By Mike, The SugarFreeMan
Founder of SugarDetox.com and the 30-Day Sugar Freedom Challenge

The march to the holidays continues. Are you ready? Are the office and holiday parties getting you down?

I know how hard it can be to make it through an office party or a family gathering and watch your sugar too.

Every office I ever worked in was just saturated in sugar. Every home I go to is the same.

One of the craziest things-because a lot of my work is online-is people I do business with, vendors and such, send me these large Christmas baskets. I mean big ones! They are full of every kind of cookie, candy, sweet, snack food, and alcohol you can imagine.

I used to just give them away to the staff, but now they’re at the house! So I’ve taken to donating them (minus the alcohol) to different charities to raffle or use as they see fit.

After 35 years sugar-free and helping tens of thousands of people navigate the holidays, I’m going to give you something most people have never received: actual permission to say no. Not just to others, but to yourself. And a little tough love about waiting for January 1st to start living the life you want.

This article was review by Dr. Camela McGrath, MD, FACOG. Find more about her here

The “Last Hoorah” Before Treatment Syndrome

It’s funny really, in this time of infinite sweets that we call the holidays. Then to have the New Year looming right behind it, and a lot of us will be attempting to quit or cut back on sugar in our resolutions.

We always see the “get drunk before going into treatment syndrome.”

You know the one where folks have made the decision to stop using alcohol or drugs, they’ve set a date to start treatment, and now they are on their “last hoorah.”

It feels a little like that for the holidays.

People stop opening our emails. Nobody writes us during this time. I get it. It’s human nature.

What the Last Hoorah Actually Is

The “last hoorah” mentality is your addicted brain’s final negotiation tactic:

• “I’m going to quit after the holidays anyway, so I might as well go all out now.”
• “This is my last chance to enjoy sugar, so I’m going to make it count.”
• “January 1st is the real start date, so December doesn’t matter.”

This thinking guarantees two things:

1. You’ll overconsume during the holidays
Way more than you would if you weren’t in “last hoorah” mode. You’re not enjoying it-you’re binging because you believe it’s your last chance.

2. January 1st will be harder
You’ll arrive depleted, overweight, in full physical withdrawal, and disgusted with yourself. That’s not a position of strength for starting something difficult.

Why People Stop Reading Us During the Holidays

People stop opening our emails. Nobody writes us during this time.

I get it. It’s human nature.

But here’s what’s really happening: you’re avoiding us because we represent the truth you don’t want to face right now.

Reading emails about sugar addiction while you’re actively binging creates cognitive dissonance. It’s uncomfortable. So you avoid it.

But avoidance doesn’t change reality. January 1st is still coming. Your body is still processing all that sugar. The consequences are still accumulating.

You can ignore us. But you can’t ignore your body, your weight, your energy, your health, or the promises you made to yourself.

The Tough Love You Need to Hear

It’s a little like preaching to the choir if you’re still reading, but this is about my only words of tough love:

STOP IT!

• Stop waiting for January 1st.
• Stop giving yourself permission to binge because “the holidays.”
• Stop believing there’s something magical about a calendar date.
• Stop making excuses.
• Stop lying to yourself.

There’s Nothing Magic About January 1st

Every day is just that-a 24-hour day. There is no magic about January 1st. None.

January 1st won’t make quitting sugar easier. If anything, it makes it harder because you’ll arrive:

• Physically dependent on sugar again after weeks of heavy use
• Heavier than you are now
• Exhausted from holiday stress and poor sleep
• Disappointed in yourself for not having self-control
• Part of a crowd of millions making the same resolution, most of whom will fail by February

The best time to quit sugar was 20 years ago. The second-best time is today.

Not January 1st. Not “after the holidays.” Not Monday. Today.

Lifestyle Change vs. Another Diet

This way of being becomes a lifestyle change, not another diet.

Diets have start dates and end dates. Lifestyles just… are.

When you approach sugar as “I’m starting a diet January 1st,” you’re already positioning it as temporary.

When you approach it as “I’m making a lifestyle change starting today,” it’s permanent.

The holidays don’t pause lifestyle changes. If you’re truly making a lifestyle change, you start living it now-not after some arbitrary date.

Don’t Fall for the “Just One” Trap

Don’t fall for the “you can have just one” family members who mean well but just don’t know what’s going on with you.

They don’t understand sugar addiction. They don’t know you can’t have “just one.”

But “just one” is never just one. Not for a sugar addict.

“Just one” becomes “just one more,” which becomes “I already ruined it,” which becomes a binge, which becomes “I’ll start over January 1st.”

You know this pattern. You’ve lived it before.

Why are you considering it again?

If you’re tired of waiting for January 1st to start living the life you want, join our 30-Day Sugar Detox Challenge now:

The Permission You’ve Been Waiting For

I hereby give you absolutely free and overriding permission to say no-politely but firmly-to any offer of sugar products over the next two weeks, especially to yourself.

Why does this matter?

Because no one ever gave you permission before.

Your Official Permission Slip

You have permission to:

• Say no to sugar-without explanation or guilt
• Say no to yourself
• Disappoint people
• Be “difficult”
• Not explain yourself
• Prioritize your health
• Leave food on your plate
• Skip dessert-even at Grandma’s
• Bring your own food
• Leave early
• Start today instead of January 1st

This permission does not expire.

What “No” Sounds Like

• “No thank you, I’m good.”
• “I appreciate the offer, but I’m not eating sugar right now.”
• “It looks delicious, but no thanks.”
• “Not today, but thank you.”

Firm. Polite. Final.

Say Yes to Your Future

Every time you say no to sugar, you’re saying yes to:

• Health
• Energy
• Mental clarity
• Self-respect
• Freedom
• Natural weight loss
• Longevity
• Being present

Saying no to sugar isn’t deprivation. It’s saying yes to everything you actually want.

The Bottom Line

I’m giving you two things:

1. Permission to say no
2. Tough love about waiting

You can arrive at January 1st proud of yourself – or depleted and disgusted.

You have permission to choose differently.

Say yes to your future.
Say no to sugar.
Start today.

Start the 30-Day Sugar Detox Challenge now – no waiting, no guilt.

About the Author

Mike Collins, known as The SugarFreeMan, has been sugar-free for over 35 years and is the founder of SugarDetox.com. He has helped tens of thousands of people break free from sugar addiction using an evidence-based, behavior-focused approach.

Medical Disclaimer

This article is for educational purposes only and does not replace professional medical advice. Always consult a healthcare provider before making dietary changes.

FAQ

Q: Why do people need explicit permission to say no to holiday sugar? A: People, especially women, are socialized to be accommodating and avoid disappointing others. Saying no to food feels rude or like rejection. This creates a guilt cycle: guilty if you eat sugar (breaking self-promises) and guilty if you don’t (disappointing the offerer). Explicit permission breaks this cycle by giving external validation that prioritizing your health over others’ feelings is not only acceptable but necessary.

Q: What is the “last hoorah before treatment syndrome” with holiday sugar? A: This is when people decide to quit sugar January 1st, then use that future date as permission to binge during holidays (“I’m quitting anyway, so I’ll go all out now”). This guarantees two outcomes: massive overconsumption during holidays (more than if not in “last chance” mode) and arriving January 1st depleted, overweight, in withdrawal, and disgusted – the worst position for starting something difficult.

Q: Why isn’t January 1st a magic date for quitting sugar? A: Every day is just 24 hours – there’s nothing special about January 1st. If anything, starting January 1st is harder because you arrive: physically dependent on sugar after weeks of heavy use, heavier than before holidays, exhausted from stress, disappointed in yourself, and part of millions making the same resolution (most failing by February). The best time to quit was 20 years ago; second-best is today, not some arbitrary future date.

Q: What should I say when people offer me sugar during the holidays? A: Use firm, polite, final phrases without lengthy explanations or apologies: “No thank you, I’m good,” “I appreciate the offer, but I’m not eating sugar right now,” “It looks delicious, but no thanks,” “I’ve already eaten, but thank you,” or “Not today, but thank you for thinking of me.” These phrases include no apologies, detailed health disclosures, or openings for negotiation. “No thank you” is a complete sentence.

Q: How do broken promises to yourself affect self-trust and recovery? A: You wouldn’t break promises to boss, spouse, or friends without consequences, yet people break self-promises constantly. Every broken promise (“I won’t eat sugar today,” “I’ll start Monday”) erodes self-trust. Every kept promise builds it. You can’t have self-respect without self-trust, and you can’t have self-trust while lying to yourself. Start keeping promises by making smaller specific ones that begin today, not in the future.

Q: What message do we send kids when we give “free reign” to binge on holiday sugar? A: We teach children: sugar equals love and celebration, binging is normal and acceptable, body signals don’t matter, food regulates emotions, “special occasion” rules mean health doesn’t count, and starting over on arbitrary dates is how change works. This sets them up for the same struggles, yo-yo cycles, and broken sugar relationships adults have. Saying no models that prioritizing health, having boundaries, and being different are all acceptable.