Hmmm, Im having a hard time making this comparison...bad habits vs. addiction...

I think most of us developed 'bad habits' regarding food, but true addiction?? Im not so sure...If it was a true addiction, we would have ate until we exploded...

What is the difference between a habit and an addiction?


Addiction - there is a psychological/physical component; the person is unable to control the aspects of the addiction without help because of the mental or physical conditions involved.
Habit - it is done by choice. The person with the habit can choose to stop, and will subsequently stop successfully if they want to. The psychological/physical component is not an issue as it is with an addiction.
Put simply - with a habit you are in control of your choices, with an addiction you are not in control of your choices.

Addiction to substances or activities can sometimes lead to serious problems at home, work, school and socially.

The causes of addiction vary considerably, and are not often fully understood. They are generally caused by a combination of physical, mental, circumstantial and emotional factors.

Addiction, often referred to as dependency often leads to tolerance - the addicted person needs larger and more regular amounts of whatever they are addicted to in order to receive the same effect. Often, the initial reward is no longer felt, and the addiction continues because withdrawal is so unpleasant

I can definitely see and recognize the similarities but for me, the one big factor separating the two is that an alcoholic can stop drinking... forever... but a food addict still has to eat to stay alive.

Well I see I am going to have to put my two cents worth in here. I believe that for some of us food is an addiction (physically and emotionally). I am an addict; I use refined carbs and sugar as a drug to alter my moods. I eat until I feel I could explode when I am in to this drug. I have been a member of Overeaters Anonymous in the past and have tried many plans of eating that have not worked (WW being one) due to the high carb content and I am a carb addict. Not everyone is addicted to carbs and there is some newer research that links alcoholism due to the grain in alcohol. If we come from an alcoholic family we have a higher incidence of food or alcohol addiction and with many people who are recovering alcoholics food addiction becomes a problem as they go for the sugar and the carbs to feel better. There is a branch of OA that is called Gray Sheeters Anonymous that treats carbs like alcohol and they are restricted (not allowed) except fruit. All food is weighed and measured and this is a lifetime food plan. So yes; there is much research and documentation that states that Alcoholism and Food Addiction are very similar. The difference with food addiction is that you permanently remove your trigger foods.

Alcoholism runs on my side of my family, obesity on the other. IMO, they are similar addictions. From yo-yo dieting/falling off the wagon to binge eating/drinking, there are some clear parallels, and both manifest as herculean struggles that can derail people in ways that few things other than addiction could. As for not needing help for addiction, I smoked 1-2 packs a day for 8 years and quit cold turkey without a relapse in almost 9 years. Yet I cannot lose weight without a structured support system. IMO, not everyone on a diet is in rehab, but I am.

Thought I would chime in Since I am a recovering alcoholic.

It is as you say, to stop using alcohol...but it is more, and I think it correlates some to weight loss.

When a person is "using" their development stops, and they cannot deal with emotions well. Their social life is all wacked out as well.

When I was in Counseling for alcoholism, I had to really examine my entire life...my values (active alcoholics are really good at lying!), how I dealt with emotions, both good and bad, and how I relate to people on a social level.

It took a lot of work and change for me on several dimensions. It has been 3 years since I had a drink.

I see a lot of similarities...there is a lot of emotional work that has to go into weight loss too. Socially, things are different...friends may change, and the way you socialize many times must change. I have to stop sneaking food...and lying about it...to myself especially.

So maybe these insights might help. It actually helps me to type it all out

Thanks

I have gone through the alcohol stages and have been sober for a while now. Eating is an addiction like drugs and alcohol but on such a different level. You have to eat to survive and once that food(drug) is in you then you want more. Only causing a daily constant battle to overcome. I hope for myself and definitely for all of you that we can get through our days at least with a little hope and courage to keep going.

I'm assuming that when we speak about alcohol addiction we are including drug addiction. I had a close family member who went through NA and got clean after many, many years. She has been clean for nearly 20 years.

I agree that overeating may be food addiction, or carb or sugar addiction to some people. However, I think that some of us simply have physical bodies that metabolize differently than other people's. This caused us to crave (note past tense here, hopefully) more of the food item than our counterparts. I remember being puzzled that some of my friends could eat an entire box of cookies and not gain one pound. I could not. Therefore, I always felt deprived and ate more, sometimes in secret. Something in the way my body metabolized the food was different. Thyroid? I don't know that much about it.

But I do know that we are all wired slightly differently and need to find what works for us. Somehow we have all found IP and it's working for us. I like the restriction. Right now I just want to lose the weight and change my habits through the structure of this program. It's only day 7 for me, and I'm already reflective...

Don't know if any of this made sense, but I needed to process it.

Yours in the journey,
Joysh

Joysh, you said it beautifully!,