As the Nutrition Network launches its groundbreaking Professional Training in Sugar and Carbohydrate Addiction, the spotlight turns inward—to the powerful, lived experiences of two women who have battled and overcome the grips of sugar addiction. Their stories not only illuminate the harsh realities of this underdiagnosed condition but also underscore the urgent need for clinical, evidence-based addiction care.
What Sugar Addiction Really Looks Like: Two Women, One Truth
Tia Reid and Åsa Pääjärvi, both now in long-term recovery, speak openly about their decades-long struggle with sugar and carbohydrate addiction. Their experiences offer critical insight into what sugar addiction looks like beneath the surface and why it requires much more than willpower to overcome.
Wired for Addiction: It Starts in Childhood
Addiction didn’t begin in adulthood. Both women trace their sugar dependency back to early childhood. Tia recalls sneaking sugary orange slices at age five. For Åsa, sugary berry juice was more appealing than solid food by age two. These were the first signs of a neurochemical dependency, not just a sweet tooth.
“It was like my brain had made a six-lane highway for addiction by the time I was a teenager.” – Åsa
What followed was a progression into multiple addictions nicotine, alcohol, overwork showcasing a classic case of Addiction Interaction Disorder. This disorder is now recognized in leading diagnostic manuals, including the DSM-5 and ICD-11.
Sugar Addiction Is a Brain-Based Disorder
Tia’s health began deteriorating rapidly. She was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, hypertension, depression, sleep apnea, and adrenal insufficiency. Her body was in crisis, and her spirit followed.
Åsa described the experience as being completely taken over:
“I was eating myself to sleep.”
Recovery periods were always temporary. Addiction would morph from food to alcohol to excessive work. The message is clear: sugar addiction is not a character flaw, but a chronic brain condition.
Turning Points: Naming the Problem
For Tia, the breakthrough came with Dr. Robert Cywes, who identified her condition as carbohydrate addiction. That diagnosis brought relief finally, a name for what she was battling.
Åsa’s life began to change when she met Bitten Jonsson, an internationally recognized sugar addiction expert. For the first time, someone said: “It’s not your fault. Your brain is different.”
Recovery Tools That Actually Work
Both women found freedom through a multifaceted recovery plan:
- Total abstinence from trigger foods
- High-fat, low-carb diets focused on protein and animal-based nutrition
- No snacking, recognizing it as emotional eating
- Strong support systems (coaching, peer groups, online check-ins)
- Biochemical repair, including supplements and sleep hygiene
- Daily recommitment to their recovery plan
“You can’t do it alone. You need a food plan. You need help. You need your team.” – Åsa
Where They Are Now
Tia now works as a certified health coach, helping others understand their own sugar addiction. Åsa, many years into recovery, continues to educate and advocate in the global addiction space. Neither claims to be “cured,” but both live in sustainable recovery.
Why Nutrition Network’s Training Matters
Tia now lectures as part of Nutrition Network’s new Professional Training in Sugar Addiction. Drawing from real-life experiences, this three-level training includes:
- Addictive Eating Training (Level 1) – 15 CPD HOURS
- Professional Training in Sugar & Carb Addiction (Level 2)
- Advanced Diagnostic Tools & SUGAR® Certification (Level 3) – The course uses the SUGAR® Diagnostic Tool, a globally recognized system grounded in DSM-5 and ICD-11 criteria, making it one of the most robust, evidence-based offerings in the field.
Whether you’re a coach, clinician, or someone struggling with sugar yourself, this training gives you the tools to recognize, screen, diagnose, and treat sugar addiction with precision and compassion.
A Message for Practitioners and Addicts Alike
This blog is for everyone: the exhausted mother hiding chocolate in her drawer, the doctor prescribing more insulin without understanding why the patient keeps gaining weight, the teenager confused by their constant cravings.
If you are a practitioner, this training will transform how you treat chronic disease, obesity, and mental health.If you are an addict, know this: you are not broken. You are not alone. There is a way out.
Learn more about the Professional Training in Sugar and Carbohydrate Addiction and sign up today:
https://nutrition-network.org/online-training/professional-training-carbohydrate-and-sugar-addiction/
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