I think I have an addiction.
I feel controlled by food. When am I going to eat next? What am I going to eat next? If there is food, it must be eaten until it is all gone, no matter how much is there. I eat in secret. I hide snacks to eat later when no one can see me. Descriptions of drug and alcohol addicts sound familiar to me, in how they describe feeling out of control and simply ruled by their addiction.
But what can be done about it? I can’t stop cold-turkey with eating, like you would with smoking or drinking. That would cause another host of problems. Food is necessary to live. But why must this abuse continue?
“ Food addiction is a contemporary term used to describe a pathological disorder; the compulsive, excessive craving for and consumption of food. This condition is not only manifested by the abnormal intake of food, but the intake and craving for foods that are, in themselves, harmful to the individual. While society and the medical profession have readily understood alcoholism and drug abuse, it is only in recent years that there is an equal acceptance of the fact that persons may be addicted to food in the same way. When any substance is taken into the body regardless of its potential for harm or in excess of need, that substance is said to be abused. Individuals who abuse substances in such a way are addicts; these persons become physiologically and mentally dependent upon certain substances, in this case food. …
“Food Addiction – Is There Any Hope for Recovery?
Food addiction is a serious condition with many adverse health consequences. Obesity, psychological disorders, diabetes, and gastric anomalies are just a few.
“The first step to recovery is, of course, the realization and acceptance of the problem. Medically, individuals must identify which foods — the trigger foods — cause allergic symptoms and cravings.
“There is no easy way to combat food addiction; it will require intense discipline in modifying eating patterns and lifestyle. A manageable exercise program should be embraced along with dietary changes that may be maintained. Ambitious attempts to change eating patterns abruptly or to lose weight quickly rarely have long-term success.
“The physiological and psychological dependency of food can best be broken when the individual recognizes that they are powerless to combat it alone. They must look to God, who alone is able to provide help and healing in this and all areas of human helplessness. “For I am the LORD who heals you” (Exodus 15:26b) God is as much concerned with our physical well being as He is with our spiritual relationship to Him. As an individual seeks Him, he will find health and healing and recovery. “Dear friend, I am praying that all is well with you and that your body is as healthy as I know your soul is” (3 John 2).” ~All About Life Challenges
I feel so lost. I am compelled to eat junk when there is junk in my presence. I am compelled to eat EVERYTHING that is set before me. I am compelled to sit and inhale bad nutrition.
But to change this, I must change my mindset first. This is an addiction. I am a food addict. I am a food abuser. I have only recently begun to recognize this. With God’s help, I hopefully will be able to conquer this addiction.
The more I read online, the more I think that I may have a food allergy of some kind, but how do I figure this out? I don’t really have the money to go and get a lot of expensive tests done. (Apparently, a food allergy can trigger a craving for the food you’re allergic to. Who knew?) I could try a Food Elimination Test and record how my body reacts to different things, but that is time-consuming. I just don’t know. But it would be helpful if there is something that I shouldn’t be eating.
