Some socially acceptable addictive substances like caffeine and sugar affect your brain in the same way as illegal drugs like cocaine and heroine do.

We chatted to bestselling nutrition expert Patrick Holford, writer of the Optimum Nutrition Bible and new addiction-buster How to Quit Without Feeling S**T, about reprogramming your brain to beat addiction.

Can you really be addicted to sugar or coffee in the same way you can be addicted to nicotine?

Absolutely! Addiction is defined as dependency on something. This can be a physiological or psychological dependency. Substances that are considered ‘addictive’ have three attributes: Tolerance – meaning the more a person has, the more a person wants; Dependency – the person feels they ‘need’ the substance; Withdrawal – without the substance they develop symptoms. Both sugar and caffeine fulfil all these criteria. They both affect and promote dopamine, an energising brain chemical – and overuse effectively promotes dopamine deficiency signs of tiredness and lack of motivation as if your get up and go has got up and gone.

What are the negative health effects of being addicted to sugar, coffee or other stimulant drinks?

Caffeine is associated with poor sleep, increased anxiety and aggression. Sugar is associated with weight gain, diabetes, low mood and tiredness, as well as aggression and poor concentration. The two combined are especially bad. Having a coffee with a carbohydrate snack raises blood sugar levels three times more than a carb snack with a decaf.

How can you tell if you’re addicted to caffeine or sugar?

Very simply, when you stop having them for more than 24 hours you get symptoms, including cravings, low energy, mood swings, headaches, sleepiness.

What are the warning signs of addiction in general?

It usually starts with a growing love of the substance, and the ritual. Coffee, chocolate and wine are great but they’re not something to ‘die’ for. When the highlights of your day are built around potentially addictive substances, and when you go out of your way to get them, and the ‘want’ is turning into ‘need’ then you are dependent. However, if it’s not harming anyone (except yourself) you could argue so what? But when you experience painful consequences of your habit, be it the morning after, or related health problems such as obesity, or when your ‘habit’ has consequences for your relationships then it’s really an addiction.

What causes addiction?

The reason we like certain substances – from caffeine to cocaine – is that they mimic the brain’s own feel good chemicals. The trouble is that the substances then hijack the brain so that your brain no longer produces its own feel good chemicals, called neurotransmitters, so you need more and more of the drug to feel normal. After a while without the substance you feel lousy, with it you feel normal, but no longer high, as such. Ultimately the drug hijacks your brain so you think, without it, you will die. No amount of will power can over-rule your brain’s survival mechanism screaming for more drugs.

What are some of the typical withdrawal symptoms associated with giving up an addictive substance?

There’s a difference here between immediate withdrawal symptoms, and those that remain weeks and even months are quitting. These include cravings, increased sensitivity to stress, noise or pain, feeling ‘empty’ or incomplete, not feeling ‘normal’, feeling anxious or shaky, having problems with memory or sleep, experiencing fatigue, mood swings, restlessness and impulsiveness or depression – in short: pain and misery. Depending on the drug, more extreme versions of these symptoms are often experienced on immediate withdrawal.

Do you think it’s true that some people have more addictive personalities and find it harder to beat addictions?

No question. All the research shows that. Some of us are born with what’s called ‘reward deficiency’, with less functional receptors for dopamine, the stuff your brain makes to reward you and make you feel good. These people may have never felt good until they had their first drink or drug. We can also develop addictive personalities through a period of intense stress or trauma, coupled with poor nutrition and excessive drug use. For these people it is sometimes necessary to keep taking specific supplements that support dopamine pathways.

Is it a constant struggle to stay away from the addictive substance after you’ve kicked the habit, or does the urge completely disappear?

In some people it completely disappears, in others it stays for years – until you reprogramme your brain away from addiction.

Is there a “cure” that covers all types of addictions?

Legal, illegal and prescribed drugs all share a similar type of effect on the brain, although ‘uppers’ like caffeine and cocaine effect different neurotransmitters to ‘downers’ such as alcohol or heroin. The missing piece in current approaches to addiction is recognising that your brain becomes programmed for addiction and sitting around in a group and talking about it isn’t going to change that. As a consequence people suffer from what we call ‘abstinence symptoms’ weeks, months and even years after quitting. Most succumb because these symptoms are too hard to live with. That’s why the average success rate of treatment centre is only 20% still clean or sober after a year.

The good news is that, by feeding your brain the exact nutrients, called amino acids that are needed to make its own feel-good chemicals, the abstinence symptoms and craving goes away.

But even non-chemical addictions seem to hijack the brain in a similar way. For example, in one study gamblers were given the amino acid N-acetyl-Cysteine and their desire to gamble reduced. So, when you satisfy the brain’s nutritional needs your desire for the addictive substance or behaviour reduces.

What are some diet and lifestyle changes that can help beat addictions?

The single most important factor is eating a low Glycemic Load diet that keeps your blood sugar level even. This is a precise thing that is easy to learn, and do. For example, always eating protein with slow-releasing carbohydrates – an apple with some nuts – is one simple tip to keep your blood sugar on an even keel. Blood sugar dips lead to cravings.

The second is upping your intake of omega 3 fats. I certainly recommend oily fish three times a week, if not more, but also recommend supplementing them every day. This reduces anxiety and aggression is people with addictions, and lessens cravings.

You’re a nutrition expert – how did you come to write a book on beating addiction?

I trained in psychology before going into nutrition, and worked in various addiction treatment centres so I had first hand experience early on. Working in the field of nutrition it soon becomes obvious that a major driver behind self-destructive eating and drinking habits is addiction. Then I met my co-authors Dr David Miller, former associate professor of addiction studies, and Dr James Braly. They pioneered this nutrition approach and taught me so much. I think ignorance and addiction are the two main causes of the diseases and unhappiness in our society – and now we know a way out.

What are your top tips for staying motivated to beat addiction?

Honestly, read the book. It’s a bit like the film The Matrix. You’ll get why you feel the way you do and, in a way, became a slave to your body’s out of balance chemistry. As soon as you see the whole process it becomes obvious as to how to undo it. Most people have no idea how good they can feel. The book gives you the way out of the trap. The supplements are vital, but you don’t need them forever. They are the way to ’un-addict’ your brain rapidly, backed up with the right diet.

Anything you’d like to add?

What we are saying doesn’t contradict any other valid approaches to addiction. It is simply the missing piece. All behavioural and psychological approaches to quitting addictive substances are going to work better once your get your brain’s chemistry ’un-addicted’. It’s a no brainer.

How to Quit Without Feeling S**T by Patrick Holford with David Miller PhD & Dr James Braly (Piatkus, £16.99) is published 25th September 2008. To buy the book online, visit www.piatkus.co.uk.

The How to Quit tour. See Patrick Holford in person speaking in locations around the UK & Ireland from 29th September – 9th October and find out how your brain becomes addicted and how to ‘un-addict’ it. Visit www.how2quit.co.uk for more information.