Food Addiction – Worse Than Drugs?

I was watching the documentary on the Half Ton Man the other day and it really got me thinking about food addictions in general. The more I thought about it, the more convinced I was that being addicted to food could possibly be worse than being addicted to drugs.

I know this sounds extreme because in reality, they are two very different problems. But just think about this for a minute. A crack addict can detox, get their life together, move on, and possibly never have to face that scary low point in their lives ever again (hypothetically).

A food addict on the other hand can “detox”, get their life together, move on, and be faced with that demon every single day for the rest of their lives because you have to eat to live! There is no way around that one.

A lot of people refuse to feel sorry for those with any type of addiction because of their belief in “personal accountability” and that’s perfectly fine. That’s an opinion and I can respect that. But research has been able to confirm that some people simply lack the ability to control cravings and powerful desires due to a problem with the way the brain is hardwired.

Dopamine (the chemical in the brain that triggers feelings of pleasure) is very powerful. The brain recognizes and can attribute the release of dopamine to certain activities especially in the case of drug use. The brain remembers this pleasure and wants to repeat it. This pattern is typically the foundation of cravings. In regards to food addiction, I’m not talking about the small cravings that someone might experience every once and a while. I’m talking about the cravings that control ones ability to function. I can see how some can confuse food addiction for a sheer lack of will power. There is a fine line that divides the two. A line that I am not qualified to identify. However, there are some consistent signs I found on the internet and here they are:

From: healthrecipes.com

Signs of Compulsive Eating:

• Think about food a lot.

• Eat to relieve worry or stress.

• Continue to eat even after feeling sick from eating too much.

• Become anxious while eating.

• Daydream or worry while eating.

• Overeat.

• Eat too fast.

• Eat everything on the plate.

• Feel guilty when you eat.

• Eat secretly.

• Cannot eat one cookie, or any treat that you really like.

• Binge after a diet.

• Hunger makes you feel fearful and uncomfortable.

I know I don’t have a food addiction but I personally answered yes to five of the signs above. My point is, if you are worried that you have a food addiction, go and see your doctor. When asked for the reason of the visit, tell them you are worried you have a food addiction. For a more discrete method you can use the following URL to get more information on how to get help. www.foodaddicts.org.

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Written by Ernesto Martinez

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