Recently, I tried going a week without chocolate. Key word: tried.

I was hoping the cravings and constant desire would subside, but now I’m back to square one. A metaphorical square, not an actual square from a Hershey's bar ... just wanted to clarify that.

Day one was easy. I was motivated and determined to glide through the week with no problems. I was a little sad I couldn’t have some chocolate while I studied, but I got over it pretty quickly with little thought.

Day two, however, took a turn for the worst.

The first 7 hours were a piece of cake and I owe it all to a thing called sleep. I slept fine and didn’t have any crazy deprivation dreams that addicts usually get once they give up their addiction. I’m just relived I didn’t dream of falling in Willy Wonka’s chocolate river, like Augustus Gloop.

It was only 7:00 am, so naturally, the only thing I wanted was a stifling hot cup of black coffee.

The caffeine stayed in my system through my classes that morning and not until 12:00 pm did I start to crave it; and by it, I mean the sinfully tasteful chocolate. However, I stuck to my goal and pushed out all toxic thoughts that entered my mind.

I pictured our reunion a week later and me happily popping a Hershey’s kiss into my mouth without a care in the world.

This image helped me get through the rest of my classes and my next real craving started around 8:00 pm. This one felt stronger than the last. I needed new techniques and tactics to stop the enemy from winning this time.

My first move was to eat something else. I logged into Pinterest and hurriedly typed, “What to eat when you’re craving chocolate?” in the search bar at the top of the screen. I clicked on the first pin that popped up on the screen and learned that my body was craving magnesium, which is found in nuts, fruits, and legumes. Since I’m basically allergic to the world, fruits were the only safe option for me. I ate an apple, strawberries and grapes, but still needed more.

I waited a solid half hour and finally accepted defeat. It was 10:00 pm and at this point I was in full panic mode. I thought about Brookside Dark Chocolate Acai and Blueberry Flavors, plain 75% dark chocolate bars, and classic Hershey Kisses, but those were no longer an option. I had no time to run to the store or even waste another minute searching, so I settled. I settled for three hardened tootsie rolls that have been sitting in the bottom of my roommates candy machine for over a year, maybe longer. I hit a low point in my life and those three sad questionable pieces of “chocolate” didn’t satisfy my overwhelming want, or rather need for more sweets.

So, I finally threw up the white flag and convinced myself it was okay to “treat myself” as I grabbed my wallet and headed over to the candy section at Wal-Mart.