Now You Know: Is Food An Addiction?

Addiction is a brain disease characterized by compulsive substance use regardless of negative consequences. Society often stigmatizes individuals affected by addiction. We think addiction only occurs with sex, drugs, and alcohol.

Often we look at people as irresponsible for having an addiction. This is ridiculous because the latest scientific approaches all describe addiction as a disease. While most addictions are dangerous, some are harder to overcome than others. We believe one of the hardest addictions to break free from is food.

No matter where you travel to in the world, food is a meeting point. People get together and convene over food. There is no running away from food. By this we mean it is possible to get away from drugs and other harmful substances. All you must do is change your surroundings. Change the people you spend time with. Move to a healthier environment. With food however, it is much more difficult. Try running away from food and see how far you will get.

Everywhere we go we are surrounded by food options. We celebrate birthday parties with food. We meet friends and lovers over food. We mourn our losses with food. No matter what culture we come from food is very prominent. Food is everywhere. It is our job to pick the right ones. This comes from practice and discipline.

However building such discipline is tough to do alone. Breaking any addiction is tough, especially one that we depend on to survive. So its recommended to find a health coach and take this journey with them. They will offer a sense of accountability towards your goals. If you do not have the resources to hire a health coach we recommend you attend a support group.

A support group is a great place to share and open up to peers going through similar experiences. There is vast amounts of healing in sharing. We host a support group in Clarksburg every Tuesday at 6:30 pm. If you would like to attend the next one and get plugged in with a community that cares, please RSVP here.