From Depression to Obesity: How Do You Know When Food Has Become Your Drug?

Sadness, loneliness, anger, worry, and fear are some of the negative emotions that can prompt a person to turn to alcohol or drugs for a temporary escape, the rush of endorphins into the blood stream and the sense of comfort they bring, even if for only a short time. When these methods of self comfort become habitual, a person loses the ability to handle unpleasant emotions without them. But while alcohol and drug addictions are easy to recognize, food addictions are often misunderstood. Obesity is the result of eating habits out of control, but often the reason behind overeating is emotional distress.  Food can be a source of comfort just as can alcohol or drugs. Are you a number of pounds heavier than you would like but haven't been able to shed those extra pounds? Have you noticed not just what you eat but WHEN and WHY you eat? Did you gain wait after a relationship breakup? After a job loss? After a loved ones death? Certain life experiences are distressing, and when food becomes our source of comfort, we eat those things that flood our bodies with comforting endorphins   - which are often sugary foods with less nutritional value. Are you overeating to mask a state of  depression? How do you know when food has become your drug?