Processed Food (PF) Addiction Therapy
Treating the disease of Addiction (getting honest with oneself) and learning how to live a life without ingesting the addictive substance does not happen overnight. There are no ‘quick fixes’ for an incurable disease that started long before the addict was aware and ends at the time of death. Literature continues to highlight that AN Addiction may be genetically predisposed, and the biggest mind-boggling question for a potential processed food addict is “why me?”
This question has preyed upon researchers, sociologists, theorists and philosophers trying to make sense of the bewildering cluster of physical and psychological symptomatology evident in the disease of Addiction.
Heretofore, Addiction has been perceived as a weakness of will – a person with an ‘addict’ label was assumed to have the same appetite for alcohol, processed foods, nicotine etc. as other people, but are lacking the willpower to stop ingesting the substance.
The past several decades of research reveals that the addict has the same willpower as everyone else, but they have a different ‘make-up’ or said another way, ‘their appetite for the substance is by some way different; and this ‘make-up’ of the addict is determined by neurobiochemical factors over which the addict has no control. Addiction is caused not by psychological, environmental, or social pressures, or by a weak personality, but by a weakness in the physical makeup of the addict.
Said in another way, “ Addicts don’t abuse the substance, the substance abuses the addict ”.
The Malady of Processed Food Addiction
The newbie on the block — wrecking a silent but subtle havoc among society
There are a myriad of different programs, plans of eating, diets, etc. all aiming to reduce an individual’s weight (one of the major symptoms of processed food addiction) whilst trying to teach the individual to control and or temper their intake of processed food. The primary aspect of one’s recovery if one is shown to have high symptomology of processed food addiction is to become ‘abstinent’ – abstain from all processed foods . Once the processed food addict becomes abstinent the question is “how does one ‘stay’ abstinent with ‘peace’ of mind?”
If one is a processed food addict, the three fundamental features; getting treatment for the processed food addiction, being involved in a community which supports recovery from this malady, and developing a spiritual way of life to support, and aid consistent recovery from this progressive disease is Dr Raymond’s specialty; what she is so passionate about and having recovered herself.
Psychological Distress (Depression…Anxiety…Stress)
Withdrawal
Withdrawal can be defined as the development of physiological and/or cognitive symptoms in response to periods of abstinence or reduced consumption of a substance. Withdrawal can also be indicated by ingesting a substance to prevent these symptoms arising.
Testimonies and similar evidence from processed food addicts in recovery share that psychological symptomology ‘hammers’ them including depression, anxiety, restlessness, discontentment, and even panic attacks. Additionally, they report being fidgety, bad headaches, backaches, stomach aches and pains, disruption to their menstrual cycle, loneliness, and hot sweat, especially the period straight after they have just engaged in bingeing on processed foods. Another issue to discuss here is the negative mind (false-self, the second self, the ego, the disease voice – odap), in withdrawing from processed food abuse. Generally the addict concludes that this can be what makes withdrawal from processed foods so challenging.
Cutting back on bakery items makes them feel light headed, but usually ‘kicks’ in more after the first 24 hours of eliminating the processed food. Even when trying to ‘give-up’ coffee, (and preferably they drink cuppa chinos as they like the ‘stuff’ on top) they will still feel agitated over the next 72-hour period.
Quite often a processed food addict will take a can of a caffeinated beverage (coke) to drink when feeling restless, irritable or discontent in the work environment to help ward off the symptoms of eliminating processed foods.
Anger is a typical observational symptom when eliminating processed foods; the processed food addict shares they are scared of who they really are – and that they really are a very angry person, but when eating processed foods, it calms them down somewhat. Thus they are afraid of who they are and what people will think when they see the REAL me – the person that has been hidden from everyone else, including themselves.
Another issue to discuss here is the negative mind (negative self-talk, the second self, the ego, the disease voice), in withdrawing from processed food abuse. Generally the addict concludes that this can be what makes withdrawal from processed foods so challenging. Once again, the disease of addiction is neurobiochemological not psychological.
Tolerance
For any addiction the ‘trick’ is to ingest (drink/use) to one’s tolerance – that is just enough to thwart off the withdrawal and yet not to ingest eat so much as to trigger the craving to binge more, vomit, lay on the coach or be comatose (another words try to be a ‘functional’ processed food addict). When processed food addiction is in early stages, trying to balance this act is not so challenging, however the late stage processed food addict will feel an overwhelming desire to ingest processed foods so they don’t have to go through the torturous stages of withdrawal. But, because they suffer from the disease of addiction (physical allergy and mental obsession —for further info. please look at Dr Raymond’s book ‘Processed Food addict is this Me?”) judgement will be thwarted as to how much is too much.
As the disease of processed food addiction progresses and the margin of this balancing act is narrowing to a point where ingesting the processed foods to their tolerance level is just a smidgen away from bingeing. As a result, obesity and/or more control methods are introduced with more bingeing periods.
The processed food addict is not eating ingesting because they are irresponsible, stubborn, undisciplined or have no will power, they continue to ingest the processed foods because they become sicker and their brains and bodies are no longer able to tolerate or cope with large amounts of processed food consumed.
This then leads to what is called ‘enduring’. Eventually, a processed food addict finds that no matter hard they try they can’t ingest processed foods 24/7. All persons need to sleep, work, have family commitments etc. hence the processed food addict must endure withdrawal symptoms. Of course the more progressed the Addiction, the worse the withdrawal symptomology, and of course as the disease continues to progress (as it does so over a period of weeks, months, years), the more the processed food addict needs to ingest more processed foods to ‘anesthetise,’ or try to function somewhat normally. Said simply, a processed food addict needs to increase more and more of the processed foods in order to get the ‘effect’ they are craving.