How do you know when you are addicted to something? Is it a choice or just an effect? What most people do not understand, is that no one really chooses to be an addict. Being addicted to something such as drugs, alcohol, and food, is not due to someone waking up one day and choosing to not be in control. It is mostly due to deeper issues like depression, influences upbringing and where you live, things, which lead someone on the path for their search of an escape.
How are food addicts perceived throughout society? Is food addiction viewed on the same level as drug and alcohol addiction? Some of the most common food addiction symptoms include constant thoughts about food, either worrying about eating or fantasizing about it throughout the day.
…show more content…
There are many symptoms associated with this addiction. According to Food Addicts Anonymous, the symptoms will affect a person socially, emotionally, and physically. Social symptoms; a person who is a food addict, obsessively and constantly thinking about food and has food on their mind. Whether it is when the next meal will be, what will be eaten, and where, food is constantly in the back of their minds. Socializing and friendships are put on the back burner, and food is now number one. Foods high in fat, and addictive foods take over one’s mind and personal relationships become secondary. . Then there are emotional symptoms; their emotions become extreme and sometimes unreasonable while dealing with food addiction. As stated in the article, despair, depression, or thoughts of suicide coincide with the addiction. Food addiction takes over and everything becomes unmanageable in some cases. And lastly, there are physical symptoms; victims of food addiction will go to any measure to “cure” themselves. Many addicts go to great lengths such as diet pills, surgery, or drugs. These “cures” are actually not cures at all. Many times, they are just temporary fixes and solutions for s much bigger and more complex …show more content…
The FDA is partly to blame for this so called addiction. Research has shown violations including unauthorized nutrient claims, and unauthorized use of terms such as ‘healthy,’ (Rosenberg & Feder, 2014). Food companies and food manufactures are for the most part in the business for profit, not always keeping the consumers best interest at hand. Each and every individual is and should be responsible for their own actions. What a person does and does not put in their mouth, the amount they eat, and what kind of food all has to do with the individual. Each individual adult has choices, and it is up to them to make responsible ones. Food addiction is a huge issue and problem in this day in age. Children look up to their parents and other adults as role models, so it is extremely important for adults to eat properly, and get the proper help they need if they are showing signs of food addiction. Obesity in kids is at an all time high, and it is up to adults to pave the way, and show them by example. Addiction to anything is a rough scenario, whether it is drugs, alcohol, or food, addiction I believe is addiction. I believe both nature and nurture play a role in addictions. However, with the right resources, professional help and willingness, I truly believe anyone can overcome and beat an
The sole purpose of a company is to offer goods and services while making a profit. If people have a liking for food products with so many unhealthy items and are willing to buy them, the companies have no obligation to reduce the amount of added ingredients. The companies aren’t the ones forcing the public to overeat. However, these companies shouldn’t market their products to people who they can easily exploit like children and those who are penurious. Michael Moss, author of the article “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food” interviews several people who worked for certain big brand companies and gives us an abundant amount of information on how the food companies make and market their food to “get us hooked”.
Anorexia nervosa is a disorder typically shown in the media as a teenage girl whose bones show through her skin, picking and prodding at her body in the mirror. This is the image that comes to mind for most people when they think of anorexia. However, this image only scratches the surface of a disorder as complex as anorexia. Anorexia can be understood by looking at a few different things: its definition, its causes and prevalence, its resulting complications, and its treatment.
Anorexia has many negative effects as well. According to the University of Maryland Medical Centers article Eating Disorders, “Anorexia nervosa can increase the risk for serious health problems such as: hormonal changes including reproductive, thyroid, stress, and growth hormones, heart problems such as abnormal heart rhythm, electrolyte imbalance, fertility problems, bone density loss, anemia, and neurological problems.” Anorexia can severely affect a person internally. The continuous lack of nutrients can leave an anorexic person extremely frail. The heart in particular can grow so weak, that heart failure occurs. Eating disorders can lead too permanent health damages can stay with a person for the rest of their life.
One harmful eating disorder is binge eating. Binge eating disorder is a disorder in which a person eats a large amount of food in a short period of time and they feel a large amount of guilt along with a loss of self-control that causes them to not be able to stop. Many people eat large amounts of food on special occasions such as holidays or celebrations but this is not an eating disorder unless the overeating becomes an everyday occurrence. This...
Binge-eating disorder is defined as an eating disorder in which a person frequently consumes large amounts of food while feeling out of control and unable to stop. Almost everyone overeats every once in a while but for some people overeating crosses the line to binge-eating disorder and it becomes a regular occurrence. Many people who have this disorder may feel embarrassed about eating large amounts of food in front of others however the urge and compulsiveness of this disorder continues to affect their eating habits. Binge-eating disorder is estimated to affect approximately 1-5% of the general population and also tends to affect women slightly more often than men. Binge-eating disorder is often associated with symptoms of depression and people diagnosed with this may often express distress, shame, and guilt over their eating behaviors.
Ziauddeen and Fletcher in this article discuss the concept of food addiction from a clinical and neuroscientific perspective. They argue that the evidence in food addiction is limited and that further research must be done in order to fully validate the concept. Despite the uncertainty, food addiction has influenced the neurobiological models of obesity and developing debates about formulation of the public health policy. Ziauddeen and Fletch also debate that because there are so many possibly pathways leading to obesity, it is unlikely that food addiction is the most effective cause. Even with their caution, they also propose there are many arguments saying many aspects of eating in obesity are “addictive.”
...t, as the disorder is often a result in lacking in coping skills. Symptoms of binge eating include: eating more rapidly than usual, eating until uncomfortably full, eating large amounts when not physically hungry, eating alone because of embarrassment of the quantities of food consumed, and not being able to purge after consuming large quantities of food (Dobie 1). Because it is not always recognized as an eating disorder, compulsive over-eating may have the most adverse effects on health.
The more weight that is gained, the harder they try to diet and dieting is usually what leads to the next binge, which can be followed by feelings of powerlessness, guilt, shame and failure. Dieting and bingeing can go on forever if the emotional reasons for the bingeing are not dealt with.
There may be murmurs about that girl who only fixes herself a salad with only vinegar at dining services or suspicious glances at someone who spends 45 minutes on the treadmill and then switches to the stair stepper at the rec. On-campus eating disorders are talked about everywhere and yet are not really talked about at all. There is observation, concern, and gossip, but hushed conversation and larger scale efforts to help and change never seem to earn public attention.
About fifteen percent of Americans suffer from some type of eating disorder. Media and Bullying are two causes of eating disorders. Different types include Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. Although it is clear that eating disorders can sometimes improve appearance for some people, these disorders are also life threatening and have negative effects such as depression and fatigue.
Main Point: What defines an addiction? According to Psychology Today, “Addiction is a condition that results when a person ingests a substance…. or engages in an activity….that can be pleasurable but the continued use/act of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary life responsibilities, such as work, relationships, or health.” This can range anywhere from drug use to eating disorders, to gambling, to even texting in today’s generation. Shocking to say the least, especially when most people do not even know they are addicted or are an addict until they realize this definition.
Binge eating gets confused with obesity but only one fourth of obese people are binge eating. Binge eating is a result from psychological problems, while obesity is a physical problem. Only about 1 to 5 percent is affected in the United States. “About 60 percent of sufferers are women, and 40 percent men” (Ambrose, 38). This disorder can result in diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and death.
Many know binge eating as a disorder that causes people to eat a lot in a short period of time. According to the article, “Binge Eating Disorder,” which was written by Melinda Smith and Jeanne Segal, states that there are many symptoms of binge eating disorder. Many of the symptoms include the inability to stop or control what your eating, rapidly eating large amounts of food, eating when you’re full, and eating in secret (Smith and Segal). Those who suffer from binge eating disorder have a hard time to control their eating habits and when it becomes something they can no longer control they blame themselves for it. Binge eating often starts at an early age and leads to early adulthood and maybe even after that (Smith and Segal). There are many personal and emotional causes or symptoms to this disorder. Some of the symptoms involve feeling stressed or tensed that is only relieved by eating, never feeling satisfied, no matter how much you eat, and feeling disgusted, guilty, or even depressed after overeating (Smith and Segal). Although there are many causes and symptoms to developing a binge eating disorder, what many don 't know is that this can develop in both men and
When an individual eats too much, the body begins to gain weight. According to the online article “Compulsive Overeating as an Addictive Behavior: Overlap Between Food Addiction and Binge Eating Disorder,” by Caroline Davis, she states someone who has the body mass index of forty percent or higher is considered obese, which is a serious life threatening condition. Someone having this much body fat is at high risk of having high blood pressure which can lead to heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, etc. All of these diseases are life threatening, shortening a person’s life drastically. The reasons a person is obese can range from heredity to depression. Even though it is heredity, it can be avoided with the right diet and exercise. The reason why someone would put themselves through gaining so much weight were it is restricting them from living their life to the fullest is undetermined. In the article by Davis, she would argue that the reason binge eating is a thing is because of how addicting it is. Food is an addiction and a way to escape certain scenarios. Sometimes the goal of being thin like society has portrayed is not obtainable to females who have things getting in the way of weight loss. This causes a woman to go into depression, eating more and more, using food as a comfort rather as a way to
America is one of the many countries with high obesity rates. Obesity is something that this country has been dealing with for many decades. Within the past few years, there has been an attempt by the government to regulate and control a few of the factors contributing to this problem, which are junk food and fast food. It is believed that these unhealthy choices are not only affecting Americans, but people all over the world. There is a debate on whether or not the government should place stronger regulatory rules on fast food, junk food, and beverage industries.