Food for Self-Medication or a Security Blanket

February 14, 2008 |

Some drink to feel good and others eat. Some use pills and others eat. Food can be used to change feeling, a way of self-medicating.

Drugs hijack the natural reward system of humans. Smoking a joint feels like the relaxation similar to two hours in the gym. Heroin gives a pleasure similar to “runners high,” the euphoric state experienced during long distance running. But, like all mood-altering drugs, the pleasure is stolen. It has not been gained honestly through effort, achievement or challenge.

Processed food hijacks the taste buds, stealing pleasure without giving nutrition. In nature, foods that taste good are good for us. Sweetness is an indicator of calories. Saltiness is an indicator of mineral content. A bittersweet taste, like lemon, is a sign of cleansing acids and vitamins. We like food with fats and oils because they supply calories and essential fatty acids. Natural oils and fats are high in calories and fat-soluble vitamins. Healthy food has a wholesome taste, a pleasure intended to reinforce healthy behavior.

Food as a Security Blanket

Food can be used to medicate our feelings. Its pleasure gives a predictable lift. When we feel cranky, tired or lonely, food offers comfort, a comfort on which we can depend, a comfort that brings peace in an emotional storm. However, the reliance on food or any substance to feel better forms dependence.
The pleasure offered by mood-altering drugs and food can easily become a security blanket, insulating us from a harsh world. The pleasure becomes an emotional crutch that makes us weaker by leaning on it. Each time we use it, natural emotional responses deteriorate, and the addict becomes emotionally dependent on the pleasure to control mood.

When we are dependent on a chemical or food to feel good, our self-worth is eroded. We are no longer in control. We are dependent. An addict never feels good about needing a drug. There is a feeling of being powerless that destroys self-esteem.
Every time we are tired, upset or frustrated and use food to feel good, that behavior is being etched deeply into our neuropathways. Whether it be eating potato chips, gambling, sexual perversion, watching horror movies, or healthy activities like exercise or playing an instrument, the pleasure is creating triggers to repeat that behavior. Every time you enjoy a food that is unhealthy, use a mood-altering drug, engage in a perverse fantasy or enjoy being lazy, you are creating triggers. Triggers activate emotions, and become powerful urges to repeat that behavior.

After a lifetime’s worth of indulgent triggers and twisted behaviors, we are out of control. Tidal waves crash upon the shore of our soul. There is no peace. The storm is relentless and the pain is endless. Hope is darkened. Only a glimmer remains. But it is enough to see.

Place a huge CAUTION sign over your pleasures. Choose your pleasures with great care. The pleasure of dopamine can move us forward towards a healthy, fulfilling life or endless indulgence. Through discipline, we can receive dopamine’s pleasure from healthy activities and actions. We can feel good about doing the right thing while enjoying the benefits of a clear conscience and a healthy body.
Through discipline, you can control your neurotransmitters. Imagine being able to create nice, warm feelings … a “neurotransmitter high” without harsh drugs or side effects — just warm, dopamine-fuzzy feelings. Bet you’d be one happy person. In a few chapters you are about to discover how. We call it the Dopamine Diet Plan.
You can master our Cravings Defense System. When emotional and physical cravings rise up like a tag team punching from both sides you can hit back with a few uppercuts. Take no more beatings from Mr. Bigã. Be the aggressor. Fight back. Chase those cravings away with a scowl. Flex some muscles. Show no mercy. Take no prisoners. This is war!

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