Is food addiction a real thing?

BinaryPulsar

In


This should be good

My opinion is that all addictions are psychological as opposed to physical. But I really don't know, I have never had any addictions.

Some addictions are physical. Heroin addiction is physical in a scientific sense, and the withdrawal (if you've ever seen it) will prove that.

The distinction is that a lot of what people call addictions are actually habits. Even after the physical addiction is gone a lot of people will maintain a psychological addiction (habit) or they will transfer their habit to another habit to replace it with. That is why people should take a slow, steady approach to breaking habits and a conscious effort to find a healthier habit to replace it with.

We are creatures of habit. It's easy to get stuck in a habit and difficult to take the steps to break the habit. But, when you do break the habit and form a new habit, you can find so much fulfillment in a more rewarding habit such as fitness, weight lifting, walking, dancing, whatever you like.

likitisplit

Binge eating disorder is. It's frequently self-diagnosed as "sugar addiction" or "food addiction." If you have Binge Eating Disorder, you should work with a health professional that specializes in treating it.

likitisplit

When it comes to the topic of food addiction, why do we hear about people saying things like "I'm addicted to chocolate", or soda, or cookies, or coffee, or cake, or candy. But we don't hear, I'm addicted to asparagus, or cod liver oil, smoked mackerel, or anything like that. Seems like addictive foods have a few common ingredients, like sugar and caffeine, no?

I'm addicted to arugula.

likitisplit

Considering i went to the movies yesterday and didn't allow myself any popcorn but i still couldn't take my mind off it.. I would say there is an addiction to food but whether it is physical or mental is hard to say. It also effects my moods, when i crave food i get irritable and moody.

That's called hunger. It's caused by a lack of calories.

neanderthin

When it comes to the topic of food addiction, why do we hear about people saying things like "I'm addicted to chocolate", or soda, or cookies, or coffee, or cake, or candy. But we don't hear, I'm addicted to asparagus, or cod liver oil, smoked mackerel, or anything like that. Seems like addictive foods have a few common ingredients, like sugar and caffeine, no?

Wait, wut........I'm totally addicted to asparagus.

WalkingAlong

Some addictions are physical. Heroin addiction is physical in a scientific sense, and the withdrawal (if you've ever seen it) will prove that.

The distinction is that a lot of what people call addictions are actually habits. Even after the physical addiction is gone a lot of people will maintain a psychological addiction (habit) ...

We are creatures of habit. It's easy to get stuck in a habit and difficult to take the steps to break the habit. ...

This is basically what I believe. I've had physical addictions (nicotine) and broken them and then broken the psychological/habit part. I've seen heroin addiction and other serious drug addiction take lives of loved ones. I just can't equate a weakness for chocolate or popcorn with those.

0somuchbetter0

Many posts here about food addiction ring true for me. Brandolin11, I hear what you're saying about abstinence foods. I used to be a cake junkie – anything cake-y and sweet, really – muffins, donuts, whole Sara Lee pound cakes, etc., with a few pies and cheesecakes thrown in. I'd start my grocery shopping normally and with the best of intentions (for a family of 4) and buy all the right stuff (fresh produce, lean meats, snacks for the kids, etc.) but invariably, I'd leave the store with not one but three donuts, or three of those gigantic muffins, and shove them in my face in the car on the way home. I'd hide the packaging in the outdoor trash cans so my husband wouldn't see, and then proceed to prepare a healthy dinner for the family. Sometimes I'd make a special trip to the store just for a pound cake or a cheese cake or even a pie and make sure it was consumed and the packaging was hidden before the kids got home from school and the hub got home from work. I would feel physically ill and I would often cry with self-loathing as I ate, but I couldn't stop and just throw the damn stuff away. This happened several times a week. Clearly, this wasn't just a case of "oh I love food and I eat big portions, that's why I'm overweight." Clearly there was addiction involved.

I quit smoking almost 14 years ago after several failed attempts, and as I worked through my food issues with a therapist (specialist in eating disorders), I realized I had to apply some of the same techniques I used to quit cigarettes. When I finally succeeded at quitting smoking, I did it by completely changing my lifestyle. I stopped going to bars and restaurants (back then there were still "smoking sections"), I stopped seeing my smoking friends, except at the gym (where obviously smoking wasn't allowed), and I quit drinking coffee and alcohol, which were smoking triggers for me. I couldn't even see people smoking in movies or on TV. Thankfully Mad Men wasn't on yet! LOL It was hard…damn hard…but well worth it. Now I can be around smokers and drink coffee and alcohol no problem.

When it came to food I had to do the same thing. Not to open a can of worms (this is a hot topic for debate on this site), but I decided to have lap band surgery. After many months of medical screening and working with a nutritionist, a personal trainer, and my therapist, I had the surgery in May 2012. In the first year after surgery, I had the band filled pretty tightly, which made eating anything cake-y or bread-y nearly impossible. I ate a donut that summer (2012) and it was physically painful. It took me a little while to figure this out, but when I did, it was a light bulb moment. I continued to work on my head with my therapist, of course (and will probably continue to do so for the rest of my life), but taking away the physical ability to shove a whole cake down my gullet helped me break the habit once and for all. Now my band is very loose, almost like a "normal" person – I almost never have an issue because I've pretty much beaten the binge urge. I do eat the occasional slice of birthday cake or holiday pie or even cheesecake now, but it doesn't send me running to the store to fill up on muffins. Once upon a time I couldn't imagine going a whole day without a cigarette – now here I am 13 years, 7 months, 17 days later and the thought of smoking makes me ill. Once upon a time I couldn't get through a week without consuming thousands of excess calories in sugar and fat – now here I am 68 lbs lighter, much healthier, and immeasurably happier.

ninerbuff

One thing that I've observed about true addiction:

Addicts will do just about anything to fulfill their addictions even if it means jeopardizing family, friends and law abiding. I don't really see that with food addiction. Haven't heard anyone stealing, robbing or abusing anyone to eat food.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

msf74

This has been an excellent discussion in the main. The quality of the contributions has been wonderful generally.

For my part I do not think food will ever fall within the ambit of true addiction. However it is evident that it can trigger habits and behaviour which are very similar to addiction and therefore techniques used in this area can be very beneficial for people to achieve their goals with.

Beats dieting...

BinaryPulsar

Binge eating disorder is. It's frequently self-diagnosed as "sugar addiction" or "food addiction." If you have Binge Eating Disorder, you should work with a health professional that specializes in treating it.

That is a good point!

Brandolin11

One thing that I've observed about true addiction:

Addicts will do just about anything to fulfill their addictions even if it means jeopardizing family, friends and law abiding. I don't really see that with food addiction. Haven't heard anyone stealing, robbing or abusing anyone to eat food.

No offense, but this is a false observation. My father is an alcoholic (recovering), his parents were both alcoholics (dead now), and yet not a single one of them stole or robbed or abused anyone while they drank. They were all angry people *in general* and could be verbally abusive at any time, drunk or not. But not a shred of physical abuse or crime was committed at any time. You don't have to do those things to be an addict, is what I'm saying. You *can*, but it's not the foundational definition - just one symptom, that's all.

I have absolutely done things to fulfill my eating addiction that jeopardized family and friends. Impairing your relationships doesn't have to involve crime or abuse, you know. I've been late to weddings and family gatherings in order to stop and get some kind of food I was craving. I canceled plans with people at the last minute more times than I can count because I'd rather stay home and binge. I sometimes didn't listen to/hear what people were saying during a discussion because my mind had wandered over to the cookie plate in the kitchen. I had wild mood swings and my family didn't know which Brandy they were going to get that night. I was generally a fearful, angry, and depressed person - you think that stuff didn't spill over into my relationships? LOL.... Think again. The food....was the thing. That's all that mattered. Getting the food. It's no different than drugs or alcohol.

Look......the lack of understanding about this issue among people who have never struggled with it is understandable. However, I find this constant need on these board to "naysay" it is, to me, extremely disturbing and disappointing. When you have person after person after person after person after person telling you on these threads, over and over and over, "I have a problem and I don't know how to stop" - then I highly advise you step back, STOP telling them they don't have a problem, and let other people handle this and support/help. Firstly, because you don't know what you're talking about. And secondly because it does NOTHING to help anyone.

There's nothing wrong with asking questions and trying to understand the issue. We'll be happy to try to help you understand it. But there IS something wrong with minimizing it, making false observations, and waving it away as if it's some kind of crock. That's not okay.

Sorry to be so strong about that, but MAN. It irks me. People fear what they don't understand - I get it. So try to understand it. Don't make the people trying to get help out to be the bad guys. Thanks.

WalkingAlong

Saying I don't believe it's an addiction isn't saying it's not a problem for people. I think we all struggle with overeating and bad habits. Where does it become a disorder versus the normal human struggle we all (for the most part) experience? I do recognize it's a worse problem for some than others. And I totally sympathize. You won't hear fat-hating and guilt-assigning out of me.

BinaryPulsar

Yeah, eating disorders are real things! Big problems as well!! No judgement from me on that.

Are there some physiological differences between a physical addiction to an addictive drug and other addictions/habits/disorders? Yes, there are some differences. In a physical sense. So, they need to be medically treated differently. But, a person that was physically addicted to a drug can transfer the addiction/habit to something else, and remain psychologically addicted for a lifetime. There are often emotional and psychological issues behind all of these types of addictions/habits/disorders. That is very important to deal with. It's ok to understand the differences. It helps to understand and does not negate the problem, challenges/difficulties, and seriousness of the issue. But, I'm not claiming to be any kind of expert on any of this (other than growing up around addiction in my family). And when it comes to a food addiction all I can do is listen.

SunofaBeach14

Saying I don't believe it's an addiction isn't saying it's not a problem for people. I think we all struggle with overeating and bad habits. Where does it become a disorder versus the normal human struggle we all (for the most part) experience? I do recognize it's a worse problem for some than others. And I totally sympathize. You won't hear fat-hating and guilt-assigning out of me.

You're not going to hear that out of many people on here, period. People clearly have trouble with self control and are suffering. Most of us would like to see them get help. Personally, I think the poster above who mentioned binge eating disorder is on the right track. And that said, food addiction isn't recognized and it is controversial. The thread asked for opinions and elicited discussion but there seems to be an almost religious fervor surrounding this subject. The unnecessarily elimination of certain foods through self-diagnosis of various mystery problems is all too common and this is just but one iteration. No one is powerless over sugar in the same way some are powerless over alcohol or heroin. That is fact. The confusion here between physical and psychological addiction would be laughable if it wasn't so serious an issue.

nomeejerome

There are diagnosis that capture issues with food, but "food addiction" and "sugar addiction" are not found in diagnostic material. This is important for many reasons, one being not enough evidence was found to warrant the addition (of food addiction) into the latest release of the DSM. Sure, one can skim through the DSM and use diagnostic criteria for substance abuse (or another diagnosis) and try to apply it to food, but that is not a true diagnosis. The DSM is used to diagnose and treat individuals and if there is no diagnosis, there is no treatment provision. Treatment must be tailored to the individual and 12 step programs may be an appropriate fit for some people. However, it is a disservice to say that approach is appropriate for all people.

If a person has experienced a true diagnosis of addiction and they replace one substance for another obsessive behavior, they have not learned appropriate coping mechanisms. This is also true for those that claim food addiction and replace a certain type of food with another obsessive behavior. This is not just being a "naysayer", this is providing additional information to those who believe that they may be struggling with some type of issue and not focusing on one type of treatment method. In addition, there is no way to provide appropriate treatment, help, support (or whatever you want to call it) through these message boards and private messages due to the lack of critical information. I say all of this not because I fear this topic, but because I understand it.

Here is some additional reading about the changes to the DSM-V:

. Please note the use of Binge Eating Disorder and not “food addiction.”


Feeding and Eating Disorders
The chapter on Feeding and Eating Disorders in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) includes several changes to better represent the symptoms and behaviors of patients dealing with these conditions across the lifespan. Among the most substantial changes are recognition of binge eating disorder, revisions to the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, and inclusion of pica, rumination and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder. DSM-IV listed the latter three among Disorders Usually First Diagnosed in Infancy, Childhood, or Adolescence, a chapter that will not exist in DSM-5. In recent years, clinicians and researchers have realized that a significant number of individuals with eating disorders did not fit into the DSM-IV categories of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. By default, many received a diagnosis of “eating disorder not otherwise specified.” Studies have suggested that a significant portion of individuals in that “not otherwise specified” category may actually have
binge eating disorder.

Binge Eating Disorder
Binge eating disorder was approved for inclusion in DSM-5 as its own category of eating disorder. In DSM-IV, binge-eating disorder was not recognized as a disorder but rather described in Appendix B: Criteria Sets and Axes Provided for Further Study and was diagnosable using only the catch-all category of “eating disorder not otherwise specified.” Binge eating disorder is defined as recurring episodes of eating significantly more food in a short period of time than most people would eat under similar circumstances, with episodes marked by feelings of lack of control. Someone with binge eating disorder may eat too quickly, even when he or she is not hungry. The person may have feelings of guilt, embarrassment, or disgust and may binge eat alone to hide the behavior. This disorder is associated with marked distress and occurs, on average, at least
once a week over three months. This change is intended to increase awareness of the substantial differences between binge eating disorder and the common phenomenon of overeating. While overeating is a challenge for many Americans, recurrent binge eating is much less common, far more severe, and is associated with significant
physical and psychological problems.

http://www.dsm5.org/Documents/Eating Disorders Fact Sheet.pdf

Feeding and Eating Disorders
In DSM-5, the feeding and eating disorders include several disorders included in DSM-IV as feeding and eating disorders of infancy or early childhood in the chapter “Disorders Usually First Diagnosed in Infancy, Childhood, or Adolescence.” In addition, brief descriptions and preliminary diagnostic criteria are provided for several conditions under other specified feeding and eating disorder; insufficient information about these conditions is currently available to document their clinical characteristics and validity
or to provide definitive diagnostic criteria.

Binge-Eating Disorder
Extensive research followed the promulgation of preliminary criteria for binge eating disorder in Appendix B of DSM-IV, and findings supported the clinical utility and validity of binge-eating disorder. The only significant difference from the preliminary DSM-IV criteria is that the minimum average frequency of binge eating required for diagnosis has been changed from at least twice weekly for 6 months to at
least once weekly over the last 3 months, which is identical to the DSM-5 frequency criterion for bulimia nervosa.

http://www.dsm5.org/Documents/changes from dsm-iv-tr to dsm-5.pdf