Has Anyone Ever...

[littlekittentoes]

There's a group that meets near my house for people trying to overcome COE or 'food addiction'.

I was just wondering if anyone had ever gone to one of these kinds of things, what they do there, is it stupid and embarassing, are they based on AA or something? I've never heard of a group like this before.

Any thoughts you have would help...

Thanks!

[monclaire]

I went to Overeaters Anonymous a couple of times. It was totally 12-step, and it was okay, but I didn't keep going. It was not stupid or embarrassing, but I don't know if it helped. I would like to try a different type of group if I could find one. It can't hurt, and it could be fun. It was nice to see really thin people who used to be bigger than me.

I have a question: do you think eating is an addiction? Sometimes I do, but then I will work with someone who is battling heroin or crack addiction and I think, no, eating doesn't even compare. Is obesity a mental health issue? I go back and forth on this one too. It's completely related to depression and anxiety, but if you compare it to schizophrenia or bipolar, for example, it doesn't seem to hold up.

[Melinda]

I'm thinking about going to one. It's the same deal as AA, which means a lot of "God" talk, which usually annoys me, but I can work around it. I have the information, now it's just a matter of going - and actually going inside, not lurking outside without the guts to go in, and going home with a box of donuts to sulk instead.

[katblack]

Because it's something that you put in your body that affects your mind, food can definitely be an addiction, and obesity is definitely a mental health issue. Food addiction might be easier to fight than heroine addiction, but that doesn't mean food isn't addictive; it's all a sliding scale.

And, Melinda, I just want to say that I had your same stats. I was about 216 at my heaviest, and I've got down to 140lb. If you do the conversion, it's almost exactly what you have. And I just gotta tell you that even though it may seem completely daunting, it's also completely possible. Keep at it; it's all mathematics in the end, burn more than you take in, and you'll get there.

[Melinda]