In My Humble Opinion

I hear people say that food addiction is worse than drug or alcohol addiction because "We have to eat, but we don't have to take drugs or alcohol." On the surface that makes sense but I don't agree. Especially now, I don't. After months of being on the new eating program and actually getting used to not eating carbs or alcohol or sugar or fruit or "treats". Here's why I don't agree:

I don't have food addiction to fruits, vegetables, lean meat and whole grains - if that's what my addiciton entailed, then I would be a healthy lean adult - but my food addiction was to carbs and sugar and diet pop. So I don't have to eat those foods - I thought I did, but I have proven that I don't. I also have proven that if I stay off those foods for a period of time, I no longer have strong cravings for them anymore. I have found that my food addiction is very similar to any other addiction - horrible cravings make you think you can't live without it, then after a period of time off the drug of choice, the cravings subside and you no longer need it in your life.

So then the reasoning goes, "That might be true, but with drugs and alcohol you just avoid it - but with sugar and carbs - they are in EVERYTHING so it's almost impossible to avoid." Again, I don't agree that it's harder. Have you ever cooked for someone that is allergic to wheat or avoiding alcohol? It's not easy - it's incredibly hard. SOOOO many things have alcohol in them - sweets, marinades - one must diligently look at labels and make sure they are cooked without real vanilla or don't have sugar alcohols added to them. People say that cooking cooks out the alcohol, but an alcoholic will tell you that it's not the case. There is always a trace amount left.

It's all about habits. Once you learn what foods are on the "safe" list, you continue to buy them. It might mean an extra trip to Trader Joe's or Whole Foods, but, seriously, a healthy lifestyle vs. an extra trip to the store. And I personally like experimenting with foods and them just ordering them directly online from the manufacturer so I have plenty and I save money that way.

I now think that the reasoning (one that I subscribed to) that food addiction is harder to overcome is just another excuse not to overcome it. I'm grateful that I don't know first hand how hard it is to overcome other addictions but I'm happy to join the millions that have overcome and live on the other side. I do feel like I have my life back. Now if I just knew what happened to the past 20 years!!