Win The Battle With Food Forever
Food Addiction
Signs and Symptoms
This Eating Disorder can be recognizable by numerous signs and symptoms. The following are possible symptoms of an addiction to food:
- Gorging in more food than one can physically tolerate
- Eating to the point of feeling ill
- Going out of your way to obtain certain foods
- Continuing to eat certain foods even if no longer hungry
- Eating in secret, isolation
- I was avoiding social interactions, relationships, or functions to spend time eating certain foods.
- Difficulty functioning in a career or job due to decreased efficiency
- Spending significant amounts of money on buying certain foods for bingeing purposes
- Decreased energy, chronic fatigue
- Difficulty concentrating
- Sleep disorders, such as insomnia or oversleeping
- Restlessness
- Irritability
- Headaches
- Digestive disorders
- Suicidal ideations
If you or your loved one has been experiencing any of these symptoms due to food addiction, reach out for help.
Effects
If you or your loved one have been struggling with a food addiction, you might understand the implications this may have on the various aspects of your life. If food addiction is ignored or untreated, it can rapidly consume your life, creating damaging and chronic symptoms. Understanding how this may affect the different aspects of your life may encourage you to get the help you need and deserve. The following are some of the effects of an addiction to food:
Physical Effects – A food addiction can result in many negative physical consequences on the body as an excess of food is consumed. These are some physical effects that may be experienced:
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Digestive Problems
- Malnutrition
- Obesity
- Chronic fatigue
- Chronic pain
- Sleep disorders
- Reduced sex drive
- Headaches
- Lethargy
- Arthritis
- Stroke
- Kidney/Liver Disease
- Osteoporosis
Psychological Effects – A food addiction can be debilitating to mental health, especially if there is a lack of support or inadequate help. Some of the psychological effects that may be experienced include:
- Low self-esteem
- Depression
- Panic attacks
- Increased feelings of anxiety
- Feeling sad, hopeless, or in despair
- Increased irritability, especially if access to desired food is restricted
- Emotional detachment or numbness
- Suicidal ideation
Finally, food addiction can impact your social life and relationships. Social effects of food addiction include:
- Decreased performance at work or school
- Isolation from loved ones
- Division within family units
- Lack of enjoyment in hobbies or activities once enjoyed
- Avoidance of social events or functions
- Risk of jeopardizing finances or career
Treatment
If you or a loved one has found yourself stuck in the vicious cycle of an addiction to food, you have likely experienced a roller coaster of emotions, including despair, frustration, and hopelessness. Living with an addiction to food may prevent you from enjoying a life you once lived, though the possibility for healing always exists.
By seeking the appropriate help and care you need, you can find the resources to address your addiction to food in an effective manner. Attempting to deal with your food addiction alone can further draw you into fear or isolation.
