"Might as well face it, you're addicted to..."




Love me some cuppycakes!

Food addiction is real.  Our bodies crave and need sugar and fat.  We will stuff our faces with fatty, sugary foods until we can't eat another morsel.  Worse, we feel powerless over these urges.  So what happens when we're dieting or after weight loss surgery when we can't have our fix?  We oftentimes will find a substitute to get those soothing, calm feelings back.  This is called addiction transfer. 

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Carnie Wilson admitted that after weight loss surgery, she turned to alcohol.  I became a compulsive shopper.

How does this happen?  In my line of work (mental health counseling), we're taught that addiction transfer develops because people try to fill the void in their lives when they are deprived of a particular substance or behavior (in my case, that would be food).   

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Lately, however, there's another school of thought that has a biological explanation.  Scientists have found that the brain chemistry of people who are addicted to food is very similar to that of people dependent on cocaine or alcohol or who compulsively shop or gamble.  So instead of trying to fill an emotional void, addiction transfer may occur because feel-good hormones flood our brains when we self-soothe with a substance or activity similar to polishing off a sleeve of Oreos or a platter of loaded nachos.  (Done both, incidentally.)

"Gonna polish off a pint of Ben & Jerry's..."

My opinion?  It's a combination of both brain chemistry and the cognitive/behavioral need to soothe "icky" feelings like anger, abandonment, and loneliness.  Rather than facing and fully experiencing the entire range of emotions, we go for the quick fix by seeking immediate, temporary gratification with substances or compulsive behaviors.  We substitute one addiction for another when surgery makes it impossible to overeat.   

Weight loss surgery does not cause addictions. Let me repeat that, because it's a really important point to understand:  Weight loss surgery does not cause addictions.  We were addicted to food before going under the knife, and we still have addictive impulses long after the incisions have healed. 

The Diva's Toolbox

The lesson to be learned from addiction transfer is that to lose weight successfully and permanently keep the weight off, we must find a way to treat the cause of our food addiction, and create a toolbox of healthy ways to cope with stressors.  This can be accomplished by getting into counseling and being committed to doing the hard work, so we can finally be free of the hold that food has on us.

QUESTION:  Have you transferred your addiction to food onto another substance or behavior?

Sources:  Limit Addiction Transfer After Bariatric Surgery

Managing Addiction Transfer After Weight Loss Surgery

(c)Robyn M. Posson 2012. All Rights Reserved.