is "food addiction" real?

[JackieOnLine]

@Elizabeth N. says food addiction is BS (in the food funeral thread) and I don't (exactly) agree.

I think you can be addicted to behavior, and call myself someone with Binge Eating Disorder.

as past of this subject, I want to say I abhor the idea that the only way to beat an addiction is the AA model. fine, for some people but NOT the only way to go. options, people!!

addiction is a messy subject I've been thinking about since reading various reactions to Philip Seymour Hoffman's death. He choose to use! how selfish! but he was clean for decades and should get credit for that.

an oreo cookie is not like heroin, obviously. but behavior that kills you more slow can still be an addiction, IMO.

discuss!

 

[DuodenalSwitchaRoo]

Different people have experience different things and thus see the world from the basis of that experience. I think it CAN be, but I think the term is way overused....like way way way.

When you lie, steal, manipulate and hide the evidence....I'm afraid that ticks most of the boxes for me. I too have Binge Eating Disorder which is controlled by controlling carb intake. Once I have sugar in my blood I am like a crack whore looking for my next fix. It isn't pretty....it's embarrassing and the only person who knows the extent of my addiction/sickness, is my husband as we have had tear filled fights over food.

 

[JackieOnLine]

many, many times I have felt out of control with eating - and the simple carbs are the worst. I have been known to binge on other stuff, though.

and I've gotten better over the years - but it's never gone away.

I expect lots of good posts from peeps! < huh, a lurker

 

[DuodenalSwitchaRoo]

It's not even out of control with me....I can't even explain it! It's like my eyes glaze over and a demon takes over or something. It used to be realllllllly bad. I'm not so bad anymore...still have my moments....lets not talk about cookies..k? k! lol.

I think food/sugar CAN be an addiction, but I think it is over diagnosed/self-diagnosed so much that there is 1 real case to ever 1000 claimed.

 

[DuodenalSwitchaRoo]

[I think I am the anti-lurker, I found you lot and haven't shut up since, lol]

 

[Sandy]

While I have had plenty of exposure to people who have suffered with addictions I won't pretend to know too very much about the intricacies of addiction and therefore don't have a knowledgeable opinion on whether food addiction is real or not. I do, however, agree that behaviors can become habits and habits can be difficult to manage or break.

That said, I don't consider myself food addicted. Never have. However, I have had random occasional feelings - physical, pleasurable feelings - from eating. Each time it happened it was when my blood sugar was dropping and the consumption of food produced a very noticeable "Ahhhhhh" feeling, a comfortable, soothing feeling similar to a mild "high" as my blood sugar stopped dropping and began to rise. I see that for what it is and nothing more. It does, however, make me wonder if there is a certain component of seeking that "high" for some people therefore creating a behavior or addiction to eating.

 

[DuodenalSwitchaRoo]

And to add, I don't think I have an addictive personality. I can handle my drink, spent my early 20's flirting with liver damage and then all of the sudden I gre up....and I only drink once a twice a year...but not this year lol as I will be to newly post op! I never had issues with drugs, even though I did enjoy the bud when I was younger...again, I just grew up one day. I didn't start smoking until I moved to the UK with my smoking husband. It was a battle for the first few years as I hated smoking, it stunk and I thought it was ugly as sin lol. Then we bought our first house (well, our only house lol) And he was like "oh come on...celebrate with me" Well, the celebration lasted 4 bloody years. I found that whilst I hated the smell, taste and look of it, I liked the habit of oral stimulation along with the deep inhale and exhale...thus ecigs are a good fit for me and tonight we are making 0% nic juice for me post op. It never was about the nicotine....it was all about the activity.

Food on the other hand, yeah. not good. Serious addictive behaviours. But I think I am a RARE bird...as I have larger friends who do not have the problems with food that I did.

 

[cajungirl]

I've had similar reactions as @Sandy. I don't consider myself a food addict, although I am an emotional eater (not all emotions). I do know if I get in the carb cycle then it's hard to tame that desire. The high/low sugar cycle is tough, I really try not to go there.

 

[huneypie]

I don't pretend to know what's going on in other people's heads, so I can only speak for myself when I say that brain surgery would've helped, just a shame that they've not invented it yet he he. :biggrin:

 

[DuodenalSwitchaRoo]

Most people don't have it, most don't get it, most can't understand and most don't believe it is real. And it is a.ok I know what I have experienced and all I need is my own knowledge lol. I'm a grown ass woman and don't need vindication or validation. I love people, even when they don't agree with me or see things my way..... (omg. Im a grown up now. Im going to go POUT!) lol

 

[newanatomy]

I don't think I'm addicted to food. I do think food fills emotional voids for me though.

Popcorn is an absolute favorite of mine for life. It meant "happy" as a child. It was the only food I was allowed to have in the living room. My mother (abusive, alcoholic) would spread out a sheet and my sisters and I could sit on the sheet and eat popcorn and watch television. It meant she was a peace for a few hours and we were safe on the sheet.

I have emotional attachments to certain other foods as well.

 

[Jbandmmomma]

@Elizabeth N. says food addiction is BS (in the food funeral thread) and I don't (exactly) agree.

I think you can be addicted to behavior, and call myself someone with Binge Eating Disorder.

as past of this subject, I want to say I abhor the idea that the only way to beat an addiction is the AA model. fine, for some people but NOT the only way to go. options, people!!

addiction is a messy subject I've been thinking about since reading various reactions to Philip Seymour Hoffman's death. He choose to use! how selfish! but he was clean for decades and should get credit for that.

an oreo cookie is not like heroin, obviously. but behavior that kills you more slow can still be an addiction, IMO.

discuss!

I've realized that I am a compulsion-driven eater. Addiction? Not truly, but obsessive and unhealthy, you bet!

 

[southernlady]

There are one or two foods that caused me to eat til there was none left...
Twizzlers is one so easiest way to handle that is NOT have them. Cadbury creme eggs is another. Thankfully they are only available a couple of months a year.

I've been able to handle the "can't eat just one chip" mainly cause now it also hurts my jaw not just makes me feel bad later. In fact, that is most crunchy type or chewy type food now. While I can handle some chewing, it quickly moves from exercise to HURT. But even before jaw surgery, I would put things like chips in a bowl and put the bag back. I don't eat out of the bag.

MY even close to addiction was bread (esp fresh baked)and pasta...neither of which I do well with any longer.

I broke many compulsive foods when I was first diagnosed diabetic back in 1997.

 

[brooklyngirl]

So in trying to clarify my thoughts I thought I should maybe clarify what addiction actually is. This is from psychologytoday.com

Addiction is a condition that results when a person ingests a substance (alcohol, cocaine, nicotine) or engages in an activity (gambling) that can be pleasurable but the continued use of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary life responsibilities, such as work or relationships, or health. Users may not be aware that their behavior is out of control and causing problems for themselves and others.

The word addiction is used in several different ways. One definition describes physical addiction. This is a biological state in which the body adapts to the presence of a drug so that drug no longer has the same effect; this is known as tolerance. Because of tolerance, there is a biological reaction when the drug is withdrawn. Another form of physical addiction is the phenomenon of overreaction by the brain to drugs (or to cues associated with the drugs). An alcoholic walking into a bar, for instance, will feel an extra pull to have a drink because of these cues.

However, most addictive behavior is not related to either physical tolerance or exposure to cues. People compulsively use drugs, gamble, or shop nearly always in reaction to being emotionally stressed, whether or not they have a physical addiction. Since these psychologically based addictions are not based on drug or brain effects, they can account for why people frequently switch addictive actions from one drug to a completely different kind of drug, or even to a non-drug behavior. The focus of the addiction isn't what matters; it's the need to take action under certain kinds of stress. Treating this kind of addiction requires an understanding of how it works psychologically.

When referring to any kind of addiction, it is important to recognize that its cause is not simply a search for pleasure and that addiction has nothing to do with one's morality or strength of character. Experts debate whether addiction is a "disease" or a true mental illness, whether drug dependence and addiction mean the same thing, and many other aspects of addiction. Such debates are not likely to be resolved soon. But the lack of resolution does not preclude effective treatment.

Now, this is my opinion. I think it is very common to be emotionally addicted to food, and also physically addicted. I do not pretend to have the same addiction as someone addicted to heroin. I will never have those insane things happen to me when I stop eating junk as when someone detoxes from a serious narcotic. But there have been countless times in my life where I have felt totally controlled by a demon inside me and powerless to say no to those demons. Through knowing people with alcohol and/or drug addictions, I see similar patterns of behavior and feelings. That being said, there are different reasons people get addicted to drugs, and those are often the same reasons people get addicted to food. Plenty of people dabble in recreational drugs and don't get addicted, the same way plenty of people can eat pizza or cookies and not be addicted. *I* think the addictive part happens often when people use a substance to escape from negative feelings. Whether it's beer, weed, gambling, shopping, cookies, or oxycodone, if you're using it to cope with feelings that you can't otherwise handle and get to a point where you can't stop and where it's damaging aspects of your life, yes I believe it qualifies as an addiction. Secondly, there are certain foods, especially sugar, that release dopamine in the brain and can be very physically addictive.
That being said, I don't believe that everyone with a weight problem is a food addict, but I believe I am

 

[DuodenalSwitchaRoo]

ok lets see I have can do this without being done for plagiarism!!! lol

I have never researched the subject, but the very first paper/research that comes up when I search my uni data base is this:

The food addiction.
Authors:
Kenny, Paul J
Affiliation:
Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL, USA
Source:
Scientific American (SCI AM), 2013 Sep; 309 (3): 44-9.
Publication Type:
journal article
Language:
English
Major Subjects:
Brain -- Physiopathology
Dietary Fats
Dietary Sucrose
Food Addiction -- Drug Therapy
Food Addiction -- Etiology
Food Addiction -- Physiopathology
Minor Subjects:
Animals ; Appetite ; Energy Intake ; Insulin -- Physiology ; Leptin ; Leptin -- Physiology ; Obesity -- Drug Therapy ; Obesity --Psychosocial Factors
Journal Subset:
Consumer Health; USA
Special Interest:
Consumer Health
ISSN:
0036-8733
MEDLINE Info:
PMID: 24003553 NLM UID: 0404400
Entry Date:
20131025
Revision Date:
20131213
Accession Number:
2012253529
Database:
CINAHL
Full Text Database:
UK & Ireland Reference Centre

NEUROSCIENCE

New brain research is revealing why fats and sugars may be driving more and more people toward obesity

WOULD A RAT RISK DYING JUST TO SATISFY its desire for chocolate?

I recently found out. In my laboratory, we gave rats unlimited access to their standard fare as well as to a mini cafeteria full of appetizing, high-calorie foods: sausage, cheesecake, chocolate. The rats decreased their intake of the healthy but bland items and switched to eating the cafeteria food almost exclusively. They gained weight. They became obese.

We then warned the rats as they were eating -- by flashing a light -- that they would receive a nasty foot shock. Rats eating the bland chow would quickly stop and scramble away, but time and again the obese rats continued to devour the rich food, ignoring the warning they had been trained to fear. Their hedonic desire overruled their basic sense of self-preservation.

Our finding mirrored a previous trial by Barry Everitt of the University of Cambridge -- only his rats were hooked on cocaine.

So are the fat rats addicted to food? An inability to suppress a behavior, despite the negative consequences, is common in addiction. Scientists are finding similar compulsiveness in certain people. Almost all obese individuals say they want to consume less, yet they continue to overeat even though they know that doing so can have shockingly negative health or social consequences. Studies show that overeating juices up the reward systems in our brain -- so much so in some people that it overpowers the brain's ability to tell them to stop eating when they have had enough. As with alcoholics and drug addicts, the more they eat, the more they want. Whether or not overeating is technically an addiction, if it stimulates the same brain circuits as drug use, in the same way, then medications that dial down the reward system could help obese people to eat less.

........

Overeating: Brain Chemicals Hijack the Controls
Foods that are dense in fat and sugar prompt the striatum to make endorphins, "feel good" chemicals that can trigger binge eating. The foods also spark dopamine release (red lines) by the striatum, which motivates feeding behavior, and into the prefrontal cortex, which influences decision making. In some people, the actions of endorphins, dopamine and other chemicals that regulate reward systems can overpower hormonal signals and conscious attempts to stop eating when full. A strong motivation to eat high-calorie foods prevails despite an individual's knowledge about health consequences.

Treatment Prospects
Addictive drugs lead to dopamine release and feedback loops in the brain that can spur people to seek more and more -- just as overeating high-calorie foods can do. Medications that could break this cycle could possibly ease not only drug addiction but obesity.