Do you have an addiction? How do you deal?

Question

I have a unhealthy addiction to food. Late at night before bed, if it's been a taxing day of whining and temper tantrums I eat for comfort, even if I am not hungry. I know it's an addiction, I've tried so hard to break and I feel like I have no self-discipline and will power. How do you make yourself do something that you feel has power of you? Like smoking or eating or drinking, etc?? Any experiences you'd like to share?

Answer 1

I gave up smoking for the second time 2 years ago.
This time it feels different, I used a book which explained to me that i didn;t really enjoy smoking and that my body had learned to accept it. It sounds a bit like self hypnosis and to be truthful I did not expect to quit but it did work. The worst part of the addition to me was the feeling of low self esteem when I gave in which only hepled re-inforce the cycle. I think you would find it useful to consult a professional through your doctor as there are regulated areas in this field. I think you recognise that the eating is only a symptom of what else is going on so maybe look at that or try to find a reward for not eating (something in the future) and give yourself a tangible reason to ease off.
Good luck !

Answer 2

I have an addiction. My addiction is to cutting myself. I also struggle with over eating. In my case cutting allows me to express the pain that I feel and over eating in some way makes me feel safe. One of the best ways to deal with an addiction is to identify what it does for you, then you need to find things that do the same thing as your addictions, and use that to replace the addiction.

Are there other things you can do for comfort? to de-stress? Maybe taking a hot bath. Or perhaps instead of eating make yourself a cup of tea or something. Or perhaps even taking small breaks through out the day if it's at all possible. Just take five minutes for yourself to just calm down and get rid of the stress.

Right now I've been so focused on working on the addiction to self injury that the over eating has gotten a little out of hand. Breaking an addiction is hard work. You have to find a good new habit to replace the old bad habit. Even then it's still no walk in the park. You may have to try a couple different things before you find something that really works for you. And above all don't give up. Even if you skip back into the addiction you can always pick yourself up and start again. I know it gets frustrating but it's possible and well worth it.

Good luck.

Answer 3

I am like you. I have an addiction to food. I am obese, and I know it.

I have always been sort of nonchalont about my weight since my blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels have always been extremely good.

Lately, though, I have had chest pains. Yesterday I went for a cardiac catherization and angioghraph. (they put a tube into your leg and run a wire up to your heart to take pictures and measurements)
All went well, my heart is working fine and there were no blocked arteries. (that still doesn't solve my problem of chest pains)

I think I went through this and maybe someone (God?) was trying to wake me up. I really need to lose some weight and take charge of my health. (No one forces me to shove the donut in my mouth, but no one but me is going to keep it from me either)

We have to realize that our health is OUR responsibility. And judging from your explanation of "a taxing day of whining and temper tantrums" I will assume you have children. Please get control over this before your health suffers. Also, we need to set a good example for our children.

Good luck.

Answer 4

Self-discipline can be learned. You can start by setting a clear goal to achieve. If you normally eat say, 10 twinkies, then cut it down to 8 and be sure not to give in to the 9th twinkie.

Second, this eating is triggered by stress. You need to find an exercise to burn off that stress. Yes, exercise helps your overall mood and emotions.

Good Luck!

Answer 5

with any addiction, you can seek help from a counsler. but if you think you can do it yourself, just let friends know so you can get support from them and when you ar feeling the craving to eat ( i totally know what you are going through!) have something around you that will distract you from the thought. Maybe something you have to use your hands for or start to clean or go take a walk..... you have to replace it with something else that is good for you. It is hard i know this, i eat when i am bored and i will go out of my way to have something sweet when i am stressed out! very hard habit to break! good luck and i hope this helped!

Answer 6

Dear Mom,

Perhaps the question to ask yourself is, "What is it that drives me to eat like this?" In other words, not "why addiction" but "what is it that I am not dealing with in other areas of my live that pushes me to eat?"

Your nickname indicates that you may have smart children. Do you push yourself to make sure that they're the "best" in everything, and then blame yourself if they're not? Or do you stress and worry for the future on their account?

Do you have other unresolved questions in your life which worry you, overtly or subconsciously?

Work on new ways to destress - mediate, exercise, listen to music, get friends with kids and hang out more with them - anything to relieve a constant worry or concern.

--j.

Answer 7

too much food makes you FAT? Only advice i can give is to keep your mind bizy like computer games jigsaw decorate your house/partment.Then again am addicted to my computer (ps2)ignored my kids and one day woke up i told myself i car'nt be like this all my life so i put my computer in the loft and now can not be botherd with it may be you should put your fridge in the garage then you might think again of going to it when you have had a hard day at work.

Answer 8

i honestly have the same problem as you because i work as a waiter all day. i come home and devour everything thats in my fridge. if you cant change that, then cut back on what you eat during the day to counteract what you do at night. you could also try going to the gym to burn the energy and stress that you have while eating

Answer 9

I am the same way you are if there is food I will eat it. Over the last 6 months I have gained 30lbs My answer to you is don't buy the food. If it is not there you will not eat it.

Answer 10

I am addicted to Yahoo - I cant go a day without answering questions