Food Addiction

Food addiction….is and always will be a b!tch. 

You must eat to live so you can’t just simply not eat in the same way an alcoholic or drug addict would avoid situations that include drugs or alcohol. 

Why Food Addiction Matters

So in abstaining vs moderating, I’m referring to specific foods that trigger binge eating. No one, in my experience, has an issue with binging on celery or chicken breast. The problem occurs in those processed foods, sugar, and high-carb foods. These foods are designed to ‘light up’ the same part of our brains that causes substance addiction, sex addiction, gambling, and other behaviors that consume us and disrupt our lives. When food is an addiction, it interferes with our health, causes chronic diseases, and contributes to mental decline. While it might not sound like a big deal to be addicted to sweets – it seems harmless to some – those foods are causing our quality of life to spiral out of control, keeping us sick and dependent on pharmaceutical symptom management. 

Abstainers vs Moderators

Something I heard this week really resonated with me. I wish I could give credit to the person who said it, but I’m drawing a blank. Maybe Amy Bellinger? Emily Penton? I feel like it was one of those two lovely ladies. Anyway… ‘Addicts must be abstainers’.

Addicts MUST be abstainers. I believe this to be true of any addict, no matter the substance or source of addiction. Getting to the point of abstinence, however, may look different from person to person. Some addicts, or some addictions, can take a quit-it-an-forget-it approach. Rip off that bandaid and carry on. That can cause more severe adaptation or withdrawal symptoms, but the goal is typically accomplished more quickly. Others may require a step-down approach. This may drag out the process, but adaptation or withdrawal may be less severe and therefore more easily managed. In either approach, the goal and hopefully the result is the same.

Abstaining is Key for Most Addicts

Choosing which method is best for the addict is very personal and requires a great deal of being honest with themselves. My own battle with food addiction is ongoing. It’s been years in the making. I can confidently say my sugar and carb addiction is in remission at this point. Yet I still use food for comfort and that is hindering my progress to some degree. Am I still healing inside? I have no idea. I think so.

So while I do still ‘stress eat’ from time to time, I do not consume sugar or carbs and I do not eat with obsessive, uncontrollable action. I simply eat when I’m not truly hungry. It’s a problem and I’m still working on that. I believe I know what caused it but I’ll leave that for another time. I’m angry with those who suggested a specific practice without knowing my personal issues and angry with myself for thinking I could expect a different result. This is why there should be no specific program for everyone to follow. It’s dangerous and irresponsible. Unethical, even. 

Anyway, my point is that any program should be highly individualized, especially where addiction is involved. 

What About Moderation?

What about the moderation aspect? I don’t think this is possible for an addict. Maybe you have heard of an alcoholic who can just have a drink on special occasions without going on a bender, but I haven’t. Perhaps you know of a drug addict who can partake now and then without spiraling, but I don’t. 

If there is a substance or activity, even if you feel it’s healthy, but it consumes you…I’m sorry to say but that is an addiction. So this applies to anything that has become a source of comfort or a coping mechanism, but it harms you either immediately or in the long run, it’s an addiction. 

Comfort or Self-Sabotage?

If it brings you comfort but it’s contributing to your illness or hindering your progress, is that really comfort? Or is it self-sabotage? Moderating, or attempting to be a moderator, is not helping your progress. So, no. I do not believe in moderation when it comes to addictive behaviors. It doesn’t matter if that behavior is binging on donuts, running, smoking, or any other addiction. 

I know in my heart and soul I cannot ever have cake and ice cream. It will open up an old wound that I have worked far too hard for far too long to heal. It will not serve me in a positive way and I only have room for good and positive in my life. I will not go backward for a few moments of perceived bliss that will potentially drag me back to the hell that was my miserable failing health. Dramatic? Nope. Not at all. Food addiction is real and it ruins lives. 

Help is Here!

If you need help, please feel free to reach out. I can point you in the right direction or I can coach you one-on-one.