The only thing that worked for me was cutting it out cold turkey. I didn't just cut out sugar, though, I cut out artificial sweeteners too at the same time. I also stopped fruit for about a week (but then introduced fresh fruit only afterwards). I did that for about 6 months.
After 6 months I started eating some sugar again and had the occasional diet coke. It took a bit of practice to find the right balance so I wouldn't binge again but I've gotten there over time. I still don't like keeping sweets in the house but I can do it if it's not one of my favorites now. However, things like M&M and chocolate bars are still banned.
Recognizing it as an addiction was a really important first step for me. I just treated it like I know how alcoholics treat alcohol. I cut it out cold turkey and forced my body to get used to it. I do cook with natural sweeteners now (although not right away at the beginning) and it took some testing to find the right amount in recipes (I normally cut the amount of sweetener in half from what the recipe calls for) and testing what sweeteners taste best in what recipes.