I was wondering how people feel about food as an addiction. I'd love to hear from those who have personally had other addictions in the past, such as addictions to drugs or alcohol. Do you notice parallels between the way you felt about your old habit and the way you feel about food? Thanks to those who share, I know it can be difficult!
I am an alcoholic who has not had a drink in 24 years. I see many parallels between alcohol addiction and addictive behavior with certain foods.
One definition of addiction is when you have no intention of doing a particular thing--in fact you intend NOT to do it--and then you find yourself doing it anyway. Often you are mystified by your own actions.
When people make a plan about what they are going to eat, or are not going to eat, and then they find themselves driving through the fast-food takeout, that's an obvious example. Then they post here with titles like "WHY DO I DO THIS???"
The book THE END OF OVEREATING by David Kessler presents scientific evidence that certain food combinations can have addictive effects, and the restaurant industry deliberately uses these food combinations to keep people coming back. The combination is sugar (or refined carbs), fat, and salt. These components actually alter brain chemistry and the pleasure centers in a way similar to the action of drugs.
The good news is that the less someone eats the addictive foods, aka trigger foods, the less they will crave them. Sometimes later on, people can afford to have some of these foods on rare occasions, but it may always be like playing with fire.
Unlike alcohol, we can't give up eating--but we can give up overeating certain kinds of food, the foods that act as triggers.
David Kessler's book really is a must read. I've never had a non-food addiction or abuse problem, though I worked with many people who did (working in substance abuse treatment and law enforcement).
I've seen the parallels, and even used them with my clients. I told probation clients that change was difficult - any change. I compared their issues to my own trouble losing weight. It's a bit ironic that just having someone who understands how hard change can be, can make the change process a little easier. Too often people are told how easy it should be to change by people who've never felt the need to make similar changes in their own lives.
When you repeatedly make choices you realize are counterproductive, you start to feel like you're crazy. "I know better, so why don't I do better?" I must want to hurt myself (and there are psychologists who will also come to that answer, not always correctly).
Often there's a much simpler answer, behaviors that are ultimately counterproductive are rewarding in the short term. You don't drink alcohol in order to experience liver failure. And you don't eat comfort foods to become morbidly obese. The (eventually) harmful behavior provided short-term rewards. And when you're life is stressful, it's harder to pass up on short-term rewards. This isn't unique to people with "addictive personalities," it's true of everyone. Some people just use short-term rewards that are more harmful in the long-term than others.
Often, even professionals stress the long-term harm, but not the short-term reward. It makes people think they must be some kind of special idiot to do something harmful for "no reason." Understanding that the addiction DOES make sense is sometimes the first step in trying to overcome it.
Until I realized that concentrated carbohydrates truly were "addictive," I didn't know why I could be so accomplished in the rest of my life and be so stupid and out-of-control when it came to food. I thought all food was my problem, but I don't evereat protein or even fats until they're paired with carbohydrates.
The problem is of course, you shouldn't do entirely without carbohydrates (even low-carb diets are not no-carb diets), but learning the foods and food combinations that are difficult to control is a learning process unlike any other addictive substance/behavior.
Even though it's possible to eliminate all of my personal trigger foods, I find it hard to do so, because there's so much more social pressure to eat those foods.
Food is not unique in this regard either. It's generally (but not always) socially acceptable to avoid alcohol and drugs, but if your addiction is something that most people consider a normal and enjoyable part of life, it becomes harder and harder for people in your life to understand the need for abstinence. If your problem is something that everyone in your social circle does as a "normal" part of life, you're most likely to get the "just one won't hurt," advice.
People who use alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, shopping, gambling, sex, internet activity, video games, collecting (items or pets), eating or other potential obsessive/compulsive behaviors in a "normal" way, don't understand why their friend or family member can't. So the advice tends to be useless (some form of "why can't you just act normal?").
I do find it interesting that obesity is still considered more of a personal choice than other "addictions." And I don't believe that all obesity is a result of addiction. I think I even overestimated how much of my own eating was a result of addiction, and how much was a result of other factors.
I have been clean for about 16 years now, and I can say that it was only recently that I noticed some parallels.
I can only speak from personal experience of course but I noticed that I gained a lot of weight when I stopped using drugs and alcohol, I simply replaced one numbing agent for another. I have had some sort of numbness since childhood. The feeling comes from the same place. Bad day, take a drink. Bad day, grab a cookie (or 20). Same calmness immediately after, same guilt later on.
Losing weight for some of us (most of us) is a struggle. We go up and down, we fight with our feelings and with falling off the wagon. Much like an addict or alcoholic. People trying to get sober intend everyday to stay sober, and sometimes they fail. Same with dieting.
The trick is getting to that "bottom" when you are just done and willing to make a change. Addiction or not, I am where I am because I CHOSE to be. And people with other substance abuse problems are there because they CHOSE to be. I chose everyday to get high. I chose everyday to make a bad choice to eat a bag of cookies. I chose everyday to actively look for drugs or to associate with people in places that would not support staying sober, and I chose everyday to go into McDonalds and get "just one" cheeseburger, because one was obviously better than three. I knew exactly what I was doing at the time, I was fully and completely aware of what was going on and the thought process in my head. I just did not care, and it got worse. The more the thought process went through its course, the worse I felt about my decisions and the more I used, drank or ate.
With both things, substance abuse and food abuse, I needed to do some really heavy work on myself and start tackling the issues that made me want to numb myself from reality. I needed to take it a minute, meal, day at a time and just go from that way on. Sure sometimes I falter, but that is ok. I take a look back at that minute, hour or day and figure it out. Only then can I learn to avoid those pitfalls. Much like an addict cannot go hang out with his or her dealer (even if they are good "friends") I could not (and sometimes cannot) go into one of my favorite restaurants and be trusted to make good choices. Some days, "one bite" is exactly the same as "just one drink".
I quit using cold turkey, I quit smoking cold turkey, and I have lost 23lbs in the last 7 weeks cold turkey. Just having that trigger to change things and making the DECISION to do it.
That being said, I am sure that other people are different. It is one of the most frustrating things to me to hear people not get that decisions are there every minute of everyday, it is how we make them that makes the difference. You do not like something in your life, change it no room for blame, no room for excuses no room for anything other than personal responsibility for decisions made. For me it is really that black and white, but I am learning to understand that for some people it is not, and that is ok.
With smoking cigarettes, I enjoyed it, but then I got to a point where I realized it wasn't worth the negative side effects/future consequences, and I even stopped liking it. Quitting wasn't that hard because I was ready.
With food, I will always love it, but there was a breaking point at which it occurred to me that I would be happier with my life if I ate differently and didn't just shovel carbs into my face mindlessly. I changed my habits and you know what - it wasn't that hard. The less junk I ate, the less desire I had to eat junk.
I haven't read "The End of Overeating" but I definitely believe there's some magic formula in rich restaurant food that causes people to crave it. Nothing I have ever cooked or been served at someone's home has tasted anything like the food at chain restaurants.
Addiction to food
