Sugar addiction also disrupts the brain’s production of dopamine. Dopamine generates feelings of pleasure we experience after eating a sugary snack like chocolate. But over time, the brain builds up a tolerance. Therefore, you need to consume more sugar to achieve the same sense of pleasure, which reinforces this cycle of addiction.

Ghrelin - When you’re hungry, the body releases ghrelin, a chemical that tells the body it’s time to eat. Stress and lack of sleep can cause overproduction of ghrelin. But here’s why ghrelin can reinforce your sugar cravings; people who are hungry instinctively seek out high-sugar, energy-dense foods. The problem is that a lot of sugary foods like chocolate have been shown to spike ghrelin levels, resulting in unwanted weight gain.

Hypnotherapy offers a solution for reversing these subconscious urges. Through hypnosis, you can begin to examine how your subconscious views sugar and provide it with new information to change habits.

So, what are you waiting for? If you want to make a positive change in your life, do so today.

Once you’ve purchased your hypnotherapy courses, you’ll be sent a link via email or you can access your videos by logging into “my account” located on the menu bar.

Get yourself comfortable and make sure you won’t be disturbed. Turn off all mobile devices, radio and other distractions where possible. It’s important to set aside 1 hour of quiet time, this will allow you to immerse yourself into the session.

For maximum relaxation, we recommend you find somewhere quiet to lay down, but if you would rather sit in an armchair, it’s important to make sure your head and neck are properly supported.

Please try to use a speaker wherever possible rather than headphones, as these may distract you from the session if they become uncomfortable.

Need more information on hypnotherapy? Visit the NHS hypnotherapy treatment page.