The last few days I became aware of something: I often mention in my blog that I was very overweight a few years ago. Maybe I used, here and there, the words "food addiction." But I actually kind of avoided this topic in my blog until now. And yet it is to me a major priority to spread the word that food addiction really exists. This concern is even so important to me that I wrote a book about it (but it hasn’t been published yet).
So what is food addiction?
On the website of Overeaters Anonymous, there is a checklist which I find very helpful when someone is unsure whether he or she has simply poor eating habits or is really addicted to food.
Food addiction has many faces. Just like alcoholism, the symptoms are not the same for everyone. Some people can't stop eating once they have begun; others puke as soon as they put something in their mouth; and there are the ones who refuse to eat at all. But we all have one thing in common: an obsession with food. Whether we are over eaters, bulimic or anorexic - all of us are constantly busy with food mentally. We are always negotiating new rules with us about when and how much we should eat - just to break these rules over and over again. Then guilt and self-hatred become so strong that some are seriously contemplating suicide.