There are a lot of things in the news in the last few days that have caused me to set down to write today. First, the biggest loser...Jennifer is addressing that and I concur with her assessment completely. Then the subject of addiction was brought to the news by the death of Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
Addiction of an illegal drug or prescription drugs are usually big news because they are both controlled substances - something most of the population recognizes as a bad problem. In fact, I propose that ADDICTION is the most serious problem in America today.
ADDICTION not only to controlled substances, alcohol, and cigarettes - but also FOOD!
Yes I said the F word!
I am a carb-alcoholic...that is my substance of abuse!
Many of you say, “ I have never used a drug illegally in my life.” So say I. BUT truth be told, though I never used controlled substances as a drug, I have used FOOD as that substitute.
We eat for all the same reasons a drug or alcohol addicted person does what he does. Emotional, physical and psychological issues.
But there’s a difference between the two: eaters are okay in our society!
Should sugar be made a controlled substance? Maybe for some of us it should be. We as a nation are realizing that we start the addiction early in life: ie. breakfast cereals for kids, snack products for kids, soda pop and flavored drinks for kids...yep, I’m sure we all have given our kids Kool-aid and Jello….(well, I didn't but for other reasons) and they loved it and asked for more.
There is sugar added to canned vegetables for goodness sake! Why, taste? No I believe that it is like adding garlic to a dish...we just can’t resist the smell and taste of garlic...
Our vet once told us when our dog would not eat the cheap dog food to just put garlic on it!!!!!
Well, someone out there figured out that if you put sugar in it we would eat more of whatever gross product they were selling. Stands to reason, doesn't it!
Addiction is in all of us. I used to tell my kids that we each either have or don’t have the gene that causes alcoholism. Because we are human beings, it stands to reason that we all have inherited weaknesses. You see alcoholism pass through generations and it is one of the most difficult addictions to control. So with that reasoning, if a person turns to food he is not an alcoholic? NO but he still has the addiction with in him...he just chooses a different method of being addicted.
We food addicts have lots of choices, sugar, salt, everything from cookies to pickles...what ever our addiction we have to struggle for one serious reason...food is required to live!!!
Other addictions can eliminate the product just not the attachment. We food addicts cannot eliminate the products...we have to eat to live...so therefore our addiction is probably the worst of all. Yes, we do die from our addiction - heart attacks, high blood pressure, and diabetes are the most prevalent ways to kill ourselves.
The sad thing is, we won’t make the nightly news when we die from one of these diseases and our supplier. The grocery store people will not be charged with murder...maybe they should be!
The police won’t investigate when our diabetes is out of control and the producers of High Sugar Products will not have to go before Congress to explain their out of control use of Sugar in food.
Nope, just ain't gonna happen!
So we have to do the education and foot work to help ourselves and others.
WE - the obese and sugar addicted world - have to take care of ourselves. Admit our weakness and declare that we will not stop trying to inform the masses that we as American consumers are killing ourselves.
Those out there that read this and say that they are not addicted need to track what they eat for a week. It is an eye opening experience. I learned very quickly what I have to avoid and what works for me. My experience might not be yours, but it will reflect that addiction is the root of my obesity. And thank GOD that by having been able to have Bariatric Surgery, I have been able to control my intake, and eliminate some of the addictive things from my life.
I admit I still crave sweet crunchy food but I have been able to control and replace the sugar heavy products that caused my addiction. I am a work in progress, as I see most of my companion weight loss surgery friends.
So we have to do the education and foot work to help ourselves and others.
WE - the obese and sugar addicted world - have to take care of ourselves. Admit our weakness and declare that we will not stop trying to inform the masses that we as American consumers are killing ourselves.
Those out there that read this and say that they are not addicted need to track what they eat for a week. It is an eye opening experience. I learned very quickly what I have to avoid and what works for me. My experience might not be yours, but it will reflect that addiction is the root of my obesity. And thank GOD that by having been able to have Bariatric Surgery, I have been able to control my intake, and eliminate some of the addictive things from my life.
I admit I still crave sweet crunchy food but I have been able to control and replace the sugar heavy products that caused my addiction. I am a work in progress, as I see most of my companion weight loss surgery friends.
I feel sorry for those that have the addiction of drugs and alcohol and pray that ALL addicts become proactive in helping ALL addicts of ALL kinds of products. I pray that each of you that read this blog understands that I am not playing down those addictions but am recognizing the problem as ADDICTION in general, not just one or the other.
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