Pain causes food cravings

pameladawn99

My pain causes me to binge at night. The stress of managing pain all day builds up, and ice cream and chocolate actually makes the pain go away. Help!

dandelion9999

I tend to binge at night, too, not because it makes the pain go away (nothing does) but because I'm trying to do something to comfort myself, and food is my comfort of choice. Plus, it's harder to steel your resolve to avoid those chocolate chip cookies when you're miserable, stressed out, and exhausted. My suggestion, which works when I have the presence of mind to follow my own advice, is to find other ways to soothe yourself. A hot bath/shower. A hot beverage or a glass of wine. For that matter, even a square or two of good quality dark chocolate (I refer to this particular treat as "taking my medication").