Food addiction
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Do you believe it's real? Why or why not?
I'm talking addiction in the sense that you can't control it and it hinders your life. Like beyond emotional eating.
Yes, I believe it's real. This video explains how everything we think we know about addiction is wrong. You can't control it without a real support system. The opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it is connection. The theory of chemical hooks driving an addiction is not completely what drives the behavior. You will understand what I'm trying to say when you watch this:
https://www.ted.com/talks/johann_hari_everything_you_think_you_know_about_addiction_is_wrong?language=en
From dealing with the homeless, I actually believe the opposite. You won't control it until you decide to and believe you can and you will. As long as you find other things and people and situations to blame, you'll fail to gain any ground. The people who get knocked down by life and STAY down are those who see themselves as victims of their circumstances...and those who simply don't care.
It blew my mind how wrong all my assumptions were. I'd painted these stories of exaggerated tragedy. But no, human tragedy is perfectly normal. It's those who choose to see their circumstances as specially difficult and unbearable compared to that of other people and to see themselves as put under an impossible pressure who end up failing over a long period rather than picking themselves up and dusting themselves off.
My grandmother was a smoker and an alcoholic for DECADES. When my mother became pregnant with me, she decided that she hadn't been the mother she should have and that she shouldn't be that kind of grandmother, so she quit cold turkey and never touched another drop.
She'd been a *nightly* alcoholic for more than 20 years and a binge drinker since she was 16.
When I was 3.5 and my little brother was born, I went up to her when she was smoking on the back porch and said that I didn't want her to smoke because I didn't want her to die and I wanted her to see my kids. She quietly finished that pack and never smoked another cigarette again. She'd been smoking daily at that point for nearly 40 years.
If you care, you will do it. If you don't do it, you don't care enough.0 -
MamaBirdBoss wrote: »From: http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/addiction
Definition of addiction:
Addiction is a persistent, compulsive dependence on a behavior or substance. The term has been partially replaced by the word dependence for substance abuse. Addiction has been extended, however, to include mood-altering behaviors or activities. Some researchers speak of two types of addictions: substance addictions (for example, alcoholism, drug abuse, and smoking); and process addictions (for example, gambling, spending, shopping, eating, and sexual activity). There is a growing recognition that many addicts, such as polydrug abusers, are addicted to more than one substance or process.
Prevention:
The most effective form of prevention appears to be a stable family that models responsible attitudes toward mood-altering substances and behaviors. Prevention education programs are also widely used to inform the public of the harmfulness of substance abuse.
Aaaaah, but food addiction is protective of substance addiction! Process "addicts" tend to be MORE likely to have other process addictions but LESS likely to have substance addictions.
Someone who's obese is less likely than someone who's normal weight to be an alcoholic and to do any form of drugs. But they're more likely to overspend and have problems managing their money and to be compulsive shoppers.
Do you have a source for this claim (bolded)? It is also off topic if we are talking about whether or not food can be addictive. Based on the source I provided, all sorts of things technically fall under the category of addiction: shopping, food, alcohol, drugs, sex, etc... And according to the Ted talk I posted, isolating people with ridicule over their addiction goes hand-in-hand with the punishment model of dealing with the problem, which has been shown to be ineffective treatment.0 -
I'm not a scientist, but doesn't sugar basically tell the brain you crave more sugar?0
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I thought the thread was to talk about food addiction. Is there a thread for support? I had a bad morning, overcame it and thought maybe a "support group," even an online one might help me. I'm trying very hard to stop binging and purging and all anyone on here is doing is setting up triggers, regurgitating studies they saw in the news and arguing nonsense. If anyone can lead me to a more supportive group, I'd be very appreciative.0
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If you're binging and purging, and you haven't already, you should seek professional help for an eating disorder.0
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I have a psychiatrist and I used to see a psychologist before I moved, but have an appt with a therapist next week. I was just wondering if anyone has used groups... I finally admitted my problem and would like to do everything I can to set myself up for success (and learn how to deal with failure).0
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MamaBirdBoss wrote: »Do you believe it's real? Why or why not?
I'm talking addiction in the sense that you can't control it and it hinders your life. Like beyond emotional eating.
I believe that it's not medically correct to call it an addiction, for various reasons, but a COMPULSION, absolutely. It has more in common with hoarding, anorexia, and OCD disorders than it does with substance abuse.
And you CAN control it. No one puts a gun to your head and makes you eat too much...or drink too much...or smoke...or hoard. Until you realize that the only person who can make a change is you...and until you care enough to do it and to stop blaming your poor coping skills on something outside of yourself...you will ALWAYS fail.
There is ALWAYS a reason that stopping a self-destructive behavior is "too hard." Most of them are lies. The ones that don't don't matter.
-I'm depressed. (Join the club.)
-I don't have time to eat well. (But you have time to buy the crap you're buying now?)
-I don't have money to eat well. (Complete BS. Healthy food is WAY cheaper per meal.)
-I have low thyroid/PCOS/insulin problems/anemia/mobility issues/toe cheese. (Yeah, and I have a rare and potentially fatal exercise allergy AND an ever rarer genetic muscle disease. My symptoms will make your hair curl.)
-My dad/mom/brother/sister/grandparent/dog/child/spouse died/doesn't love me. (Crap happens to everyone. People who keep their lives together anyway aren't specially blessed.)
-I have no job. (Eating less is cheap!)
-I have kids/a demanding job/commute really far. (You make time for the things you care about.)
-I don't have a scale. (Like, SERIOUSLY? This is one of the dumbest excuses.)
-My mother/brother/spouse/whoever doesn't support me. (Figure it out--and if the relationship is THAT destructive, why are you still in it?)
_I have no control. (BS. Of course you do. Get a hold of yourself. You can do way more than you think.)
Really, the closest thing to it IS hoarding. It's a kind of internalized hoarding. Whereas bulemia and orthorexia are more like hand-washing and light-flipping.
This might not be the group for me. Thanks.0 -
Addiction...........no. A disorder..................yes.
It's hard to justify that someone who keeps "using" their "addiction" regularly, will stop being an addict. So how does one stop eating food and not die?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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There are a variety of trains of thoughts. But if you look around,there are several threads (and the group I posted) to help recover from binge eating disorders.0
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Addiction...........no. A disorder..................yes.
It's hard to justify that someone who keeps "using" their "addiction" regularly, will stop being an addict. So how does one stop eating food and not die?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Truth. I can't avoid a grocery store like an alcoholic can avoid a bar. (NOT saying alcoholics have it easy, not in any capacity. Addiction/Compulsion whatever you want to call it kind of runs in my family.0 -
For any sort of serious discussion of this question, we need to start with definitions. Are we talking about addiction as it relates to disease? Habit? Difficulty in controlling?
Also we need to define what we mean when we say food. Are we talking about all food in general? Certain foods? Carbs? Delicious Peanut Butter? mmm peanut butter.
Wait, what was I saying?0 -
MamaBirdBoss wrote: »Do you believe it's real? Why or why not?
I'm talking addiction in the sense that you can't control it and it hinders your life. Like beyond emotional eating.
I believe that it's not medically correct to call it an addiction, for various reasons, but a COMPULSION, absolutely. It has more in common with hoarding, anorexia, and OCD disorders than it does with substance abuse.
And you CAN control it. No one puts a gun to your head and makes you eat too much...or drink too much...or smoke...or hoard. Until you realize that the only person who can make a change is you...and until you care enough to do it and to stop blaming your poor coping skills on something outside of yourself...you will ALWAYS fail.
There is ALWAYS a reason that stopping a self-destructive behavior is "too hard." Most of them are lies. The ones that don't don't matter.
-I'm depressed. (Join the club.)
-I don't have time to eat well. (But you have time to buy the crap you're buying now?)
-I don't have money to eat well. (Complete BS. Healthy food is WAY cheaper per meal.)
-I have low thyroid/PCOS/insulin problems/anemia/mobility issues/toe cheese. (Yeah, and I have a rare and potentially fatal exercise allergy AND an ever rarer genetic muscle disease. My symptoms will make your hair curl.)
-My dad/mom/brother/sister/grandparent/dog/child/spouse died/doesn't love me. (Crap happens to everyone. People who keep their lives together anyway aren't specially blessed.)
-I have no job. (Eating less is cheap!)
-I have kids/a demanding job/commute really far. (You make time for the things you care about.)
-I don't have a scale. (Like, SERIOUSLY? This is one of the dumbest excuses.)
-My mother/brother/spouse/whoever doesn't support me. (Figure it out--and if the relationship is THAT destructive, why are you still in it?)
_I have no control. (BS. Of course you do. Get a hold of yourself. You can do way more than you think.)
Really, the closest thing to it IS hoarding. It's a kind of internalized hoarding. Whereas bulemia and orthorexia are more like hand-washing and light-flipping.
This might not be the group for me. Thanks.
This is NOT a group. This is an old (necro) thread to discuss a topic on the Food and Nutrition discussion section of this forum.
You were given a link to an ED support group above, and there's also a Motivation and Support discussion section of this forum.
Whether or not people can be addicted to specific foods is a topic that people sometimes find interesting to discuss and debate. (IMO, the answer is no.) You can generally tell if a thread is active, also, by looking at the dates on the posts.
Hope that helps!0 -
Addiction...........no. A disorder..................yes.
It's hard to justify that someone who keeps "using" their "addiction" regularly, will stop being an addict. So how does one stop eating food and not die?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Truth. I can't avoid a grocery store like an alcoholic can avoid a bar. (NOT saying alcoholics have it easy, not in any capacity. Addiction/Compulsion whatever you want to call it kind of runs in my family.
My grocery store sells lots of booze.0 -
Addiction...........no. A disorder..................yes.
It's hard to justify that someone who keeps "using" their "addiction" regularly, will stop being an addict. So how does one stop eating food and not die?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
The wonderful news is that one doesn't have to stop eating food, just to stop overeating. For some people it can be helpfult to - at least for a while - to avoid foods they find difficult not to overeat.
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Food - no, but eating - very possibly!0
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I used to think that food could be addictive, but I no longer believe this. I believe it is possible control oneself and one's eating because of my own personal experience: I follow a Ketogenic lifestyle because I have to. That is, I cannot really stray too far from LCHF because when I eat one complete meal that has more than about 9-10 grams of sugar total, it causes the neuropathy to flare up in my feet. SOOOOOOO, knowing that what I put in my mouth will cause excruciating pain in my feet for the next several hours of my day roughly five minutes after having eaten it has worked wonders for greatly improving my will power when it comes to "food addiction." I have superhuman will power around food now because of this built-in aversion therapy. lol0
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