What is food addiction?

Many people suffer from obsession with food and eating behaviours including dieting, overeating, bingeing and purging and/or constantly thinking about food and weight loss/gain – and have no idea these could be symptoms of addiction.

Is addiction a shameful ‘death-sentence’? Absolutely not! According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM, 2011) “addiction is a chronic, treatable medical condition”. Addicts who are living in recovery are accomplished, creative, intuitive and intelligent – and often healthier and wealthier than ‘normal’ people – once they understand how this disease works and how to manage it.

“I was labeled as “having an eating disorder” for 30+ years. I tried many treatment programs – all emphasized ‘moderation of all foods’ – including residential in-patient and outpatient programs, psychotherapy and psychiatry (antidepressant and other medications).
When I saw my problem was food and eating-process addiction – I FINALLY found a recovery model that worked.” – Jayn Steele