Carbohydrates range from complex to simple. Fiber to sugar. Something like white rice is closer to the simple side, and breaks down into sugars upon digestion. Other more complex carbohydrates break down much more slowly, or in the case of fiber not at all, which eliminates the sugar load on your system.

So, the giving up of some rice could be the next step to giving up sugar, though even simple white rice will be much healthier than pure sugar.

For further information, you might look up "glycemic index" and "glycemic load".