Interesting new study on "food addiction"

There is a term called "pairing." I think food addiction is actually the result of pairing. We associate certain emotions (or all emotions) with some type of food and as the behavior gets more and more consolidated, it gets harder to kick.

But it can be changed.

totally agree with this^^^ I think many overweight people (especially obese) pair food with an emotion or some aspect of their lives that are not fulfilled in healthy ways. This is why so many times you see the "emotional outbursts" of the people on shows like Biggest Loser. They have an unhealthy relationship with food either from some tragic event that the food has helped to fill or some emotion they grew up lacking which again the food has filled for them.

Like the poster that stated thier nephew associated food with attention from his mother- the same happened to my brother- he would get attention from our entire family- mom, dad, grandparents over how much he could eat- which led to him being a severely obese pre-teen and into his teen years and now he is a grown man suffering from years of bulemia - yes males are bulemic too.

I have experienced the same- I did not develop bulemia but am obese because I associate food with love, family, and entertainment- mostly because it is what I experienced growing up. The only time my family would spend time together was when we would eat or actually go out to eat- so I learned to associate food with good emotions. Which then developed into filling other good emotions I was lacking in my life- love, freindship, etc. I am learning to change this and am successful so far- but I had to acknowledge this first and find out why I had this relationship with food. I dont agree with the self control statement- as I dont think you can control yourself unless you are taught to do so (especially if you learned a behavior- see studies on children of alchoholics, abusers, and smokers and thier likelyhood of following thier parents footsteps with these addictions)- control is not an instinct everyone has but is rather a learned behavior- which is why so many suffer from addiction. The brain wants these chemicals especially when there is an imbalance and will get the balance in any way that it can which is why we experience cravings- even for food.

Just my opinion and based on my personal experience

I agree with pairing being a real and true connection to substances. And like you I love food, family and entertainment. I especially love the feeling dopamine gives me when I pleasure my brain. I have had to work through my own pairings so I know all about them.
So my question to you is, once a person has done what ever they have to do to come to terms with their pairing. Now what do I do to keep the fork out of my mouth ?

That was part of what I maybe didnt make clear- learning to deal with your "pairings" is learning self control or why you lack it in the first place so that you can control yourself around whatever your addiction is

Maybe none of this made sense...I am known to be that way at times!

Addictions are rooted in the habitual seeking of the sensations experienced when neurotransmitters are made to flood the brain because of the ingestion of a substance; heroin causes this, cocaine causes this, food causes this. Eating is an addiction for many people who crave the dopamine release that follows the ingestion of sugar, fat and salt. This is not up for discussion, it is easy to understand science. The thread is now over, nothing else to talk about really. You're welcome.

addictions are quite similar imo

As somebody who was a binge eater until recently (and saw therapists, therapy support groups, support groups, 12 Step groups, books, etc. from 18-36 years of age, one day I just decided to stop and did. My binges were 5000-7000 calories at a time. I last binged about 3 months ago, I don't have the exact date (and I like that). I still feel like binging sometimes, but I don't. So I personally think food is not addictive. It tastes good, sure, and it's instant gratification, but it took me 18 years (and I was binging before then, that's just when I started seeking help for it) to realize I could just say no.

addiction is now classified as mental addictions. Some people see black and white. Don't put it in your mouth, you wont be fat, drunk, high........whatever. That is great for them. You do you, I'll d me.

Do you know there is a neurological reaction of a 'high' when an abused person interacts with an abuser? The fight or flight mechanism is triggered, thus adrenaline and dopamine flood the brain/body. When that person LEAVES the abusive situation it is this craving for release of these chemicals (along with programmed thinking) that makes them go back or allow the abuse to continue.

I am not an addictive personality myself, as a general rule, but when it came to food the high I felt from satiating the need to be 'full' became an addiction. I don't care what anyone SAYS if a human thinks about food all day long, covers their emotions with said food, fills the void of emptiness to the point of a feeling of wellbeing..................it is an addiction.

(didn't read the entire thread only the first 3 pages, so if this was said ooops)

I could be wrong... but I think we are on the same side of this debate.

So explain going through a drive-through feeling like I wasn't in control of my action, 5000-7000 calorie binges, during an 18 year period, and one day just deciding to stop, and stopping. I can definitely you I felt more crappy than good during those 18 years and spent a lot of money trying to find a solution and at the end it was just a matter of stopping!