Addiction is a dependence on a substance in which the affected individual feels powerless and an unwillingness to stop. When a person thinks of an addiction, the first thing that comes to mind may be drugs, alcohol, nicotine, gambling or even shopping, but a new study shows that one of the most deadly addictions comes from a place of comfort. Food. Millions of people on a normal basis tend to experience the feeling of unquenchable hunger that can only be satisfied by a quick trip through a drive through or devouring an entire bag of chips in as little time as possible. Is obesity really that different from a more common addiction such as alcoholism? To answer this question we must consider the stages of addiction, recognizing symptoms, developing a plan of action in order to conquer this addiction, and how to …show more content…
When people use food to provide comfort they are often times compensating or trying to feel a void of anxiety, guilt, shame, low-self esteem, emotional distress, or regular stress. It may stem from a loss of a loved one or the inability to meet societal expectations of weight or beauty. This may be caused by the vast amounts of propaganda and advertisements of malnourished and photoshopped women in movies or on tv. These unrealistic body ideals often lead individuals, mostly women, to develop self esteem issues which causes the dependency for food. When people are having psychological problems they often times turn to food for comfort and do not realize they have developed a food addiction until they start developing symptoms of high blood pressure, diabetes, or congestive heart failure. Some warning signs of an overeater may include eating uncontrollably, preoccupation with body weigh, depression and mood swings, and for women an irregular menstrual cycle. Recovering from compulsive overeating and losing weight are extremely is a difficult process and requires a long term
Many people are unaware of the background of eating disorders. Women are more likely than men to develop an eating disorder and they usually develop in childhood before the age of 20 (Ross-Flanigan 1). Women as well as men can develop an eating disorder; it is just more likely for a woman to develop one. Eating disorders are usually developed in adolescent or childhood years when a person is influenced the most. Also “Eating disorders are psychological conditions that involve overeating, voluntary starvation, or both. Anorexia nervosa, anorexic bulimia, and binge eating are the most well-known types of eating disorders” (Ross-Flanigan 1). Many people assume that an eating disorder is when a person staves themselves; they do not realize that it can involve overeating as well. Some eating disorders also involve purging, but not all. People with an eating disorder fear gaining weight even when they are severely underweight. They do not lack an appetite (Ross-Flanigan 1). These people are
“During an average binge, you may consume from 3,000 to 5,000 calories in one short hour. After it ends, panic sets in and you turn to drastic measures to “undo” the binge, such as taking ex-lax, inducing vomiting, or going for a ten-mile run. And all the while, you feel increasingly out of control” (Smith, Melinda. Bulimia). The final eating disorder discussed in this paper is binge eating. Binge eating disorder is known as overeating or a period of uncontrollable eating. Binge eating is becoming more and more common here in america because of the large quantities of food sold daily. Although, binge eaters do not purge after eating, they still feel shame or guilt after eating like a bulimic (Anorexia, Nervosa).
Food. It is essential for survival. Without it, people die. However, oddly enough, many struggle to live without it to accomplish the standards that our culture has created for us. We are taught that being thin is perfection and will lead to a happier life. However, lurking are the health risks that one pays for obtaining the “perfect body”. Still, along with a distorted body image, others struggle with keeping weight down and fall into the diet fads that the world parades. From movies, magazines, and television, the media also sends us messages that being fat is bad and unhealthy while being thin and beautiful is acceptable. The impact of such influences has increased eating disorders in America. These disorders do not
I would then go on to the different reasons why people overeat and ask the client which one(s) they identify with and why, as the majority of people will be able to identify with at least one of them. One such reason is eating to lessen unpleasant experiences. This is something we learn from an early age, such as getting something sweet from a parent when we are in pain. In later life we may be taken for meals out to cheer us up or be brought 'comfort' food such as chocolate and ice-cream after a break up, for example (Chrysalis, Module Six). Eating to get attention and gain authority is another reason why people may overeat. Larger people may feel like they are more important and command attention, though not always positively. They may be for example, making a point of telling people how much they are eating at a party, gaining negative attention in replacement of the harder to achieve positive attention. People may also overeat for reward and entertainment, such as receiving a treat food for completing chores as a child, or giving and receiving chocolates and wine on special occasions later in life. However, treats are now common place in households and not necessarily used for special occasions. People can also use food for fear, overeating on unhealthy foods to help them deal with their fear.
Obesity within adults is a prevalent problem in the United States, with over 51% of all adults suffering from obesity by the year 2030 (Joyner et al. 217). Obesity, or the state of being excessively overweight, is sometimes a result from what is known as food addiction. Much like an addiction to a substance, to be addicted to food is to constantly crave a certain food item (Joyner et al. 217). Obesity and food addiction tend to coincide with each other. That coexistence is shown primarily in the documentary Super Size Me, in which director Morgan Spurlock focuses on the way fast food and food addiction affect the human body.
Psychological factors also play a large role in obesity. Many people eat in response to negative emotions such as sadness, depression and anger. These people are generally binge eaters. During a binge eating episode, a person eats large amounts of food and feel that they cannot control how much they are eating. These people have more difficulty losing weight and keeping it off than others without a binge eating problem. It is common that binge eaters suffer from low self esteem and depression.
The cycle of addiction is like running on a treadmill suspended in air where there's seemingly no way to get off. Fortunately, there is always a way off if you are willing to admit you are suffering from the disease of addiction. There's the rub. The healing process from addiction has to start with you. When you are ready and able to receive help, you will find that a quality addition treatment center like (name) in (location) will be awaiting your call.
Studies have shown that there is evidence of high rates of comorbidity between binge-eating and other psychiatric and physical health
Psychological issues normally involve food being used as a comfort for some stressor that has become present in the person’s life. These individuals turn to food to contend and manage certain mood swings or the up and downs that are present in day to day challenges. These changes could be triggered from stress, being lonely, or frustration. When they become upset, they turn to food as a comfort like a baby to a pacifier. The comfort or high like effect is only temporary as the weight piles on with every calorie that is taken in and not burned off. The resulting guilt may cause this process to occur many times throughout the day, developing into a continuous pattern of using substance to deal with psychological imbalances. Unfortunately, this scenario plays out all too many times in America.
Keeping in mind that she has always strove for perfection, some irrational thoughts and psychological symptoms have developed concerning her standards for both food consumption and weight. These irrational fears have led her to believe that food is bad, and since she is terribly scared of getting fat, she finds fulfillment by abiding by her restrictive diet and maintaining her abnormal weight by restricting food and using laxatives when necessary to avoid weight gain. It’s easy to see that Joan has developed an obsession with both food and her weight that has taken over her life. All of these psychological symptoms have also caused some social symptoms which have negatively impacted her relationships, mainly stemming from concern of friends and family which usually result in arguments about eating. Joan’s physiological systems are also reflecting concerning symptoms such as dry, inelastic skin, liver problems, unhealthy hair, dizziness, amenorrhea, and of course, excessive
Eating disorders effecting American women have been on the rise in recent year. The alarming trend of increasing cases of these psychological disorders has sparked intellectual inquiry into their shared features. The rising amount of societal pressures that many women around the country feel have caused a lot of women to turn to food as a coping mechanism. Whether it is control exhorted over food or eating as a means to feel numb, women look to food to make themselves feel a certain way. Food, in modern culture, represents much more than just as a means of nourishing ones body. How individuals use food as a copping mechanism has in part lead to the exploitation of food. Three major eating disorders; Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating
It is probable that most people think about food than any other thing throughout their life time. It is funny to realize that even some people think about the next meal while they are having their current meal. Fresh fleshy fruit can stimulate a craving for food even when a person is on a full stomach. It is true that people and all living things require nutrition to survive. However, some eating cravings are just not normal. This is due to various hunger simulation reasons. The motivation to eat is propagated by more than just the need for body nourishment. The hunger motivation influences are, thus, either internal or external.
In our Western society, we have several different types of eating dysfunction, all of which are unique and tragic in their own right. Despite their individuality, however, they all have several overlapping symptoms that are key to their classification and severity. For Bulimia Nervosa (BN) and Binge Eating Disorder (BED), one of the core features is binge eating, which can be defined objectively by number of calories eaten in a given time or subjectively by the feelings of the binger. Binge eating has many different aspects that are of interest to scientists and clinicians alike. One of those interests has to do with the reduction of this symptom among populations being treated for their respective disorder. Because both
A second diagnosis for Kathie is Mild Binge Eating Disorder (BED) (F50.8). BED is characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating in which the client eats a large amount of food in a two-hour period that most people would consume in a similar situation. There is sense of lack of control over the eating. The binge episodes one to three times a week for three months. The client must meet three of the five criteria listed in the DSM-V for BED which include eating more rapidly than normal, feeling uncomfortably full after binge eating (BE), eating when not hungry, feeling embarrassed, and feeling guilty, disgusted, or depressed after the binge eating episode. Additionally, there is a feeling of marked distress over the binge eating episode. There are no compensatory behaviors such as vomiting, using laxatives, medications or excessive exercise (APA, 2013). Kathie has been secretly struggling with an eating disorder (ED) for the last six months. She has meets 3 of the 5 criteria listed in the DSM-V including eating excessively until she feels uncomfortably full. After binge eating, she feels ashamed and helpless, which makes her more depressed. She feels a loss of control over her eating. She eats alone and feels guilty after binge
Many people today eat when their emotionally such as because the person is bored, sad, anger or even happy. Obesity can be caused by things like stress or depression and can cause a number of different health implications. For example a person that is obese is more likely to have diabetes later in life and also suffer heart problems. Over 30% of today’s population seek treatment for weight problems and this is all caused through binge eating. Binge eating is when someone eats large amount of food while feeling they can’t control how much they are eating, people who seriously binge and a very obese develop a disorder call binge eating disorder. The people with this kind of eating disorder find it difficult to lose weight and also find it difficult to control how much they are eating. Many people may need serious help for example counselling or medication or even operation to