I have experience nixing sugar.
The way I see it, processed sugar - white sugar and HFCS - really makes your body go crazy. The more you eat the crazier it gets – it's quite addictive.
It's up to you how you want to approach your sugar busting. Honey has lots of nutrients and doesn't attack your blood sugar level as intensely as processed sugar, but it's still a strong sweetener. Same thing with maple syrup - it's definitely more natural than processed sugar, but it's super strong.
I don't often use sugar substitutes just because they really mess with my taste buds and ruin my appreciation with natural sugar. Most of the time, they make me crave real sugar like mad.
Natural sugars - like the sugar in fruit, has always been okay by me. I think it helps to replace your need for sweet stuff with fruit, and ease your body into a more natural relationship with sugar. Brown Rice Syrup and Date Sugar are both pretty good natural sugars with minimal processing.
Tons of stuff has added sugar. Literally, TONS. It's tough to get used to, but it really puts you on a path headed towards eating mostly whole foods.
Good luck! I hope I was able to help some