Hodd

OK, I can laugh about this, but it’s semi-serious. I rarely eat chocolate or anything sugary, but I bought a pack of eight small chocolate bars for an event tomorrow. They weren’t even for me. I thought I’d try one anyway. Then I thought I’d try another. You can guess the rest!!!

I do the same with any sort of food. If I bought four bread rolls to last a couple of days, I’d eat all four in one go.

Luckily, I’m not overweight although I could lose 5 to 10lbs. These occasional binges mean that 5 to 10lbs stays for now.

So it doesn’t take a psychoanalyst to work out where my drinking problem originated. I’d buy four beers and drink all four. I’d open a bottle of wine and drink it all. I’m incredibly glad I didn’t start on anything stronger. I just calculate that little binge was 1000 calories, which equates to a 10km for me. Wow! I’ll have a tiny evening meal to try and reduce the “damage”, but I’ve clearly got this problem which is only manageable by not having snacks and such junk in the house. Sound familiar?

advbike

That's me, Hodd. Ever since I was a kid and couldn't control the sweets. Fortunately I was always pretty slender and running and biking kept it that way for the most part, although I pay a price for these indulgences now that I'm in my 60's.

Once I hit my mid 40's and realized I was having difficulty moderating alcohol, I found the easiest method was to only buy 2-3 beers at a time, because I would always drink what I had, just as I would consume the box of cookies or half loaf or good french bread. There's just no off switch if something tastes good, and yes, good beer and wine still tastes good to me, which made it harder to quit.

Hodd

^ Thanks Adv, it’s dangerous, though, isn’t it? What if I got a job in a sweet shop?

I should probably look into this. It’s a bit late for the alcohol compulsion, but it’d help with weight and finances going forward.

Other people have bought 10+ packets of chocolate bars for tomorrow. They’re clearly the lucky ones and don’t have this compulsion gene. Normally I looked in a cake shop window and feel ill looking at all that sugary junk. It’s probably a private thing as I’d be too embarrassed to eat 8 (little) chocolate bars in public. Saying that, I was never a secret drinker as such.

calmself

Hodd, I have the exact issue. The other day I got two Kinder joy hazelnut milk chocolate. I am generally not a big time chocolate lover but I just could not stop eating. Finished both and realized it was hell lot of calories. Have to find a way to cut down this next poison named sugar....

Hodd

^ I get frustrated when I hear of drinkers going to so-called counselling to get to the bottom of why they drink. It might be of some value for a minority, but a lot of us probably have this overall compulsive issue which unfortunately carried across to our drinking.

Calm, it looks like you’ve got this compulsion big too. It’s annoying but manageable if we steer clear of temptation. I think you might’ve been told this a few times this week

RAL

I'm the same. Bought a box of luxury chocolates yesterday. Should last a week. I ate the lot.

same with yummy bread . Cakes . Anything. No off switch.

Hodd

I’m going to look into this. I just looked at the U.K. NHS website and compulsive eating disorder, which is obviously what this is. I wouldn’t get any free help for this as I’m not overweight. There’s no health risk. But it is a part of my journey to work on this. I’ll probably have to pay for CBT counselling, but it could be well worth it. As I say, too late for the alcohol problems but worth pursuing for the eating. I’ll update as and when.

Hodd

That too, RAL.

I had a bread making machine which made the greatest bread, better than from any shop. But I’d eat half a loaf for breakfast. Bread - and the carbs - must be taken in moderation. Those carbs become glucose. I’m sure the prevalence of heart disease in the west is partly due to all the bread we eat. I gave the bread machine away.


I also drink gallons of tea and coffee with soy milk, but there’s no health risks here as far as I know. I switch to decaff after midday. Definitely a link to my old drinking days.

Steely

I used to buy 'kinder surprise', not for the chocolate, but for the toy inside. I thought they were great.

Maybe a bit compulsive, idk.

Steely

Hodd, I understand the link that exists between drinking and OCD, but also true to say that many people drink to escape painful feelings, memories. See, PTSD for sample. ,'Alcoholism' is an extremely complex and multi layered disorder Hodd, with no one 'cause'. Read the literature.

People often need, and benefit, from what describe as "so-called counselling." I don't think that's fair Hodd.

Hodd

Hi Steely, fair point. I shouldn’t have said a few things above. I did temper it slightly by saying counselling has some value, but I have to hold my hand up and say that’s lack of knowledge and a sheltered life on my part. My bad. Sorry, Steely.

RAL

I think counselling is still very unusual in the UK compared to it being the norm in many other countries.

Many people refer to it as something unusual here. They are Not being unkind just one of those things where we dont understand cos it's different and not what we are used to. If that makes sense. 😃

maybe it goes back to that stuff upper lip brit stuff.

Hodd

When I decided to quit, I thought I’d need help from a drug such as Antabuse. My GP, who was quite good about it, advised against antabuse but said Campril (which reduces cravings) might be worth a try. To get a prescription for this drug, I had to be referred to an addiction agency. Everyone I spoke to there was pretty cool, but the counsellor I had to see was nothing but a box ticker, not a hint of people skills. The extent of her advice was to buy smaller bottles of wine. I’d wasted weeks, months, waiting to see that person, and I walked out of there and bought a (large) bottle of wine. I knew at that point, I was the only person who’d help me quit. I’m sure there are brilliant counsellors out there, but I was out of luck with that one.

Steely

Thanks Hodd

I've been diagnosed with ptsd and felt a bit triggered. I do understand what you mean by the 'box tickers' though, I've met a few myself. 😬. There are some good ones out there though.

Side note: Sad about Warnie, hey?

Onwards we push, Hodd.

Hodd

Cheers, Steely. A bit of box ticking’s fine, but if you’re going to expose all your weaknesses to someone, they need to be reasonably personable. Forty-five seconds of small talk wouldn’t go amiss before the box ticking

PTSD is a different matter and something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I became a drinker as I was just greedy I reckon.

Shane Warne was a huge shock. I’m only a matter of weeks older than him. I wasn’t really interested in cricket until that Aus team came to England in 1993, and I also went to see them play against a county side. Shane Warne was playing. I went to the Sydney test in January 2018, but by then I wasn’t drinking so much, and that was the most recent game I’ve been to. I don’t really get what could’ve happened to Shane Warne. Clogged arteries perhaps? You’d think he’d have had check ups, etc. Big loss.

2muchpain

I used to eat a whole bag of hershey kisses at one sitting. Other times, I'd eat a whole bag of cinnibein (sp) rolls with raisons at one time. Somehow I managed to stop doing this, but it wasn't easy. I still buy some sweets but not a lot. I learned that if I buy small amounts at a time, it will last longer. Don't know what made the difference but it's a blessing. Maybe being more committed to exercising is what turned things around for me. Eating all that sugar can't be good. John

RAL

oooh Shane Warne lived in the same town as me in 1991. He played in the Sunday League for the town I lived in. He was the pro for the season. Nice chap but he took a lot of criticism for his cricket He wasn't used to playing in the rain and cold

Hodd

He wasn’t the slimmest back then either. Maybe he had a compulsive problem. He had a few detractors, but no one else has bowled like him since.

That 1993 series in England had six tests. Australia won four or five comfortably, but a poor England team won the last test. I remember Warne getting the player of the season award straight after that last match, but he was so distraught at losing that match (despite winning the series), he had no interest in it. That’s determination.

Mizz

Sugar is addictive. I also am a person that can eat the whole box or whatever is there.
I've settled down a bit with this. Some nights I am surprised by myself when I did not eat a donut or three.

If you ever wondered why you cant find San Pelligrino Sodas in the market its because I purchased and drank the the entirety of last years supply. Advbike may have had something to do with it as well, but I will be responsible for about 75% of this issue across the planet. Lots of sugar in that drink. Lots.

BackandScared

Why do you need to lose more weight if you are not overweight Hodd? Why is it not enough?
My compulsive personality that I believe is very stronlgy linked to my addiction to alcohol, former addiction to smoking, constant need to suck into something (sugar free mints lately) seems related to this (or so I am believing): I don't seem to ever be enough. There is always a better version of myself to chase and a hole I fill with food, alcohol, cigarettes, exercise, whatever. Probably/perhaps we all have holes we try to fill. Some of us in a rush, excessively consuming somehting fast to plug in the crevices at full speed

Just sharing a thought that may not resonate at all