 Help someone with food addiction
I have mentioned before that I am a recovering food addict. We see lots of information about how other addictions hurt those around the addict, but many don't realize that food addiction is similarly wide-reaching.
Morbid obesity is deadly, thus the term morbid. It kills. When you love someone who is morbidly obese, you are forced to watch them literally eat themselves to death. This can become intolerable and lead to a loss of friendship or divorce.
It is difficult at times to walk the fine line between supporting and enabling. One day, the food addict will complain about not having treats in the house. The next day, you find them binging at a doughnut shop. This leaves the family wondering why they have to suffer because the addict has no self-control.
The food addict wants to eat right and lose weight, but the addiction overpowers them. They feel they have very little control over their own lives and will often accuse others in an attempt to gain some control, but it's not real, so it doesn't work.
Children suffer, too. Since science has not located any type of "fat gene," we are left to speculate how much of obesity is because of nature vs. nurture. If a child grows up with a parent who uses food to cope, they learn to do the same. Or they might take the opposite approach and may fear obesity to the point of anorexia.
If this sounds familiar to you, I encourage you to first begin communicating with loved ones. Talk to each other about how you feel, your fears and your frustrations. Learn to work together rather than alone. I encourage you to seek help. Look for a counselor with experience in food addiction. Make it a priority. You just might save a marriage or even a life.
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