After 45 minutes
Your body begins producing more dopamine . This is a hormone that stimulates the brain’s “reward center.” Notice that the same reaction would occur after taking heroin. And that’s not the only similarity between sugar and drugs. Sugar can also be addictive. So much so, that one study found that sugar is more addictive than cocaine. [4] It’s no coincidence, then, that a “drug addict” about to drink a Coke has the same fever as a drug addict in withdrawal.
After 1 hour
Blood sugar levels plummet (hypoglycemia), and energy levels, both physical and mental, plummet. To avoid this avalanche of problems, the only real solution is to drink water.
“I am not a potted plant!”
It’s hard to go back to drinking water when you’ve spent years accustomed to sweet or at least flavored drinks (coffee, tea, wine, beer, etc.). You think you can’t settle for the bland taste of water anymore. “I’m not a houseplant!” “Water is for footbaths!” you might say at the table, grabbing a bottle of red wine. In reality, the problem often lies deeper than taste. People who don’t drink water often don’t feel thirsty. And if they don’t, it’s usually due to lack of exercise. When you’ve worked up a good sweat, at work or while playing sports, drinking a few glasses of water isn’t just necessary—it’s an extraordinary pleasure. My caring mother enrolled my older brother and me in a judo club. There were forty of us, kids crammed into a 30-square-meter municipal hall, lit by fluorescent lights and lined with tatami mats, ventilated only by a narrow skylight. After an intense warm-up, during which we had to jump, run, and then do a series of push-ups and sit-ups, the instructor had us practice grappling, standing, and ground fighting, and finally (this was the best part!) we played a huge game of “Ludo,” where we sat on a teammate’s back and had to knock the others to the ground. At the end of the session, red-faced, panting, and sweaty, we ran to the locker room, where, above the large sinks next to the urinals, were push-button taps that flowed hot water—and in that moment, it was so delicious! The awful smell of the latrines didn’t stop any of us from filling our stomachs with delight. Those in a hurry put their mouths directly to the tap, while others, more civilized, cupped their hands and lapped up the precious liquid without pausing for breath. It gives me chills to think of the amount of mucus and germs exchanged during this time. Anyway, I don’t remember ever drinking anything better than the water from the toilet in our judo club.
