Traded Alcohol for Food

[Introvrtd1]

It seems that in the very recent past, I have stopped binge drinking only to find that I have begun to eat like a pig.

When I drank, I hardly ate. At the end of a nite of drinking, I had a ravenous appetite and would eat to oblivion just before falling asleep.

During alcohol withdrawals, I had major trouble with panic/anxiety. I would post threads in the anxiety section. Having gotten that somewhat under control,,,,;

Now...........

Here I am in the eating disorders section.

It seems I have another habit to break. I guess if caught unawares, we can be slaves to habit in one form or another.


Okay, so I'll deal with this. Choosing between the lesser of two evils, I'd rather be a little overweight than an alcoholic. I've never had a (feel-like-crap-the-morning-after) feeling like I had when drinking.

Guess I'll just have to get back to my daily exercise routine.

Intro

[Pony]

Welcome, intro, to this forum. Many here have found themselves in the same situation as you have. It is easy to substitute one addiction for another. Really you are just substituting the addictive behavior....instead of using alcohol or drugs it's food. As you work through recovery you will probably find that using the program for one addiction will help for the other.

[Nina Kay]

I also just want to Welcome you, Intro, to this Eating Disorders Forum here at SR. I really agree with all that Pony said. I hope that you'll keep coming back and reading and posting often. Please read the Stickys at the top of this page, as you'll find it chock full of helpful information. I'm sure that others will be along soon to share with you their own personal experience, strength and hope. Keep coming back.

[GlassPrisoner]

Also, if you drank like I did, you didn't eat and your body is malnourished. Eat whatever your body wants for a while. If weight gain becomes a problem, worry about it then.

If you were anything like I was, I would put sobriety first and foremost in your life.

[Introvrtd1]

Funny thing about overeating, especially into late evening............

I never feel like crap the next morning. Only not hungry, ha.

Its waaaaay better than an alcohol withdrawal or hangover.

Intro

[BigSis]

Hi Intro...

I am an alcoholic...and an Alanon....and a Compulsive Overeater... and I find when I gambled - I overdid it in response to stress...and that I took Percoset NOT as directed - for the effect.

My Alanon sponsor warned me I might discover a few more "obsessions". She was right on target.

As I've been "ready" and "willing", I've made inroads into each obsession. They all seem to be part of the same thing... it was just far larger than I first imagined.

Welcome!

[Introvrtd1]

I binged on alcohol, because I couldnt just stop at one or two drinks. Not only didnt I stop, I would gulp the drinks I did have.

Now I eat. I replaced a habit, so to speak.

Understand, Im no longer hungry after that moderately portioned meal, its the habit of overdoing an indulgence.

I feel as if I can walk away from a meal after a few bites, but my inner binge kicks in to tell me more, more, more.

With alcohol, the bingeing was for the high. I havent yet figured out what to get from this food bingeing though. Instead of a high, I feel full, and sick to my stomach.

Thats no fun.

The pattern seems to be my brain or (trained thinking) is looking for that level of satisfaction, which it hasnt found yet.

Distracting myself with busy work after only a few bites of my meal helps those binge cravings to pass.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm........

[simplysober]

what a sticky?

thanks
maria

[Doug]

Generally speaking, an active addiction (or addictions) is a sign (symptom) of other stuff. That's why most forms of recovery address more things than just "stopping" whatever a person is abusing. Get to the "root" of whats causing the addiction, so the abuse can be arrested. In the end, simply stopping one, only opens the door for another-(Been there, done that myself)-if no other recovery work is done.

Eating is a tricky one because we can't survive without it. We need to eat. We don't need to drink or drug.

And on another note; a "sticky" is a post or thread that gets "stuck" to the top of the forum so it never drops down the page, out of view. It's what we do with the most useful posts, so they're always easy to find.

[marcella98]

Introvrtd1, reading your posts...I could have written them myself.

I am sober/clean since January. At first I gained weight but then I started losing. Then I got carried away with the calorie counting obsession. Then I lost more. Then I started binging when I was home alone and my husband was gone (much like I did with drinking). Like you, I continued to drink and drink fast or use drugs because of the high. So just like you, I have no idea why I binge. I know it's comforting, but I don't get a high from it. I can't figure out why I do it. Then I started to get scared about my binging and started occasionally purging. I just feel so full and gross and am afraid I will gain the weight I lost back if I don't rid myself of the junk food after the purge. So basically I replaced alcoholism with an eating disorder in a pretty cut and dry way. (One thing to note is that I was bulimic from about 1992-2000, but very much on/off, not too much, and looking back I know that while I was obsessed with being thin, that I mostly did the purging for attention; so I don't count it so much as a real eating disorder since I think I just wanted attention because of my low self-esteem).

Anyway, I just wanted to share with you some things I've learned since I started to try and get help for this. My therapist was trying to figure out what emotion triggers a binge for me. I am convinced there is none. So she told me that when I am about to buy food for a binge, she wants me to try to put it down and walk out of the store. To walk home and sit there and try to figure out what emotion I am feeling. She thinks that I will be left with some sort of feeling if I walk away mid-binge and that I can try to identify it that way.

The other thing that helps is that I started doing yoga. So now when I feel a binge coming on I sit and meditate or do some yoga and then maybe drink some tea and I find that it helps to distract me, calm me down, and give me an overall feeling of good mental/spiritual, and most importantly, physical health. And I don't want to ruin that feeling by starting a binge.

Anyhow I hope that was useful information. I hope you're feeling better. Feel free to PM me anytime.

Take care,
M

[stringer belle]

Originally Posted by marcella98

So just like you, I have no idea why I binge. I know it's comforting, but I don't get a high from it. I can't figure out why I do it. Then I started to get scared about my binging and started occasionally purging. I just feel so full and gross and am afraid I will gain the weight I lost back if I don't rid myself of the junk food after the purge. So basically I replaced alcoholism with an eating disorder in a pretty cut and dry way.

wow, i related to your entire post, but especially this part.

i also have worried that i replaced addictions, alcohol for food. while food certainly doesn't get me "high", i think that a binge on food still releases some of those "feel good" endorphins in my brain that are similiar to an alcohol high, or any high for that matter. not the "drunk" part of the high, but the enjoyable sensation part.

i'm sure that there has been a lot of research done about this topic(s). i've read one book "Eating, Drinking, Overthinking: The Toxic Triangle of Food, Alcohol, and Depression".. and thought it was a very informative read.

welcome, intro.

[Introvrtd1]

Well,

My dr tells me I have an addictive personality, because I told him I quit drinking, however, im now eating like a pig.

Im exercising, working out, but Im always hungry. I dont normally have a sweet tooth, but i crave sugar something awful.

I guess I really have traded alcohol for food.

Or, like doc said, I have an addictive personality.

[smiling jack]

For me, it wasn't a trade. I need to abstain from both to have sanity, self-respect and self-esteem.

The AA principles work for drinking for me. Go to meetings, find a sponsor, read the Big Book and don't drink.

For the sugar, you might like to try the 100 Day Challenge thread. It's helped me.

Good luck.

[mamashell]

I am the opposite. I have traded my anorexia for food & alcohol. God it's so horrible having an addictive personailty.
I must admit no amount of eating or drinking will ever feel as good as NOT EATING. I loooong for those weeks of no food.
I feel at an all time low right now. My weight is higher than it has in years. I binge drink once a week.
Ugh! Sorry I didn't mean to make this reply about me. *hugs* Just know you are not alone. There are many of us out there that cope with food or substances. I just wish I had a magic wand to fix us all.
Love
Shell

[mikel60]

Hey Intro,
Good to see your post. I, too, am struggling with food. Like Jack, AA worked for my alcoholism, as does this site. I'm trying the 100 day challenge. While I still have only about three days in, I keep coming back and now have more good days then bad. They say the AA principles can work with food, too. So I'm starting to try that as well. Good luck and I hope to hear more from you. Mike

[sugarssweetpea]

I quit drugs and alcohol 6/5 years ago, but am heavier than I have ever been. I did not work a program with those, but am starting one with food. I have realized that I am not really free from my addictions if I keep replacing them with other things. I will pray for you & for everyone on this thread to experience true freedom from all addictive behavior.

[Nina Kay]

Hi SSP,
It's great to see you here. I'd love to hear more about the program that you're starting for your food addiction. keep coming back.
(((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))

[Brittany Marie]

This is my problem too.
When I quit smoking/drinking I gained around 10 kilos (roughly 20 pounds).
I am so disgusted in myself for it but losing weight is always an option and I've made it my NY's resolution to lose 20kilos.
I always try and keep in mind how great I feel when I am healthy.
Keep going, excercising is a great first step!

Britt xx