Focus On Your Deepest Passions
We typically indulge in addictions to take our mind off problems, painful emotions, or simply to hide our insecurities. These addictions provide us with a sense of control that helps carry us forward through to the next day.
Addictions however only hold power over you when you simply have nothing else to use as a substitute. In other words, you are prioritizing your addictions over other aspects of your life. Your addictions essentially become more important than anything else you could even fathom doing in that moment.
However, Im sure you have some healthy passions. You may even have an inkling of your lifes purpose. Possibly you also have some big goals you want to achieve. What are these things in your life? Do you even have a bucket list?
Why not create a bucket list of things you would like to do this year, this month, or maybe even this week? What things are you passionate about that you could add to your bucket list? What hobbies would you like to try? How else could you distract yourself from your addictions?
When you start giving more priority to your lifes passions and hobbies, your addictions will gradually start fading off into the distance.
The Most Addictive Foods
The foods that people are most likely to compulsively overeat tend to have something in common: A powerful combination of carbohydrates and fat.
You wont find many examples of this irresistible combo in nature. For example, rice is high in carbohydrates but low in fat, while nuts are high in fat but have minimal carbs. But processed food companies can mix ingredients and chemically exaggerate flavors to create taste sensations so appealing that you keep wanting more.
In a study where researchers asked people what foods they were most likely to overeat, some of the most common responses were:
- Chocolate.
- Cheeseburgers.
Mental Hack #: Leveraging Social
Your social networks can fuel your food addiction and contribute to being overweight.
A study done in the New England Journal of Medicine found that social networks can promote obesity people with friends, siblings and spouses who are obese are much more likely to be obese themselves.
Now, although this wasnt in reference to online social networks , there is evidence that shows that youre many times more likely to share the same interests as your friends.
This is just the long way of saying that people have a huge influence over your success or failure, and youre likely to end up like the people around you in more than one way.
You can leverage the internet social spheres in your favor too. There are a couple innovative sites to help you integrate a positive social environment with your own personal goals.
Fitocracy in a nutshell: Its health and fitness, gamified. You earn points for doing quests , and then you can level up and reach new levels.
It integrates with a social feed like facebook, and lets others motivate and help each other out.
Stickk in a nutshell: Stickk is another way to socially integrate betting with attaining your own goals.
Its based on the whole carrot and stick theory of motivation that to motivate people, you can offer them incentives , or punish them.
The key is to pick a charity you hate so much that youd rather die than see your money go there
It works!
Social betting gone digital.
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Tips In Overcoming Food Addiction
For food addiction recovery, it will take a lot of willpower and sacrifice to overcome it. It may take weeks or months, but you have to believe in yourself to overcome this. Everybody has different food cravings, and breaking food addiction is going to be different for everybody. But here are some tips you can start with:
What Sort Of Help Do I Need
Like in other addictions, the eating disorder convinces you that you dont really have it or that it isnt that bad. If you are reading this, it might be that bad. You might also be using drugs and alcohol, or be having other self harm behaviors such as cutting or burning yourself. Often, depression and anxiety go hand in hand with eating disorders. Put all this together, and you have a very complicated and dangerous problem. It is not likely that you can figure out on your own how to tackle these problems.
First, talk with your doctor. Be direct and honest with him or her, and ask for help. Surprisingly, many doctors do not know how to treat eating disorders. If your doctor doesnt know what to do, consider finding another.
Second, seek therapy. An eating disorders specialist can help you identify the problem, and determine what sort of help you need. Be careful in choosing a specialist. Many therapists know very little about eating disorders, and therefore may be unhelpful.
Third, see a registered dietitian. Be sure they are registered and have training in eating disorders treatment. Eating disorders are complicated and dangerous and not just anyone can safely advise you how to eat properly.
Fourth, attend a SMART Recovery group.
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Social Causes Of Food Addiction
Scientists believe there are many social pressures that contribute to food addiction.
This includes social pressure to be thin and the social disapproval for people who are overweight.
This pressure fuels the food addicts self-disgust.
The resulting depression causes the food addict to overeat in an attempt to feel better about themselves.
Tips For Overcoming Food Addiction
Now we offer some tips for overcoming food addiction by changing your diet.
This advice is not intended to replace the need to seek out professional help.
Unlike an addiction to drugs or alcohol, people addicted to food cannot just go cold turkey. This is because food is essential for survival.
Therefore, its essential that you work hard to redefine your relationship with food.
Heres some tips for improving your relationship with food:
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How To Overcome Food Addiction
The effects of certain foods on the brain make it hard for some people to avoid them.
Food addiction operates similarly to other addictions, which explains why some people cant control themselves around certain foods no matter how hard they try.
Despite not wanting to, they may repeatedly find themselves eating large amounts of unhealthy foods knowing that doing so may cause harm.
This article examines food addiction and provides tips to overcome it.
Food addiction is an addiction to junk food and comparable to drug addiction.
Its a relatively new and controversial term, and high quality statistics on its prevalence are lacking .
Food addiction is similar to several other disorders, including binge eating disorder, bulimia, compulsive overeating, and other feeding and eating disorders.
SUMMARY
Food addiction is a highly controversial concept, though most studies suggest it exists. It works similarly to drug addiction.
2 ).
Processed junk foods have a powerful effect on the reward centers of the brain. These effects are caused by brain neurotransmitters like dopamine .
The most problematic foods include typical junk foods like candy, sugary soda, and high fat fried foods.
Food addiction is not caused by a lack of willpower but believed to be caused by a dopamine signal that affects the biochemistry of the brain .
SUMMARY
Food addiction is thought to involve the same neurotransmitters and areas of the brain as drug addiction.
Is There A Cure For Food Addiction
According to The Food Addiction Institute, it is possible to overcome food addiction. Like other addictions, the condition may not be cured with a single course of treatment. But treatment can help to bring the condition into remission and can help you to repair any psychological, social, and economic damage.2
The goals of food addiction treatment are to:
- Reduce overeating.
- Help with any needed weight loss.
- Address other issues associated with the illness, such as shame and low self-esteem.
Treatment for food addiction is similar to treatment for drug addiction. It typically includes counseling and support groups to help reduce cravings and to prevent relapse. Medications may also be used to reduce binge-eating episodes and/or suppress appetite.3
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Eat A Well Balanced Diet
Fad dieting, severe restriction and skipping meals will predispose you to binge eating and overconsumption at your next meal time. Dont do it. Follow a healthy, well-balanced meal plan with protein, high fibre carbohydrate, healthy fats and lots of fruit and vegetables.
The most important thing to remember is to not give up. You want to change your eating habits and lifestyle forever, so give yourself a break if you have a relapse into old habits and try again tomorrow. The great thing about life is that its never too late.
Here at The Healthy Eating Hub we are keen to help you kick your food addiction.
If youd like further help with your nutrition please click below:
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How To Overcome An Addiction
This article was co-authored by Tiffany Douglass, MA. Tiffany Douglass is the Founder of Wellness Retreat Recovery Center, a JCAHO accredited drug and alcohol treatment program based in San Jose, California. She is also the Executive Director for Midland Tennessee at JourneyPure. She has over ten years of experience in substance abuse treatment and was appointed a Global Goodwill Ambassador in 2019 for her efforts in residential addiction treatment. Tiffany earned a BA in Psychology from Emory University in 2004 and an MA in Psychology with an emphasis on Organization Behavior and Program Evaluation from Claremont Graduate University in 2006.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 25 testimonials and 100% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 1,122,411 times.
Theres a myth out there that addiction is inescapable or something thats locked in for life, but thats definitely not the case. In fact, more people succeed at overcoming their addiction than fail.XResearch source Acknowledging that youre addicted to something and wanting to change are the first steps, so youre on the right track! This article will show you how to come up with a plan for overcoming your addiction and stick with it, even when things get tough.
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Ways To Help If You Think You Have A Food Addiction
When thinking about addictive substances, most people will put illicit drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes at the top of the list, without even giving a second thought to the food they consume on a daily basis. That makes sense, given that food addiction is not currently included in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , the standard classification used by mental health professionals in the United States to diagnose addiction. However, perhaps it should be, as there are more than 100 million adults considered obese in the U.S. compared with the countrys 17.6 million alcoholics and one million chronic heroin users. Is using food Americas drug of choice?
The jury is still out, so to speak, when it comes to classifying food as an addiction. On the pro side, scientific research shows us that certain palatable foods can create a reaction similar to the impact drugs have on our brain. For example, when a person repeatedly eats sugar, which is hidden in so many of the foods that we consume, it causes dopamine to be released in reward-related areas of the brain. These same areas of the brain are activated when you drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes. The reward from eating sugar can lead to further eating, ultimately making it hard to cut back on intake.
If you or someone you know is struggling with food addiction, here are five topics to consider as an intervention:
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How To Overcome Your Eating Addiction
So weve established that substance-based food addictions arent a thing and that chocolate addiction isnt real. But behavioral eating addictions can still very well exist. Heres a few ways to overcome them.
First of all, analyze your cravings. Are they fueled by certain food restrictions? If they are, you need to let go of them and to give yourself permission to eat.
Now this may seem scary at first surely if youre allowed to eat anything you want then youll only eat junk food, right? Well, for a brief period, you might. If youve been banning certain foods from your plate for a long time and youre suddenly allowed to have them, youll certainly binge on them at first.
However, while having ice-cream and chocolate dinners for the rest of your life might seem appealing now, it probably wont after youve had it for a few nights in a row. If you want to know more about this, check out my article on how to end your obsession with food .
Its also important to let go of the all-or-nothing mentality, which you can read more about here.
If you feel like you dont restrict but are still addicted to eating, here are a few things to consider.
You could be restricting without even realizing it or you could be thinking about restricting your food intake all the time but end up giving in.
If not, youve probably developed poor eating habits and are used to eating highly-processed, calorie-dense foods instead of healthy and balanced meals.
What Causes Food Addiction And What Are The Signs
People with food addiction struggle every day with a loss of control or inability to stop eating foods that are high in carbohydrates, fat, salt, sugar, or artificial sweeteners. They also suffer from painful feelings of shame and embarrassment when it comes to their food behaviors.
Food addiction is a relatively new topic. But, its a complex condition that has similarities to other types of addiction, such as drugs, alcohol, shopping, or gambling. However, help is available.Understanding the causes and signs of food addiction can help you lower your risk and change potentially problematic behaviors.
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Develop Your Emotional Coping Skills
One of the main reasons we typically struggle with addiction is because we dont have the necessary emotional coping skills to handle our life problems.
Typical emotions such as anxiety, stress, anger, overwhelm, frustration and fear all take a toll. Specifically, they feed on our willpower and thereby weaken our level of self-control as the day wears on.
Our willpower is, of course, a limited resource. We typically have more willpower early in the morning, but it quickly fades as the day wears on due to our emotional baggage. Every negative emotional experience we have depletes our willpower. And the less willpower we have, the more likely we are to succumb to instant gratification and indulge in our addictions.
To avoid falling into this trap, its important that we take the time to develop our emotional coping skills. When we learn to handle difficult emotions in optimal ways, we subsequently protect the pool of willpower we have at our disposal. And as a result, we are more likely to resist daily temptations and addictions.
For more information on how to cope with painful emotions, please read about How to Master Your Emotions.
Easy Ways To Get Over Food Addiction
Alcohol addiction! Drug addiction! Even love addiction! But what about food addiction?
People apprehend all other addictions to be justified, but when it comes to foodit must be just a hunger pang!
Wrong notion that is carried away in waves! After all, we do not visit a doctor for getting rid of food addiction, we do not get withdrawal symptoms, and most importantly, it is not a registered illness. But what about its adverse effects?
People forget the atrocities of overeating, which is obesity and the chronic diseases that are associated with it.
Did you know: Over 100 million people suffer from obesity, but people suffering from alcohol addiction are only 17.6 million, and we all know what obesity is capable of, right?
There are certain foods that offer the same adrenaline rush to our brains that drugs or alcohol do. Of course, you know all about the sugar rushers and chocolate devourers!
What is food addiction?
Going by its term, food addiction is getting addicted to food the same way a person gets addicted to any other addictive substances or even gambling.
Food addiction is similar to other eating disorders like binge eating, bulimia, and compulsive overeating.
What causes food addiction?
Symptoms of food addiction-
- Cravings for certain foods and not being able to abstain from them despite being full.
- Gobbling down palatable foods without having any break to it.
- Consistently eating even when you are stuffed up.
- Repeated unsuccessful attempts to quit eating.
- Exercise-
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Scientific Evidence For Food Addiction
Most of the evidence supporting the concept of food addiction is biological in nature, with some behavioural evidence also available.
Here are some of the key findings from studies that support the notion of food addiction:
