Food

[Frootsy Collins]

I won't pretend that this is as serious as addiction to drugs or alcohol, but overeating or eating "comfort" foods is one way that a lot of people deal with depression. Does anyone here tend to turn to food when they're feeling bad or have found any good ways of avoid it? It happens to me a lot, and it always makes me feel immediately bad after doing it. I wouldn't even say the satisfaction even comes at all. I just feel immediately guilty and worse than before. Can anyone relate to this or have wisdom on it?

[Napping Champion]

Frootsy,
I've used food before to take me out of my feelings. I think its pretty common. My substances are alcohol and weed. Been off em for a few years, but sometimes I'll eat a ridiculous amount of junk food then feel bad that I did it. I had to go to AA and its worked for me. I've learned to try to look at what the feelings are I'm escaping from. Its usually fear or anger.

Napping Champion

[Artmart]

Yes, I do this. I have removed almost all other addictive things from my life and feel food is one of the only things I have left. Hence, I am about 40 lbs overweight and feel disgusted in myself. It is a vicious cycle, eating bad things to feel better, works for a few minutes, feel guilty and bad about what I just ate, so now I have to comfort myself... by eating the same way.

[Eternally Learning]

I constantly feel compelled to eat crap. Not sure if it's depression related, but it definitely doesn't make me feel any better...

[dare i say it]

Can anyone relate to this ?

Yes! Constantly. I wish I understood addictions better. Are there varying degrees of addiction? Are there separate types with different causes? I've heard a lot about an addiction gene and the addictive personality.

Case in point: I feel a strong urge to eat junk food, and lots of it, pretty much all the time. The only things that can get in the way are a)not having access to the food, b)being uncomfortably full, and c)deep, deep shame. And the shame doesn't usually catch up until after I've already made some bad food choices. Apparently, knowing that I'm doing unhealthy things to myself is irrelevant when I make those choices.

On the one hand, it seems like it has a lot in common with what we can all agree are addictions--the feeling of being out of control, suffering consequences and doing it anyway. On the other hand, it's not like I'll ever be arrested for being in possesion of french fries. I don't want to minimize anyone else's troubles with food or any other habit they don't feel they have control over though.

I wish I had more clarity on this. Maybe what I actually do to deal with this problem is more important than the label I put on it. For now, I guess I'm just going to continue to work on depression and anxiety generally. My hope is that as I build up my ability to experience abstract pleasure (appreciating a sunset, for example), that I won't have such a weird relationship with things like food binges that feel really good in the moment.

Dan

[manuel_moe_g]

I am eating smaller amount throughout the day of healthy protein mixed in with healthy carbs, so my binges are less often and of lesser intensity. Seems to help, also mixing healthy protein mixed with healthy carb means less "suger-high-crashes", which lead to depression.

[fantine-ish]

I don't tend to have an addictive personality but I dooooo have a hard time with food... and the real issue is that you CAN'T just *stop* eating...you have to eat to live and that makes it a very difficult addiction to deal with.

[dare i say it]

It's a good point. I think Paul and Theresa Strasser talked in their episode about the uniqueness of being addicted to something you have to do to live, i.e. eating. By the way fantine-ish, I love your disclaimer/signature.

[Ancap Aaron]

I used to have an addiction to sugary foods in specific, so to make sure that it wouldn't get out of control any more I did what most alcoholics who can't even have that first drink do and just cut myself off entirely. Now I live very healthily, I box to get out my agression and I eat lo-carb and girls who never would have looked at me in the hall before give me a smile and a nod even though I'm just under 5'6". (It's probably part this, part confidence, and part antique horsehide leather jacket to tell the truth)

[threeletters]

It bothers me that food is somehow seen as a B-rated addiction. It makes it that much harder to talk about, which means it's that much harder to get under control. I only recently realized that I used to turn to food when I was growing up when I was anxious. I used to think that I only ate because I was bored and didn't have anything better to do. But I realized that when I was "bored" I was actually incredibly antsy. I remember when my therapist first told me I suffered from anxiety. I was so confused. Doesn't everyone feel like this? Isn't it normal to feel like you're going to crawl out of your skin if something doesn't have your full attention?

I personally have a vendetta against the food industry. I understand people not wanting their food policed, but come on! How many times do we have to say no to food in one single day? It's fucking everywhere! And I think the obesity rates are only proof that the food industry is going too far with its tactics to manipulate us to eat, even when we're not hungry. We eat to celebrate, to mourn, to pass the time, to socialize, and to show people we love them. Which leads to EATING FOOD in order to FEEL LOVED.

So yeah, we may not have the same level of addiction as the heroin/crack/alcohol users having other conversations on this forum, but at least there isn't a drug pusher on every corner trying to give them their drug of choice for 99 freakin' cents.