Conquering Food Addiction

Illegal drugs have been a problem in society for a long time. It is generally accepted that they can kill you in large doses (with the exception of marijuana). Abusers of such substances are often cautioned to stay away from places where they are likely to encounter other users but what can be done when the substance you are addicted to is food?

Most people enjoy eating. There are in fact physiological processes that make us want food because our bodies require it for survival. Unfortunately, this need can be turned against us and create a host of health problems. While some people seem able to eat whatever they like and not gain weight, others put on fat very easily. This would have been a very good survival mechanism when the threat of famine was often immanent. In modern times, however, the threat of obesity is far more real.

Food addictions often result from a combination of loss and childhood trauma that lead the sufferer to take comfort in food. The things they like to eat light up the same pleasure centers in the brain that illegal drugs do. They may lie to themselves about the quantities of food they are eating and even feel like they are being tricked when it is presented to them all at once. In much the same ways that drug abuse can lead to severe physical damage and social isolation, food addiction can result in super-morbid obesity which causes the person to be physically unable to fit through doors and leave the house.

To get rid of this problem requires professional dietary help, exercise and a very good support system. People who attempt this on their own or while surrounded by negative family members are far more likely to fail. All of the food items that are not allowed by the new diet should be considered forbidden within the home. The exercise schedule will also be easier to keep up with if the other family members join in as well. This way it becomes more of a bonding experience and less like isolation and discomfort.

Many people will experience problems with obesity as the high sodium, high sugar, high fat Western diet becomes standard in more countries around the world. Even those without a clear food addiction may find themselves experiencing such problems simply because their jobs are too sedentary to allow them to expend the calories they consume. Still, with effort, solutions can be found.