All of us have cravings for certain types of food, but if you find yourself overdosing or bingeing on potato chips or cookies or fast food hamburgers, it's quite possible you've become a food addict. We've all been bombarded lately with the statistics on how overweight our society has become, and it's no surprise that many of the problems come from people's craving for food that has very little nutritional value and can be downright unhealthy. Many medical experts say that food addiction has now become just as serious as nicotine or cocaine addiction - and can be just as deadly.
A person who has a food addiction experiences an overwhelming desire for a particular food. In fact, the desire becomes so strong, if they're unable to consume that food, they will actually suffer from withdrawal symptoms including headaches, nausea and even depression. This can lead to binge eating, because the food addict cannot live without the comfort that a particular food gives them. Thus their craving can become both a physical and psychological dependency.
There are also different types of food addicts. There's the compulsive overeater who goes on eating binges that may last for several days. This type of addict may at times lose weight, but they will usually gain it back. Their symptoms include eating very fast, obsessively eating alone and eating when they aren't really hunger.
Another type of addiction is bulimia. This person will overeat and then purge by vomiting or by taking laxatives. The warning signs for this condition includes the need to eat alone, the compulsion to eat huge amounts of food rapidly, and the constant preoccupation with their weight.
Anorexia is also a form of food addiction because the person is attempting to starve themselves in order to reach an unrealistic body image and weight due to their unnatural fear of being fat. An anorexic often has a difficult time eating with other people because they have formed habitual and ritualistic behaviors regarding food and their obsession with weight gain. This often leads to depression.
Fortunately, there are ways to successfully treat this obsession. As with all addicts, the first step is for anyone with a food addiction to admit to themselves they have a problem. At this point, a 12-step program, similar to the Alcoholics Anonymous program, can be followed. This starts with admitting their powerlessness over food and their belief that they can be restored to normal behavior, plus an examination and admission of their failings. Food addicts will also find many support groups that will help them draw strength from people who have similar problems dealing with food. This can be very therapeutic because the battle is more easily won with the help have others who can identify with the same problem.
Another way to deal with a food addiction problem is the work with a psychotherapist to develop a plan of action on how to deal with food and the emotional attachment that comes with this addition. What a therapist might be able do is to identify the source of the person's fear or the anger that may be the root cause of the addiction. Psychologist will work with the individual to develop a treatment plan that includes expectations and goals for the short-term and long-term.
There is no clear evidence at this point in time whether food addiction is a genetically-based illness. However, there is evidence of eating patterns being passed down from one generation to the next. There are also cases where a food addict only seeks help after they've realized their illness may adversely affect their children.
It's also possible that a food addiction is not curable, but can only be treated. In other words, as with an alcoholic, the recovery period for the addiction may be an entire lifetime. But one should never lose hope. Patience and time can teach a food addict what adjustments in their behavior need to be made that will allow them to keep their weight under control. There may be many lapses along the way to their former addictive behaviour, but often the realization of how much pain they've caused themselves will get them back on track to eliminating their harmful eating habits.
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Glenn Cutforth is a writer, eBook publisher and graphic designer.
Visit his websites at: Conquer Anxiety and Depression.com and HowToClassics.com
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Published by Glenn Cutforth on April 26, 2006 08:45 AM
