The Hardest Addiction to Beat. (aka: Going Uphill On A Slippery Slope)

If you had a chain smoker that wanted to give up smoking, how well do you think they would do if you told them they had to have three cigarettes a day – no more, no less.

Or, how about an alcoholic?  What if a recovering alcoholic – let’s say one who prefers straight up Scotch – were told they had to have five small beers a day.  How well do you think they’d be able to avoid going back to the Scotch?

Heroin and Cocaine addiction is so bad, they are actually given medication to ease their withdrawal symptoms and make detoxing easier.  As part of their recovery, they are specifically told to cut ties with others who are still using to lessen the pressure and temptation.

These are horrible, terrible addictions that can all make you unhealthy or even kill you in time.  But, it is possible to throw out the cigarettes, pour out the Scotch and never, ever touch drugs again.

But, it’s a whole other story for overeaters.  The only thing we can quit cold turkey is cold turkey.

Trust me – as I said before, I dabbled in anorexia and the horrible truth is that anorexia was ultimately a hell of a lot easier than dieting.  Walking away from food all together…sure, you’re hungry as hell for a couple of days.  For a week or so, all you can think about is what you are NOT putting into your mouth.  The withdrawal from food is torturous as it starts to turn inwards and eat away at itself.

But then, this switch flips and the hunger pangs ease and then stop.  And you get this satisfaction with yourself…this sense of pride at overriding your natural instinct to eat.  Every time you turn down food, you feel somehow stronger.  It’s literally a power high.  You’ve dominated your stupid need for sustenance.  You’ve risen above it.  You’re better than that now.

Then – unlike the smoker who quit smoking, or the recovering alcoholic or the drug addict that beats withdrawal – the anorexic is not congratulated.  The anorexic’s body may become thinner – but it does not become healthier.  No one calls an anorexic a “recovering overeater”.

You’ve done the same exact thing at the other addicts but, guess what?  Society says it’s wrong and your body wholeheartedly agrees.

No –only the Food Addict faces the overwhelming battle of having to CONTINUE THEIR ADDICTION JUST A LITTLE BIT AT A TIME.

You don’t just have to eat….they expect you to eat three to five times every single day.  Three to five times when you must face absolute temptation, measure your every response and not give in.

You don’t just have to eat something…you don’t even get to eat the stuff that you really, really want to.  Like the Scotch drinker who is given beer, you don’t get cookies and cake and ice cream….you get celery and carrots and lettuce instead.

And unlike the Drug Addicts, we can’t simply cut ties with our friends who eat.  We can’t simply “avoid temptation”.  This day in age, there are snack and soda machines everywhere.  Our social lives revolve around food.  We go to dinner on dates and then order popcorn at the movies.  We buy cake, candy and ice cream to celebrate our birthdays.  We throw pizza parties for kids who do well in school.  We bring pastries and bagels into work.  We munch on hot dogs and pretzels at sporting events.  Even our department stores now have food counters or full blown restaurants within them, not to mention that you must pass a barrage of unhealthy food choices to get to the health foods.  Then, when you find the healthier foods, you must pay more for them then their less expensive, less healthy counter parts.

And, although there are now medicines like Phentermine that help to reduce hunger and boost energy, the recovering over eater isn’t supposed to lie down in bed waiting for their hunger to stop or for their belly to shrink back to a healthy size.   While we give our bodies less than they are used to and while we eat things that don’t satisfy our cravings, we must then move more than we do on average.  At this lowest of lows, we must climb out of bed and move.  Run.  Walk.  Climb stairs.  Ride bike.  Go swimming.  Dance.

And, while you must now give up your down time to exercise, you must also take more time to prepare your meals – either to pack in advance or to cook to ensure that it is prepared properly.

It’s not a competition.   Addiction is a horrible thing in all of its many shades and I personally sympathize with each of them.

But, that doesn’t change the fact that I believe overeating is the easiest to do and the hardest to beat.  A person can literally go their entire life without ever smoking a cigarette, sipping alcohol or using drugs – but from the moment we are born, we are encouraged to eat. 

Between the temptation, the ongoing need to eat, the difficulty, the costs, the time necessary – it is a constant battle trying to climb uphill on a slippery slope.

Please be kind.