Archive for the ‘Food Addiction Recovery’ Category

Food addiction recovery is a long but necessary process.  It may not be very simple.  But once you have overcome your addiction to food, it can be a rewarding experience.  Food addiction recovery can also save you from the perils brought by overeating such as obesity and other diseases.

What is food addiction?

Food addiction is a compulsive craving for food.  It is characterized by an uncontrolled intake of food, which may often be harmful to one’s health.

Food addicts usually overeat in private but eats normally in public.  Binge eating is often followed by an episode of shame and guilt.  Food addicts may find themselves subjecting to extreme dieting but will often fail and relapse to another episode of binge eating.  Some may resort to purging as in the case of bulimics, but this is not necessarily the case.

Most food addicts turn to food when they are experiencing some emotional turmoil.  While this may be often times normal, food addicts often consume a large amount of food, which can make them uncomfortably full.

It is a common misconception that only obese people suffer from food addiction.  Anyone, regardless of race, age, gender and even weight can suffer from food addiction.

Food Addiction:  the risks

Food addicts often experience rapid increase and decrease in their weight.  They are also often lethargic and sedentary and have difficulty in moving around a lot.

If a food addiction is not dealt with right away, it could lead to other health complications such as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and even stroke.  It also increases the chances of getting diabetes and high cholesterol.

Obesity is also a result of binge eating.  Apart from that, food addicts can become depressed or suffer from sleeping disorders.

Admission is the first step towards food addiction recovery

Admitting that you have a problem is the first step towards food addiction recovery.  Knowing the consequences of your destructive behavior to yourself and to the people around you can be a driving force to your desire to overcome food addiction.  However, it must not stop there.

You also need to know what drives you to overeat.  Do you tend to turn to binge eating when you’re stressed or undergoing some emotional problems?  Most people turn to food to cover up some deeper emotional issues.  But what they don’t know is that food only provides a temporary high.  Once the high starts to fade, the emotional burden is still there.

Knowing what kind of food you are drawn to could also help you in identifying what triggers you to overeat.  This may also help you avoid the food, which you must avoid during your recovery process.

You do not have to go through this alone

Food addiction recovery requires the help of your family and friends.  That is why it is necessary for you to confide with your loved ones regarding your addiction to food.  Not only will they be able to help you avoid the food, which triggers your addiction, they will also serve as an inspiration for you to quit your destructive habit.

Remember that your family is your very first support system in times like these.  Letting them know that you are going through a very rough phase can help you take the first leap into recovery.

Seek professional help

Food addiction recovery may be hard to overcome alone, especially if it is already severe.  You may need the help of a physician or a psychiatrist to overcome your addiction.  They may be able to uncover those underlying emotional problems, which could trigger binge eating.

There are rehabilitation centers, which offer a holistic approach towards eradicating addiction.  One very good example is the Hawaii  Island Recovery’s Big Island Treatment Center.  This rehabilitation center offers a community-based treatment, which is aimed not only towards curbing a self-destructive habit but also towards a self-transformation.

Set in the beautiful landscapes of the Big Island of Hawaii, the addiction treatment center offers one-to-one treatment which are dedicated to self-rebuilding as well as self-reflection.  In this way, underlying emotional baggage will be released, which can help toward the path to recovery.

Recovery:  A continuous process

Food addiction recovery does not end when you step out of the rehabilitation center.  You will also undergo a post-treatment process called the sober recovery phase where you will once again face life while trying not to succumb to food addiction relapse.

Sober recovery is the hardest part of the food addiction recovery process.  Being sucked back into reality after years of addiction and a month of daunting treatment and detoxification can be a very taxing experience.  This is true especially during the first few weeks or months of the process.  Depression and lack of concentration can set in and this could hamper your chances of fully recovering.

However, rehabilitation centers like Hawaii Island Recovery’s Big Island Treatment Center also offer after-care programs.  The good staff of the Big Island Treatment Center would be happy to assist you in settling in back to your old life again, without the triggering food.  Apart from that, there are 12-step meetings as well as online forums, which you could, sign-up to so you can seek comfort and guidance from those who have successfully trudged the crooked path towards food addiction recovery.

Call Hawaii Island Recovery at 866-906-9611. Life doesn’t have to be this way.