Modified post. Read the edit at the buttom.
Now, call me crazy, I don't think so! I have been an addict and I know how it is to be an addict, but I don't think sugar is as addictive as cocaine. And I really am frustrated with people who say such things.
This notion that it's as addictive drives me crazy! I mean, imagine someone gullible who says, well, "I can control my addiction to ice cream, heck I can go without ice cream for months, if it's as addictive as cocaine, why not give cocaine a chance? It's not like it's gonna destroy me or something?" Yeah, I have once been this gullible (when I was younger) and I hate this.
I do crave sugar and I do occasionally (once per week and sometimes twice a month) buy sugary treats/lays packet (5 Indian Rupees, smallest one) to quench that craving, but I refuse to believe that it is as addictive as cocaine or any other drugs. PS: My last lays packet was 45 ago and I am fine, and this is the most addictive substance I have consumed.
I am pretty some people here have been addicted to cocaine (truly no judgement, I hope you are sober now), so what say you?
PS: If you haven't been addicted to anything drastic as drugs, you are still welcome to chip in.
edit: thank you all for adding greater context.
I realize now that when they talk about sugar, they are not just talking abt lays and ice creams, but sugar in general. I get the studies now. But media is doing a terrible job of reporting on studies.
Also, the media depiction of scientific studies is really the worst. I mean, they make claims which garbage and/or incomplete data or publish articles on studies which make more alarming claims. Also, maybe wait for a consensus before you publish anything, i.e., don't publish anything which isn't peer reviewed and replicated multiple times. Yes, your readers might miss out on the latest and greatest, but it isn't really helpful if the latest and greatest studies in science aren't peer reviewed and backed up well by data.
I feel like a headline "SUGAR IS AS ADDICTIVE AS COCAINE" can and will be life destroying if you don't give enough information. I feel like there should be an ethical responsibility to not sensationalize studies, maybe instead of "SUGAR IS AS ADDICTIVE AS COCAINE" give a headline like "Sugar and Addiction, what science says."
also, https://i.imgur.com/VrBgrjA.png ss of bing chat gpt answering the question.
some articles: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/aug/25/is-sugar-really-as-addictive-as-cocaine-scientists-row-over-effect-on-body-and-brain
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/experts-is-sugar-addictive-drug
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/cravings/202209/is-sugar-addictive
https://brainmd.com/blog/what-do-sugar-and-cocaine-have-in-common/
I'll start with saying I have pretty mediocre willpower.
I can definitely understand saying you're "addicted" to sugar. I find it really hard to resist going for sugary treats, and it takes a substantial effort to make better snack choices.
But I can put some honey in my yogurt in the morning and not go on a sugary bender, so I feel like it can't be as bad as hard drugs.
There's a difference between not adding sugar to your diet, and going no sugar. If you do keto for a week, you'll hit that sugar addiction wall hardcore.
You are dosing sugar with every meal, and with most in between snacks.
You likely couldnt make it a week properly cutting sugar from your diet. Most cant.
There's a bit of social conditioning to it. If I put whiskey in my coffee every morning, people would be concerned, if I put a few pumps of syrup in I'm bougie. Sugar is a normalized addiction.
And not too long ago the whiskey would also have been considered ok.
In some jobs (e.g. sales) it's considered essential to the job to be able to drink a lot.
At least where I am from, alcoholism is in many contexts still normalized.
Luckily, this is slowly changing.
Well sugar doesn't inebriate you so that's not a fair comparison at all. You're not gonna accidentally kill someone while driving under the influence of sugar.
In some countries people with uncontrolled diabetes are not allowed to drive vehicles because they can lose control and kill people. It's a bit of a stretch but it is related to sugar intake
Depends on the amount of sugar ;)
If you go into a sugar coma while driving, that could be very dangerous.
But sugar has a very wide range between the amount that it takes to have a nice effect and the amount it takes to have severe accute consequences.
Alcohol has a much narrower range.
That's also what makes Nutmeg such a bad drug, because it doesn't take much more of it for a lethal dose than the amount you need for a good high.