Food does not fit the conventional addictive substance model, but there are certainly some similarities.
The behavioral aspect of eating may be addictive, much like gambling, bingo or sexual activity.
I’d like to shed light on addictive thinking patterns and help you recognize if you too experience some level of addictive thinking when it comes to food.
First I would like to point out that addictive thinking is not affected by intelligence or ones social status. Addictive thinking has one primary objective, to continue the destructive behavior.
People will often wonder “Why don’t overweight people just eat less”. You might wonder this yourself.
You might make perfectly sound decisions when it comes to work, your family and your life in general. Why then would you make repeated poor decisions about the food that you eat? Repeated bouts of destructive binging and overeating are certainly baffling.
It can be less burdensome if you recognize that you are suffering from some form of addictive thought patterns.
What is addictive thinking?
- Normal thought patterns use facts, knowledge and information in order reach an informed conclusion
- Addictive thought patterns start with the conclusion (I’m going to eat this) and then build the case for this conclusion
It has been suggested that addictive thinking patterns can only be discovered by an outside source such as a friend or therapist. This might be true with respect to drug or alcohol use that cause mental impairment.
It may take some practice and even professional help, but you can learn how to recognize these thought patterns and substitute them for more rational and healing thought patterns.
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