What a fascinating last hour or two I’ve had. Google Alerts — the wonderful service that tracks any articles that have specific key words you’re tracking — has been keeping me quite busy.
You see, with my book SUGAR SHOCK! on the horizon — as in less than two months away from bookstore shelves — I like to keep a look-out for any mention of the phrase. (Which I’m sure you can understand. I’m rather partial to the term, "SUGAR SHOCK!")
Well, apparently with Halloween coming and going this week, all around the U.S. and Canada, people have been confessing and discussing how:
- They got or gave out a bunch of candy Tuesday night.
- They’re recovering from their big night — or two or three – of candy gorging. Yeah, apparently some (many?) just haven’t been able to stop since getting their sugary loot. (Sounds familiar!)
- They’ve been dazed by a state of sugar shock.
In short, all across America and Canada, people’s poor bodies and minds are reeling from all that sugar-laced candy.
There’s Mark Goldberg, a telcom communications consultant from Canada, who on Wednesday ‘fessed up to getting over "Halloween candy-induced sugar shock."
Meanwhile, Mel, his fellow Canadian with a blog dubbed Character Development, wailed, in an entry dubbed "Sugar Shock":
"Huh?…..Wha? What happened?" I’d woken up on the couch- or I guess I should say I’d come out of a coma on the couch. A sugar-induced coma. It was 11pm last night and the last thing I remember is settling down to watch CSI NY… after having consumed countless mini-chocolate bars from Lola’s Trick-or-Treat bag. When I regained consciousness I lay there for a few minutes trying to get my bearings, and I thought to myself: this is what it must feel like to die."
He then makes the fascinating revelation: "Halloween candy is just evil. There’s no other word for it."
Then, over at The Live Journal for Nyne and the Mehrt, the latter remarked, "How was Halloween, cause I think it’s obvious. I’m still in sugar shock right now."
Well, you get the idea about the post-Halloween talk.
Wait, actually, to me the most sad remark came from what seems to be a kid named Ben on a blog entititled "The Super Adventures of Ben and Noah":
You see, clearly, this child is too innocent and young to realize that all those sweets can have a sour effect on your health and moods.
"I have more candy than I have ever had in my whole life. I think it could last the entire year. This morning Noah and I decided that we can only have 1 piece a day. I think it is cool that we get candy from people we do not know just for dressing up.
"The end"
While I can appreciate his elated sentiments, I just hope he can stick to this one-piece-a-day goal. I know for a fact that millions out there just can’t.
Anyhow, the bottom line is this: While these eloquent bloggers and writers were ‘fessing up to their sugary sins for one or couple of nights, all across the world, millions are slipping and sliding into a state of SUGAR SHOCK! on a regular basis.
To them, lots of candy on a regular basis is just no big deal. Which means they’re gonna be suffering from symptoms galore.
(Alas, I can attest to that — back in 1998, at the height of my Sugar Shrew/Sugar Zombie days, nibbling and noshing on sweets throughout the day was my M.O., which, of course, ultimately led to 44 unpleasant symptoms. You can read my sad, but silly, sugar story in Chapter 1 of my upcoming book SUGAR SHOCK!)
But there is hope. Take it from me, the "Sugar Shrew No More!" I don’t need any Halloween candy now. I get jazzed up by healthy foods. Trust me, as I like to say, Life is Sweeter Without Refined Sweets.™