Steve,

thanks for the link. Of all the items on the list of things sugar does in the body, the one most worthy of close attention is #19, which is not just another effect but the REASON people get addicted to sugar in the first place:

"19. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitter called serotonin, which can narrow blood vessels."

Extra serotonin raises the pain threshhold systemically (only 2% of all serotonin receptors are found in the brain, the remaining 98% are spread all over the body). In one study, mice were put on a hot plate, with an option to jump off when it gets too hot. The controls jumped off in 8 seconds. The serotonin-treated mice waited another 19 seconds before they felt any discomfort and jumped off -- by that time their paws were scorching. Mice fed a sugary meal behaved similarly to serotonin-treated mice.

Conclusion: sugar cravings are really painkiller craivings. Straightening up things in one's life that warrant sugaring over all the time in order to be bearable is the most physiological way to lose those cravings.