OH! Magazine - Australian Version October 2015 | Page 8

MICHELLE
BRIDGES

ADD CTION AND

WILLP WER
Michelle Bridges explores the relationship between
willpower and addiction when it comes to food.
can’t tell you how many emails I
receive from people who claim to
be addicted to food. They literally can’t
stop eating sugary, salty and fatty foods
and are desperate for someone to help
them.

I

They feel utterly powerless over their food
choices and end up spouting the old line
‘You’re the only one who can help me!’

We all know what we should eat, and what
we shouldn’t. It’s not like the information
is locked away in some secret location;
these days, it’s never been more
accessible!
So here is my contention: many of these
people aren’t real addicts, they’re moreso
willpower wimps.
Yes, it’s harsh, but it’s also true.

I’ve been doing this long enough now to
see right through these cries for help. I
know that what they’re really doing is
making somebody else responsible for
their situation (me) so that they can carry
on making dumb food choices and excuse
themselves for their destructive behaviour
while they do it.
These days the word ‘addiction’ is used to
cover a whole gamut of vices: gambling,
sex and even shopping – but the addicts
who I see most often are those addicted
to food. These are the people who feel
that they are so powerless to control their
eating habits that they are even prepared
to risk chronic disability and even death.
But are they truly powerless?

If you have suffered severe hurt or trauma
in your life, or as addiction experts
sometimes call it ‘a hole in your soul’
then you may have learned to reach for
anything to fill the void and ease the pain