Stories of Recovery from Food Addiction
There is hope. Food addicts can recover with the help of Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA).
Read more in the Connection Magazine, FA's magazine created by food addicts for food addicts.
In One Fell Swoop
I was unemployed and without an apartment or friends, spending my days binge-eating, drinking, and taking drugs. I spent all day and night in my pajamas, lounging in my childhood bedroom, and was suicidally depressed for weeks. I saw the despair in my parents’ eyes as they came in every so often to check that I was still breathing. I didn’t know what to do; I was hopeless. Of all the things I turned to for a solution, food was my number one addiction of choice. I binge-ate because it made me numb and made me feel the kind of comfort that I trusted. I couldn’t go one day without hiding in a room and eating massive amounts of my favorite flour and sugar items. I had never heard the term “food addiction” growing up, but I knew there was something wrong with me. I was told frequently that I needed to learn self-control and to stop being so negative. However, I had tried every route possible without finding a solution. One night, as I lay in bed in my three-day-old pajamas, I did some research and fell upon www.foodaddicts.org. By “fell upon,” I mean my Higher Power saved me. I also had never heard of, or wanted to be involved in, Twelve-Step programs, but I willingly connected with a member from Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA). I attended the next weekly meeting in Chicago and had a sponsor the next day. I knew the minute I walked into that meeting room that I was home; it was truly instantaneous. The stories I heard finally matched my own. I finally had the answers I needed. My first ninety days were the hardest days of my life, and I can still say a few months later, I am not out
Bubble Trouble
In college, I lived in a dorm on campus, and my favorite hobby was to steal people’s food. Although I would never contemplate stealing anything else, I couldn’t help myself when it came to food. One day I noticed that my neighbor’s door was open and I peeked into her room. My theft mode was on. I was instantly filled with the thrill of sneaking in and looking for food. I opened the door wider and saw the room was empty. Using what I call my “food radar,” my eyes were drawn to a glowing, magnificent, oversized sweet treat. My mouth was watering. I had a have it. I sneaked in, grabbed it, and ran back to my room. Without waiting any longer, I took a generous bite. Then I felt a strange tingling sensation on my tongue. What was this unusual taste? It surely didn’t feel right. I spat it all out in the bathroom sink, and what did I see? Bubbles? Foam? I realized that what appeared to be a brown sweet treat was a soap bar! Shame and guilt hit me pretty hard. I rinsed my mouth, and then I heard complaints in the corridor. “Who stole my secret Santa soap bar,” the neighbor shouted in horror. Her friends rallied around her and they all started a witch hunt for the thief. Fear gripped me. What if they discovered it was me! I felt like I was leading a double life, that of a poster child in front of other people, and a bulimic theft when left on my own. My bulimia and my secret hobby would both be revealed! Luckily I was not discovered. I promised I would never steal again, but it was not long (probably less than 2 hours) before I was back in
WE KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE to be addicted to food
When you are addicted to food it takes over everything. It might sound like a nonstop voice in the back of your mind thinking about food or wondering how to get rid of the food you've eaten. It might look like cancelling plans or lying about where you are to stop by fast food restaurants one after another. It might feel like you are alone. But you are not alone. Thousands of people like you have recovered in the free program Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA). The Connection Magazine tells their stories.
You can subscribe to the Connection Magazine and learn more about FA at foodaddicts.org
