While eating is physically required for
survival, it holds a very important
place from a cultural standpoint. In
most cultures, eating is regarded as a
communal activity where bonds are formed
and relationships grow. For some
however, eating becomes a compulsion.
People of all ages suffer enormously
from forcing themselves to eat too much
or too little. Food, weight and body
image become an obsession that harms
people both physically and emotionally.
Addictions - whether they are to
alcohol, narcotics, food, gambling,
nicotine, or work - all provide
short-term pleasure. However, they are
all long-term nightmares. A couple of
days ago I was involved in a discussion
with a co-worker about whether or not
compulsive overeating can be classified
as an addiction, just as alcoholism is.
Although treatment of eating addictions
cannot be treated with abstinence from
food, the underlying dynamics are very
much like a substance or gambling
addiction; the addiction itself is never
about the substance in question. An
eating disorder is never about food. An
alcoholic does not consume alcohol on a
daily basis because they enjoy the
taste. Many intelligent people continue
engaging in addictive behaviors in spite
of their awareness that addiction
results in damaged physical health,
damaged relationships and profound
suffering. These individuals, unable to
cope with their intense emotions, find
that using a substance is a way to avoid
or escape from a troubling situation or
emotion.
It is easy to blame the addict for their
problems. Most people learn their coping
skills, whether adaptive or unhealthy,
as children in the families in which
they grew up. As a child, turning to
food after witnessing their parents
yelling at each other, may have provided
emotional comfort that they did not
receive elsewhere. Were you ever offered
an ice cream cone when you felt sad?
Likewise, a child who grows up in a
family where a parent abuses alcohol to
deal with stress, learns that alcohol is
a way to feel better at the end of the
day. I view an addict as an individual
who is crying out that something in
their life is not okay.
Psychological intervention plays a key
role in the recovery process from any
addiction, both in helping the
individual gain an understanding of what
purpose the substance is serving in his
or her life, and learning to apply new,
healthy coping skills. Assuming
responsibility for our own actions is an
essential part of change. Reach out for
help. People do care!
