Chocoholics un-anonymous
Confessions of an ex-chocoholic: dangers of chocolate addiction
posted January 4, 2005
by Sharon Cooper of Verde
Sharon Cooper and Katie Morton
Warning: chocolate addiction is real and can lead to anxiety and depression. People joke about being addicted to chocolate merely because they like eating it. As an ex-chocoholic, however, I know that chocolate addiction is no joking matter. After doing some research, I realized just how easy it is for people, and especially teenagers, to become addicted. I write this article as a warning, for chocolate addiction is easy to fall into, hard to break, and brings with it harmful psychological affects.
A chocoholic (not a scientific term) is defined in <i>The International Journal of Eating Disorders</i> as a person who has no control over the chocolate he or she consumes. As with other addictions, the chocoholic often does not even know there is a problem. If it is obvious that something is wrong, the chocoholic will blame it on societal elements instead of chocolate.
Non-addicts have a sense of control over their cravings and choose to eat chocolate for conscious reasons. To a non-addict, eating chocolate may be associated with stress relief, mood boosting, pain relieving, or even just quality snacking. "It makes me feel happy," says Palo Alto High School senior Holly Wang, a non-addict.
Addicts, unlike Wang, do not eat chocolate for happiness. When I was a chocoholic, I'd keep a bag of chocolate by my door. As I walked through the door, my hands would automatically reach for the chocolate. I was barely aware that I was eating it at all. When I was done with one piece, I automatically reached for the next. The more I ate, the more worry and depression I felt. When people asked me why I ate chocolate, I had to confess that I did not know.
This is because, for a chocolate addict, chocolate loses its positive psychological affects. Researchers at the University of Dundee, in Scotland, found that chocolate addicts "experienced negative affects following consumption of chocolate." The <i>International Journal of Eating Disorders</i> reports that chocolate addicts also tend to eat "more than twice as much chocolate as the non-addicts" and are "significantly more depressed."
"People who are stressed out may find short term relief from eating chocolate," psychological nutritionist Jurriaan Plesman says, "but this will aggravate depression and anxiety by a rebound reaction."
According to Plesman, it isn't hard to fall into a cycle of addiction that can lead to negative psychological effects. Because chocolate is high in sugar and fat, it creates a stress-relieving affect on the brain. According to a study conducted by researchers from UC San Francisco, stress can be linked to overeating foods like chocolate. "When you are hungry or under stress, stress hormones: appear to enhance one's wanting or craving of palatable foods," says Norman Pecoraro, a neuroscientist at the University of California San Francisco and co-author of the study.
Essentially, this means that the stress Paly students feel, both socially and academically, can affect their eating habits. "The biggest result of stress I see is how it affects teens' decision-making," Paly psychologist Wesley Cedros says. Cedros explains that under stress, it's easy to come to a hasty decision without thinking through all the other options. For example, one could overeat chocolate instead of eating healthier foods. This can be a relief for short-term stress, but with long-term anxiety, there is a tendency to continue overeating. "Therefore, we may become addicted to chocolate," Plesman says.
Last summer, at camp, I felt tremendous social stress. Because of this, I began eating chocolate, which I thought would make me happier. After a while, chocolate stopped giving me that boost of happiness I expected. I did not notice, however, and merely thought that I was not eating enough. The stress kept increasing, as did my chocolate consumption. Sometimes, I ate chocolate until I felt sick. I began to feel increasingly depressed, and filled with a hopeless sense of social distress. I equated these feelings to my situation. It was only after several weeks that I realized I could not stop eating chocolate.
Because it is fattening, chocolate can lead to further trepidation. When I first became addicted, the natural anxiety and depression the chocolate caused were not significant enough to change my life in any drastic way. The first time I realized that I had a problem was when I noticed how chunky I was growing. When I looked in the mirror, I found that my face had broken out. Distress over body image accompanied my chocolate addiction.
Such social apprehension is a common feeling for many teenagers like me. "I don't know one person who escaped their teen years without experiencing peer pressure," Cedros says. Though easy to think of peer pressure as occurring via a direct confrontation, peer pressure also includes social anxiety, like that over body image.
According to Cedros, anywhere from 30% to 40% of teenage girls are on a diet. Chocolate addicts often go on diets in order to lose weight and decrease their dependency on chocolate, presenting a puzzling paradox. According to Pecoraro, "losing weight will increase stress hormones that make you want to eat."
The insecurity over body image combined with the normal increase in stress hormones that accompanies weight loss makes the craving for chocolate hard to resist. Thus, by trying to break the addiction, one merely reinforces it.
But why does chocolate have such a positive effect on some, and such a negative affect on others? This is due to the chemical makeup of chocolate and how the body reacts to these chemicals.
When a non-addict eats a bar of chocolate, it triggers the release of insulin, which helps to digest most of the sugars found in chocolate. One substance, instead of being broken down, is converted into serotonin, which makes people happy.
On the other hand, if a chocoholic eats a bar of chocolate, the insulin receptors break down, and cause insulin resistance and higher insulin levels. This results in weight gain and can cause distress. In addition, it also triggers the release of stress hormones, which interfere with the production of serotonin. "These hormones," says Plesman, "are responsible for anxiety attacks, insomnia, phobias, and depression."
This addiction may seem impossible to break, but it is not. Plesman suggests eating "frequent small snacks" that do not contain sugar. Using sugar substitutes can also stop the craving. As the desire for chocolate dies down, many of the other problems chocolate causes may also decrease sharply.
Do I still eat chocolate? Of course! I'm not trying to say that chocolate is always bad or should never be eaten. But when I eat a chocolate bar, it is because of a conscious decision on my part. The easiest way for one to avoid chocolate addiction is by remaining aware of what one eats and why. I feel that is the most important part of maintaining a healthy diet.
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I read the article on chocolate addiction today by Sharon Cooper and it describes me and what I'm going through perfectly.
Do you have any more info on controlling or ending this addiction. It's Real!
I feel the same way regarding chocolate but I crave only premium dark chocolate. I haven't had chocolate or any sugar for 10 days now and I am feeling so deprived. I also am a recovering alcoholic and I do not know the meaning of moderation, so I stay away from the first bite. Day at a time for me.
It's hopeless. I can't quit.I AM addicted. The worst part? Knowing how young i am to be addicted and the never ending supply in the house. So far today I've eaten 1 packet of cookies and about 10 chocolate bars, and nothing else.When i say nothing else i mean the chocolate has become my diet with the exception of dinner -- which is followed by chocolate.I'm not fat or overweight but i don't want to become any of those and everything described above in the article is me. How am i going to quit?
I am an addict. I was at work last week (I work in the health service) and my boss asked me if I felt okay because I was looking pale and anxious. The answer: 24 hrs without chocolate. I eat an average of 6-8 packets/bars of chocolate a day. Like this article, I am trying to diet but the omition of chocolate makes me a nervous wreck. There is no such thing as 1 bar or 2 squares. If I have a little I invariably need a lot even when I am not hungry. Help!
it seems terrible but i am addicted to chocolate people around me find it revolting that i eat 10 chocolate bars a day! im beggining to gain alot of weight and the depression caused by this triggers me to eat even more chocolate! its like an endless spiral. im so young yet so dependent! how do i stop?! help!!!!
Whenever I smoke I get intense urges to eat chocolate and this has resulted in going from 120 to 165 lbs. Help, I'm spiraling out of control.
OMG do u people even know wat u r talking about!?!?!? with this article reguading chocolate...has been scientifically been proven to help relive stress and is even good for you in moderation. between myself and my friends, we eat 6 chocolate bars between us a day and we have never felt better. chocolate DOES NOT cause depression in everyone, as everybody is different and this article will never stop me and my friends eating chocolate. EVER. we LOVE chocolate!;)
I don't know what to do. After reading this, I realize I am a cholcolate addict. I am embaressed to say how much cholcolate I eat a day. But when I don't get chocolate, I go crazy. I make brownies at one in the morning on several ocasions. I feel out of control. I am anxious and moody and its making my atttention problems worse, I need help. In fact I just had a ton of chololate before I wrote this.
My diet consists of peanut M&Ms semi-sweet chocolate chips, and seasonal Cadbury Mini-eggs. Ive gained 12 pounds and that is the only reason I am unhappy. I live on chocolate and I like it but I am too fat.
i have began my first day with no choc i was getting obsessed with it but been told that if i stop in 4 weeks i will be over it i feel i have to stop as eating it occassionaly has only led to binge eating on choc so its cold turkey for me as i am fed up of always wanting it
I can't stop eating chocolate I crave for it like a mad person and sulk if i haven't any It picks me up when i eat it but the feelings soon fade Help Me Please How do i get out of this trap It has a hold on me.
I feel your pain. I am a holistic health counselor and have helped many men and women break through simiar cycles. If I may - what you are referring to, I believe, is caused not by the chocolate content - the cacao - but actually it is a sugar addiction that is laced with chocolate. This is what I mean : most chocolate bars contain little to NO chocolate! Butterfinger has NO chocolate! What you are physically addicted to is the sugar and other chemicals. Theobroma cacao (real chocolate) itself is not fattening, and should continue to give you that burst of energy and neurotransmitters. The reason you stopped getting that burst was because the bars you were eating contained little chocolate. By increasing your does, you were really just dosing yourself with sugar. Even the so-called dark chocolates have a lot of sugar, and many still have dairy - which blocks the antioxidants effets of cacao. Here is a the healthiest chocolate in the world and it is so delicious. It is raw, organic, sugar free, dairy free and chemical free. Try it if you are planning on continuing to indulge your tastebuds, but want to avoid all the negative reactions you have been experiencing. http://www.GnosisChocolate.com
I wake up in the morning and the first thing I think about is chocolate. I made it a rule for myself not to buy any chocolate so I wouldnt eat it but that doesnt work, I always find some. Lately its been my roommates chocolate chips. I'll eat an entire bag of guiradeli choc chips in one sitting then run to the store and buy a replacement so my roommate doesnt know. The problem is I usually end up eating that bag the next day and the cycle starts over. The entire time I'm eating the chocolate, I feel guilty, I keep thinking that I need to stop but I cant I just keep eating until theres nothing left to eat. I need help!
easter is the worst time because there's chocolate EVERYWHERE. chocolate eggs, bunnies, chicks, chocolate raffles, giveaways, win a massive choc. egg, choc. boxes, it never ends .........
We are looking for people to take part in a new series of Freaky Eaters for BBC 3 in the UK. If you are addicted to chocolate and want the help of a professional nutritionist and psychologist to kick the habit please email freaky.eaters@betty.co.uk or call 020 7907 0899 for more information
I found Xocai, a Dark Belgian Chocolate that is cold processed cocoa and is good for you. Medical studies are proclaiming the health benefits of unprocessed dark cocoa. Take a look at www.chocolatestudies.net for more information about Healthy Chocolate. We can still have our chocolate!
i just started college and have been eating more chocolate than ever. without my mom monitoring how much chocolate i eat, i have been spiraling out of control. its halloween time and there is chocolate EVERYWHERE, i cant escape it. i keep buying it by the bag, plus my grandma keep sending it to me. i have really been trying to cut down and have taken up yoga, but the urge is always there. i have to have it many times throughout the day. im not sure that i am an "addict" because it still makes me feel happy and great, and if i try REALLY hard i can not eat any in one day. its just the best tasting substance in the world. i think i will try to stop buying chocolate, as i dont want to gain any weight. good luck to all of us, no one seems to take chocoholics seriously
hi my chocolate addiction has spirled out of control since my boyfriend broke up with me. i can avoid other high fat foods, but not chocolate. i usually have either two or more large bars of chocolate a day or 2 or more large bags!!! i havn't put any weight on yet. but i have become alot less toned and wobbly!! please help its giving me bad skin and making me very depressed.