Let's keep talking
Well, since I’m one of the ones who said that I’m not addicted let me jump right in. I think there is a distinct difference between a bad habit and an addiction. And, for me that difference is compulsion. Although both a food addiction and bad eating habits can lead you to the same result – obesity -- the person who is compelled will have a much more difficult time controlling or stopping the behavior. Consequently the addicted person may continue the behavior even though said behavior is causing life threatening conditions or even imminent death. A person who is facing amputation of a limb if they don’t lose weight and yet continue to gorge themselves, is in my opinion addicted to food. The behavior may have been triggered by emotion but is now fueled by a physical need. People who overeat but are not addicted to food overeat for a lot of different reasons. Quite often the reason they overeat has nothing to do with being hungry or that food tastes good. Something else may be going on that has absolutely nothing to do with food. The behavior is triggered by emotion and fueled by unresolved conflict and habit.
You said: A person who is facing amputation of a limb if they don’t lose weight and yet continue to gorge themselves, is in my opinion addicted to food. The behavior may have been triggered by emotion but is now fueled by a physical need. Oh very good, JTH! let me think about that concept more...I should have more later on that. That is the closest that anyone who says they are "not addicted" has come to date. I have pondered the idea that people who call themselves addicted are actually far less so. i am here to tell you that that person you describe above was once like you, playing with fire, not in the flames. . . where is that line...where IS IT?
Again, good job.
I think part of the problem is that we have become a society of labels. We want to compartmentalize everything and everybody -- it makes us more comfortable when we can put a label on something. But, it get's very confusing, especially when we're labeling a person's eating habits. Addicted to food? Hell, when you think about it we're all addicted to food if the definition is "an overwhelming desire to consume food" -- even a newborn has an overwhelming desire for food. Maybe when you throw in the words "in massive quanties even when you're not hungry". So maybe the definition of food addiction is -- "an overwhelming desire to consume food in massive quanties even when you're not hungry". At one time or another just about everyone in the U.S. does that -- think about Thanksgiving dinner. So maybe if you throw in the word "habitually". So maybe the definition of food addiction is -- "an overwhelming desire to habitually consume food in massive quanties even when you're not hungry". But, what about the person who thinks about food constantly even though they hardly ever eat it, or eat it an throw it back up. So, does the definition change to an overwhelming desire to habitually consume food in massive quanties even if you rarely eat it or eat it and throw it back up". Oh, excuse me that's isn't a food addictiton, that 's anorexia and bulimia. Okay, I'm starting to really confuse myself so I'm going to go workout.
