America’s Obsession with Food: Bad Habit, Emotional Crutch, or Addiction? Perspectives from Behavioral Coaches at Wellspring Ac
Submitted by Meghan Vivo on Tue, 08/12/2008 - 00:06.
Everyone knows drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol contain addictive chemicals that can be dangerous to our health. But what about other substances like food? Since food isn’t a dangerous substance in and of itself, many people argue it can’t be addictive. But with 66 percent of Americans overweight or obese, others argue it’s time to take a closer look at what’s happening in the minds of compulsive overeaters. They ask: If a person gorges on sweet or salty treats, feels preoccupied with food and guilty about overeating, and even attends 12-step Overeater’s Anonymous meetings, isn’t she addicted to food?
We asked the experts at Wellspring Academy in California, one of the nation’s first and most effective weight loss boarding schools, “Does food addiction really exist?” And the responses were almost unanimous: The obsession with food may have similarities to addiction, but it is not an addiction in the clinical sense.
An Emotional Craving
Bob Rice, M.A., a Wellspring behavioral coach, doubts that food can be addictive in the same way as drugs and alcohol. “Compulsive behaviors like eating and gambling don’t produce the same chemical shift in the brain that creates the sense of euphoria and well-being that drugs like heroin and cocaine produce,” he says. “When it comes to food, people get hooked on the act of eating to fill an emotional void, not the actual substance they are consuming. Compulsive overeating may resemble addiction, but it isn’t a true addiction in the clinical sense.”
As a clinical psychologist with more than 15 years of experience working with children, adolescents, and adults, Rice believes there are many causes of overweight and obesity, including poor eating habits, lack of exercise, genetic factors, underlying emotional issues, and stress.
He states, “More than anything, the compulsion to overeat is the result of years of unhealthy habits and lifestyle choices. At Wellspring, I’ve known students who would add 15, 20, even 30 artificial sweetener packets to a cup of yogurt with bananas. Their taste buds have become so desensitized to sugar, and they’ve become so accustomed to that behavior, they don’t even stop and think about what they’re putting in their bodies or how food affects them. In these situations, the students are trying to fill a void inside by relying on food for purposes other than nutrition.”
Rachel Thomas, M.A., a fellow behavioral coach at Wellspring Academy in California, agrees. “Food addiction exists in some form, but not in the classic sense like substance abuse,” she says. “Like drugs, when food is used to escape painful feelings, the temporary satisfaction of eating inevitably leads to feelings of guilt, blame, and dissatisfaction. But unlike drugs, we need food to survive. When people overeat compulsively, it’s not their bodies that are craving bad foods – it’s their minds.”
Other Wellspring therapists remain open to the idea of food addiction. “We help a lot of teens who are emotional eaters,” says behavioral coach Cristina Valle, M.A. “We also help teens whose weight problems are the result of underlying psychological or behavioral issues or a history of abuse. But every once in awhile you meet a student who seems to genuinely love the taste and physiological effects of food. It’s hard to explain as anything but an addiction of sorts.”
The Power to Change
The only solution to any weight problem is long-term behavioral change. Individuals have to become aware of their negative food choices and how those choices affect them over time, and get motivated to make lasting changes.
“Although there are a lot of similarities between compulsive overeating and drug and alcohol addiction, the most important distinguishing factor is that people are not powerless to control their eating,” says Wellspring behavioral coach Aki Morita, Ph.D. “They may need some help getting to the root of the issues and controlling their urges, but they are not facing the same issues of dependence, tolerance, withdrawal, and relapse a true addict confronts. When people realize an urge is emotional, rather than a biological need, they feel empowered to control it.”
Christopher D’Andrea, M.A., a behavioral coach at Wellspring Academy in California, adds, “The core issue with compulsive eating is changing a lifetime of poor habits and emotional suffering; the issue with drug and alcohol addiction is changing the brain chemistry. Even if food affects the brain in similar ways as drugs and alcohol, the effects aren’t as powerful.”
People who don’t find pleasure in the “natural high” of social interactions, art, music, or exercise, and whose only consistent comfort lies in food, are more likely to be vulnerable to compulsive overeating. The power to change lies in transforming one’s relationship with food, relying on it as fuel for the body rather than entertainment, companionship, or comfort.
“Obese or overweight adolescents have to re-learn the role food plays in life, which sometimes requires a change in the food-centered culture at home and a new daily routine,” D’Andrea explains. “Using cognitive-behavioral therapy and a structured diet and fitness regimen, we help our students rely on healthy distractions like exercise and friends to cope with difficult situations and feelings – not food.”
The Jury Is Still Out
Researchers are continually studying the human brain to determine whether people can be addicted to food in the same way they are addicted to drugs and alcohol. Some of the preliminary research suggests that people with fewer dopamine receptors in the brain may be predisposed to food addiction. Scientists are also evaluating the possibility that compulsive overeating may lower the number of dopamine receptors, meaning people require more and more food to feel the same sense of satisfaction.
As more experts evaluate the existence of food addiction, there may be a definitive diagnosis available one day. Until then, those struggling with overweight or obesity should know that compulsive overeating is a habit that can be controlled and overcome. In the end, it doesn’t truly matter whether food addiction is a diagnosable disorder – the bottom line is you have the power to lose weight and keep it off by confronting emotional issues and making a few critical lifestyle changes.
We asked the experts at Wellspring Academy in California, one of the nation’s first and most effective weight loss boarding schools, “Does food addiction really exist?” And the responses were almost unanimous: The obsession with food may have similarities to addiction, but it is not an addiction in the clinical sense.
An Emotional Craving
Bob Rice, M.A., a Wellspring behavioral coach, doubts that food can be addictive in the same way as drugs and alcohol. “Compulsive behaviors like eating and gambling don’t produce the same chemical shift in the brain that creates the sense of euphoria and well-being that drugs like heroin and cocaine produce,” he says. “When it comes to food, people get hooked on the act of eating to fill an emotional void, not the actual substance they are consuming. Compulsive overeating may resemble addiction, but it isn’t a true addiction in the clinical sense.”
As a clinical psychologist with more than 15 years of experience working with children, adolescents, and adults, Rice believes there are many causes of overweight and obesity, including poor eating habits, lack of exercise, genetic factors, underlying emotional issues, and stress.
He states, “More than anything, the compulsion to overeat is the result of years of unhealthy habits and lifestyle choices. At Wellspring, I’ve known students who would add 15, 20, even 30 artificial sweetener packets to a cup of yogurt with bananas. Their taste buds have become so desensitized to sugar, and they’ve become so accustomed to that behavior, they don’t even stop and think about what they’re putting in their bodies or how food affects them. In these situations, the students are trying to fill a void inside by relying on food for purposes other than nutrition.”
Rachel Thomas, M.A., a fellow behavioral coach at Wellspring Academy in California, agrees. “Food addiction exists in some form, but not in the classic sense like substance abuse,” she says. “Like drugs, when food is used to escape painful feelings, the temporary satisfaction of eating inevitably leads to feelings of guilt, blame, and dissatisfaction. But unlike drugs, we need food to survive. When people overeat compulsively, it’s not their bodies that are craving bad foods – it’s their minds.”
Other Wellspring therapists remain open to the idea of food addiction. “We help a lot of teens who are emotional eaters,” says behavioral coach Cristina Valle, M.A. “We also help teens whose weight problems are the result of underlying psychological or behavioral issues or a history of abuse. But every once in awhile you meet a student who seems to genuinely love the taste and physiological effects of food. It’s hard to explain as anything but an addiction of sorts.”
The Power to Change
The only solution to any weight problem is long-term behavioral change. Individuals have to become aware of their negative food choices and how those choices affect them over time, and get motivated to make lasting changes.
“Although there are a lot of similarities between compulsive overeating and drug and alcohol addiction, the most important distinguishing factor is that people are not powerless to control their eating,” says Wellspring behavioral coach Aki Morita, Ph.D. “They may need some help getting to the root of the issues and controlling their urges, but they are not facing the same issues of dependence, tolerance, withdrawal, and relapse a true addict confronts. When people realize an urge is emotional, rather than a biological need, they feel empowered to control it.”
Christopher D’Andrea, M.A., a behavioral coach at Wellspring Academy in California, adds, “The core issue with compulsive eating is changing a lifetime of poor habits and emotional suffering; the issue with drug and alcohol addiction is changing the brain chemistry. Even if food affects the brain in similar ways as drugs and alcohol, the effects aren’t as powerful.”
People who don’t find pleasure in the “natural high” of social interactions, art, music, or exercise, and whose only consistent comfort lies in food, are more likely to be vulnerable to compulsive overeating. The power to change lies in transforming one’s relationship with food, relying on it as fuel for the body rather than entertainment, companionship, or comfort.
“Obese or overweight adolescents have to re-learn the role food plays in life, which sometimes requires a change in the food-centered culture at home and a new daily routine,” D’Andrea explains. “Using cognitive-behavioral therapy and a structured diet and fitness regimen, we help our students rely on healthy distractions like exercise and friends to cope with difficult situations and feelings – not food.”
The Jury Is Still Out
Researchers are continually studying the human brain to determine whether people can be addicted to food in the same way they are addicted to drugs and alcohol. Some of the preliminary research suggests that people with fewer dopamine receptors in the brain may be predisposed to food addiction. Scientists are also evaluating the possibility that compulsive overeating may lower the number of dopamine receptors, meaning people require more and more food to feel the same sense of satisfaction.
As more experts evaluate the existence of food addiction, there may be a definitive diagnosis available one day. Until then, those struggling with overweight or obesity should know that compulsive overeating is a habit that can be controlled and overcome. In the end, it doesn’t truly matter whether food addiction is a diagnosable disorder – the bottom line is you have the power to lose weight and keep it off by confronting emotional issues and making a few critical lifestyle changes.
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