Offering me chocolate is like offering an alcoholic a beer.

KrazyAsianNic

I totally understand where you come from. I have tried to tell this to many people and only two of them have taken it seriously. The best to you on your journey.

runzalot81

Sugar is CRACK.

I don't buy it but if it's free, oh lawd....

After logging my food religiously for months, I finally discovered that just one bite of processed sugar (candy and pastries) sends off a signal in my brain that I'm starving and I need MORE. Therefore, my diet is shot for the rest of the day because I eat more and more and more sugar.

I've learned to eat more fresh fruit, which is so easy during the summer. I also love Larabars. They're sweet but they don't trigger my sugar crack addiction. They're expensive, so I learned how to make my own bars at home. Fun!

girlonabikedc

As someone that has had to very recently help a loved one through the very real & terrible effects of alcohol dependence, I am trying very hard not to virtually beat some people the head with a chocolate bar.

Instead, I will just back out of this thread and wonder if the original poster has ever suffered from a seizure because of "withdrawal" from chocolate, or pissed himself because they were too weak to get out of bed. Having your feelings "messed up" for a day because you had 3 scoops of ice cream is not the same as hearing voices or being unable hold a fork because you are shaking so bad.

Eating disorders are very real & terrible. Food "addiction" is not.

hippietofugirl

Actually people DO offer the alcoholic or drug addict "just one glass of wine", "just one beer" or whatever ALL the time.

Ummm. If you offer a known alcoholic a glass of wine, you're a straight up ****.

ElizabethRoad

Actually people DO offer the alcoholic or drug addict "just one glass of wine", "just one beer" or whatever ALL the time.

Ummm. If you offer a known alcoholic a glass of wine, you're a straight up ****.

So? That doesn't change the fact that it happens.

hippietofugirl

Actually people DO offer the alcoholic or drug addict "just one glass of wine", "just one beer" or whatever ALL the time.

Ummm. If you offer a known alcoholic a glass of wine, you're a straight up ****.

So? That doesn't change the fact that it happens.

I don't think it necessarily happens ALL THE TIME. Someone would be more likely to offer a food addict a piece of chocolate, than to offer an alcoholic a glass of wine. I'm sure does happen on occasion.

ElizabethRoad

Actually people DO offer the alcoholic or drug addict "just one glass of wine", "just one beer" or whatever ALL the time.

Ummm. If you offer a known alcoholic a glass of wine, you're a straight up ****.

So? That doesn't change the fact that it happens.

I don't think it necessarily happens ALL THE TIME. Someone would be more likely to offer a food addict a piece of chocolate, than to offer an alcoholic a glass of wine. I'm sure does happen on occasion.

Still not seeing your point.

hippietofugirl

As someone that has had to very recently help a loved one through the very real & terrible effects of alcohol dependence, I am trying very hard not to virtually beat some people the head with a chocolate bar.

Instead, I will just back out of this thread and wonder if the original poster has ever suffered from a seizure because of "withdrawal" from chocolate, or pissed himself because they were too weak to get out of bed. Having your feelings "messed up" for a day because you had 3 scoops of ice cream is not the same as hearing voices or being unable hold a fork because you are shaking so bad.

Eating disorders are very real & terrible. Food "addiction" is not.

Alcoholism is a very horrible and serious disease, but who's to say that food addiction isn't real? It all comes down to a complete lack of control around any substance whether it be food, drugs, or alcohol. Some addictions are more serious than others, but all of the ones I listed will lead to health problems.

Irish_eyes75

I can't speak to drug addiction, I've never taken drugs, nor do I know any addicts, however, I don't think it's fair to downplay one addiction of any kind over an other.

That being said, I do agree 100% that there are many people in this world who don't understand food addiction.

Today we had our performance reviews and the company buys pizza for lunch. The receptionist berated me for not coming down for lunch saying that I can just have one piece, pizza is actually healthy, I'm kidding myself if I think I can go the rest of my life without pizza....blah blah blah. I heard it from others at the office too.

My thing is I didn't trust myself to just have one piece....It was easier for me to just not have any than to limit the amount I had. I'm on week 2 of this new lifestyle change and my habits haven't been broken yet. I will one day have pizza but for now while I"m in weight loss mode I chose to give it up. Some call it deprivation, I call it knowing my weaknesses and pizza is one of them.
I certainly am not going to give in to pizza peer pressure!! Also, if I'm going to have an extra calorie day, I'm going to save it for a family day where I take my son out for pizza or we order in and have movie night.

Missmissy0003

Do you have experience to know how often an alcoholic is offered alcohol or a drug addict drugs?

Also I did not say that I offer an an alcoholic alcohol. I said people do it all the time.

Actually people DO offer the alcoholic or drug addict "just one glass of wine", "just one beer" or whatever ALL the time.

Ummm. If you offer a known alcoholic a glass of wine, you're a straight up ****.

So? That doesn't change the fact that it happens.

I don't think it necessarily happens ALL THE TIME. Someone would be more likely to offer a food addict a piece of chocolate, than to offer an alcoholic a glass of wine. I'm sure does happen on occasion.

Irish_eyes75

As someone that has had to very recently help a loved one through the very real & terrible effects of alcohol dependence, I am trying very hard not to virtually beat some people the head with a chocolate bar.

Instead, I will just back out of this thread and wonder if the original poster has ever suffered from a seizure because of "withdrawal" from chocolate, or pissed himself because they were too weak to get out of bed. Having your feelings "messed up" for a day because you had 3 scoops of ice cream is not the same as hearing voices or being unable hold a fork because you are shaking so bad.

Eating disorders are very real & terrible. Food "addiction" is not.

Except you're missing the point.....I don't feel bad because I had 3 scoops of ice cream. I have 3 scoops of ice cream because I feel bad.

runzalot81

My brother is a recovering abusive alcoholic. He's been to prison twice.

Everyone else in my family is morbidly obese. Not chunky, not voluptuous, not pleasantly plump or overweight. MORBIDLY obese. My eldest uncle died last year at 58 years old and 600 pounds. All the other folks in my family are not alcoholics but this food addiction is clearly a problem. Back and knee problems. Limited mobility. Cardiovascular problems...

n_gal87

Oh so many things to respond to...


First, yes alcoholics getting offered "just one" happens ALL THE TIME. I don't think the same is true for illegal substances but for alcohol I can say from personal experience its absolutely true. I'm not an alcoholic myself but I've been around it enough to know that this is true.

Second Christinehowa, (first congrats on avoiding the pizza today at work - I'm facing a similar situation tomorrow except its a party for me, not quite sure how I'm going to get out of it, yikes!) but anyway, the fact that you even think one day you can have just a slice demonstrates the difference between food and drug addiction. Drug/Alcohol addicts will never be able to have just one, its a life time struggle, with persistence healthy eating will become a way of life - thats not true for most addicts, every day is a struggle and that doesn't change after 3 mos. or even 50 years for most.

Third, addiction is not defined by the ability to lead to health problems of course obesity can lead to health problems I don't think anyone is debating that but that doesn't mean that all obese people are food addicts. Symptoms of addiction include physiological dependence (addressed in my last post), tolerance, and withdrawl. None of those are brought on by food.

I'd like to reiterate that I don't mean to down play anyones struggle with food and that I recognize it can be difficult but in talking about it we should be careful not to down play other addictions by treating them as the same either. Not all struggles are comparable, so saying that something is worse doesn't mean the other isn't bad too, just that its not the same.

cookadook

I would just like to add that I had no intention of downplaying anyone else's addiction or struggle and I certainly wasn't complaining. I was posting this thread in the motivation and SUPPORT area because I felt like food addiction is not taken seriously. I wanted to express my perspective, as a food addict, to those that may not have given it any consideration beforehand. I would never offer an alcoholic a beer, I would never offer a drug addict a drug. I wish people wouldn't offer me food, especially chocolate. Sorry if I offended anyone. I apologize for the crackhead comment. My ex of 22 years was a crack addict, so that one came out of habit.
It is a struggle and journey. Thanks for the well wishes.