How Food Addiction is Similar to Drug Addiction

Some people are indeed addicted to food and in some cases they treat eating almost like a drug. Those who are really addicted to food can develop all sorts of problems in their life as a direct result of eating too much, or eating unhealthy foods.

One of the bigger hurdles with eating addiction comes from the fact that the recovery strategy cannot really be complete abstinence from all food, like we would do for drugs or alcohol. Instead of this, those who have food addiction have to learn moderation, something this is pretty much seen as an unlikely outcome when it comes to handling other types of addictions. We all have to live to eat...there is no abstinence-based option for food addiction recovery. This makes it trickier to recover from than some other types of addictions, where a person can abstain entirely, such as drugs, gambling, and so on.

In spite of this stark difference, food addiction is actually quite similar to drug addiction. This is because of the general underlying principle for which addicts tend to use drugs and alcohol or eat emotionally in an addictive way. In each of these instances, addicts are using either eating or chemical substances in order to deal with their emotions.

When someone with drug addiction has a rough day or becomes angered with a situation, they will generally resort to self medicating with their drug of choice in order to feel better about themselves. Similarly, a food addict will turn to certain comfort foods when they are upset about something in their life or feel stressed out. This is an example of emotional eating, and obviously this is a form of medicating that is very similar to how people use drugs or alcohol.

Food addicts can deliberately raise their consciousness and see when they are reaching for a bag of potato chips out of boredom or frustration, instead of to satisfy genuine hunger. Many people get bored and will simply much on things that they don't really need. Others will munch on food simply out of habit, such as when they watch television.

In the same way, drug addicts take drugs for much the same motivations. Habits form slowly over time, and drug addicts might also try drugs out of sheer boredom also. The parallels here are pretty obvious and so it naturally follows that those who have an issue with eating addiction are really using food just like they would an addictive substance. They are self medicating for a number of different reasons by getting a small rush that comes from filling up our stomachs and giving our taste buds something to chew on.

Due to these parallels, addicts and emotional eaters have discovered a unique recovery strategy, in that they can all use the idea of supporting and helping others who struggle with the same issues.