Addiction

Hello. I'm DeShawn, and I'm an addict.

It all started when I was very young. At first, it was a drinking problem. I seemed to want nothing but the bottle. I then moved on to soft foods like oatmeal and strained peas. But my troubles were only beginning. These were only gateway foods that led to harder foods like uncooked vegetables, casseroles, and breads. Pretty soon, I was dabbling in more exotic foods like cookies, cakes, candy, and soda. Before I knew it, I was eating steak and lobster and chasing it with cheesecake.

I know that I'm addicted, because if I go without food, I get all of the classic withdrawal symptoms. If I go without food for prolonged periods, I become irritable and anxious. I start to have uncontrollable cravings and can even feel depressed. I get weak and shaky. These symptoms become progressively worse until I finally cave in and sometimes end up binging until I feel that comfortable, full feeling inside.

It gets worse around the holidays. I find that I'm not always satisfied by regular foods and drinks and I find myself indulging in hardcore foods like turkey dinners and Honeybaked hams. I find that I'm surrounded by temptations: Candy canes, chips and dip, chocolate, divinity, nut brittle--I can only hold out for so long before I find myself satisfying my cravings. I find that I spend a good portion of my income on food. I've surrounded myself with people that also seem to not be able to go for more than a few hours without food--more classic signs of addiction.

I've only been off of food since this morning and already I'm starting to feel that telltale emptiness inside that will only continue to grow and grow, gnawing away at me until I eat something. Is there any hope? Is there a 12-step program or a patch or counseling that will rid me of this food problem?

This is my story. I'm DeShawn, and I'm an addict.