Why is it people talk about being addicted to chocolate, sugar, or food in general, like it's a joke? People will say, "I'm a chocoholic" with a big grin on their faces, and then go nosh on it while others smile indulgently.
I'm here to say, it's just as real as any other addiction to any other substance. I once went a week without chocolate and actually had withdrawal. I mean shakes, sweats, stomach cramps, the whole bit! I have physical symptoms that "tell" me when I "need" chocolate! (That's my drug of choice, but like a lot of addicts who substitute one chemical when they can't easily obtain another, I'll go to other sweets if there is no chocolate available. And if there is nothing sweet in the house, I just go monkeybrains!)
But now, keep in mind that if I were to say "chocolate is my drug of choice" to someone who is not a food addict, particularly to someone who *is* addicted to some chemical such as cocaine, I'd be thought to be making a joke at best, making light of their addiction at worst.
People don't understand that food addiction is exactly that, addiction. Haters will slam us with "Just put down the Big Mac and get off the couch and take a walk, fatso!" Even those who are trying to be supportive, not hateful, will pep-talk us with, "You are NOT powerless! You CAN do it! It just takes a little self-discipline!" They wouldn't say that to an alcoholic or drug addict going into rehab. The public readily recognizes alcoholism and drug addiction as an illness that needs treatment. And, most people know by now that the first step to recovery is admitting powerlessness over the substance. But food addiction doesn't have the same support. Food addiction gets belittled with "Just eat less."
Why is it this way, and what can we do about it?