Help! I Can’t Stop Eating!

One of man’s basic needs is food. There are times, however, when individuals see food as more than a need and develops a clinical addiction to it. These individuals tend to eat as a way of dealing with their emotions. They would also hide their eating from other people. Oftentimes, they would only eat average portions when I public and would binge on junk food when they are in the comfort of their own homes.

Although food addiction seems to be something that can be hard to control, researches have shown that about 80% of compulsive overeaters are able to recover from their condition through proper counseling. Current food addiction treatment programs include individual and group therapies focusing on the root cause of the addiction, experiential group processes, art and recreational therapies, relapse prevention, trauma and abuse therapy, and body image groups.

A number of support groups, patterned after the Alcoholics Anonymous also provide a way of preventing the individual’s relapse to his addiction.