Just took the time to read now. Ms. Moran is a smart, smart lady. I've seen other things she's written and heard her on NPR.

So very true. I have lots of alcoholics and addicts in my family, and for a long time I ddn't realize that my drug of choice was food. Then, my brother told me "you do know you and I both have addict personnalities, right?". Before that I would have NEVER admitted that food was to me what pot was to him.

It does help, but you canMt quit food altogether as you can with other addictions, which makes it a very different journey.

I'm reading How to Be a Woman - very smart and funny. I'd never heard of Moran until reading this thread.

The part about food being the addiction of choice for carers is spot on.

Can't wait to read her book-- I have it on hold at the library (probably only six months before it gets to me !)

what a great article. I'm going to have to buy this book.

I do find it ironic that food abuse and food abusers are accorded less respect than more disfunctional addictions and addicts. It's almost as if we as a culture say, "you food abusers (at least you obese food abusers) are so lazy and pitiful, you do everything half-a$$ed: you can't even screw up spectacularly."


And it also shows how little respect we give give to those who care about others (the caring professions being the most underpaid). We don't value compassion and caring (except occasionally in lipservice).

I disagree though that food addicts cannot entirely avoid their substance of choice, because most food addicts aren't truly indescriminate food addicts.

It's a bit like saying drug addicts can't avoid their substance of choice because they might not be able to avoid taking antibiotics if they get an infection.

"Not the same thing," people would say, but here's a better example. Many pain-medication addicts still have to take pain meds. We have a friend who has severe degeneratove health and pain issues. He fell into the trap of abusing his pain meds. It would be cruel to expect this man to live without strong pain meds at all, and in fact, he'd likely suicide if that were required of him. So he and his doctors had to find a different solution (putting him on a stronger, but time-released medication that a home-health nurse administered and then that responsibility was eventually transferred to his wife).

Food addiction is more like pain med addiction in chronic pain patients. You may still need to use the addictive substance, but you can use alternative strategies (including accountability to others) to manage the addiction.

Also, many food addicts aren't food addicts at all, they're actually high-glycemic carb addicts... and high-glycemic carbs CAN be avoided entirely (we just don't WANT to do so).

After reading the book "The End of Overeating," I realized that I was not addicted to food. I wasn't even addicted to carbs. I was addicted to the carb/salt/fat combination, even though I wasn't a fan of simple carbs, fat, or salt by themselves. I didn't care for most potato chips and other salty snacks (too salty). I didn't care for most candy or other sweets (too sweet). I didn't like greasy foods on their own either. It wasn't salt, sugar/carbs, or fat that was my addiction of choice, it was those elements in combination.

I CAN avoid the deadly trio. I never have to eat another sweet/salty/creamy combo ever agan, and if I choose to, I'm "playing with fire."

I do play with fire, but it's not because I HAVE to, it's because I think I have to, or think I can.

I have learned though that indulging in those foods is the equivalent of playing with fire. I'm only kidding myself when I say that I can't avoid my addictive substance, because I can.

I do have to be somewhat careful with healthy carbs, and I've learned that with some care I could even avoid those (you can get absolutely all the nutrients you need without ever having to consume starchy foods and even most fruits). So I don't have to eat high-carb foods, I choose to eat them.

It is harder to live with an addiction that you haven't entirely given up (just like the friend and his pain meds) but it doesn't change the fact that even food addicts usually have a choice (because there aren't many food addicts, if any, who abuse lean proteins, greens, non-starchy veggies, and berries).

The vast majority can abstain completely from their substance of choice, they just choose not to (in part because of the societal pressure to include them. Everyone from coworkers to our grandparents PUSH these foods on us as they never would dream of doing with alcohol or narcotics).

Food addiction is different, but not because the trigger foods can't be entirely eliminated. In most case they can be.

Wow. Love this! I've always thought along these lines. My brother is a recovering addict and my sister is a recovering alcoholic, I always thought I had the same issues but I just used food instead of drugs or alcohol because I can't afford to be non-functioning. I easily overdo everything, I have no middle ground. That is my main struggle with everything in my life -- it's either 0 or 100. 0 sucks and 100 is not maintainable.

"Overeating is the addiction of choice of "carers," and that's why it's come to be regarded as the lowest-ranking of all the addictions. It's a way of screwing yourself up while still remaining fully functional, because you have to."

Thank you for sharing this. It really resonated with me.

That was an interesting read, thanks for sharing.