Chocolate is an addiction many people suffer with, especially women. I once too had a crazy chocolate addiction where I was eating a large bar daily and would go out especially to get chocolate, even late at night. I always wonder how to stop chocolate cravings so I could leave a more balanced life, because chocolate was making me grumpy, tired and carrying excess weight.

Chocolate addiction or any food addiction isn't taken very seriously in my mind. We use the term craving, as though food can not really be an addiction like drugs or alcohol can. But it can and IS.

Chocolate is an addictive drug and targets the same spot on your brain as heroin and morphine. Although its effect isn't as strong as heroin, it still affects your brain and you still become addicted, as you may very well know.

On top of having opiate properties, chocolate also contains caffeine, theobromine (a stimulant similar to caffeine), phenylethylamine (an amphetamine-like substance) and also traces of compounds similar to THC (the active ingredient in Marijuana).

So as you can see chocolate is full of addictive properties - on top of this is usually is mixed with milk and dairy products which also have highly addictive properties.

Not only is chocolate physically addictive but it also can be emotionally addictive too. Many of us use chocolate for comfort in times of depression, stress and boredom. Emotional addiction tied in with physical addiction seems like an almost impossible task to overcome but it can be done and you can quite easily overcome the physical addiction straight away.

How to stop chocolate cravings is quite simple. You need to first learn how to nourish your body properly. When you eat the right foods you can overcome any physical addiction almost instantly. Also ensuring that you have a proper breakfast can also help with cravings later on in the day.

Second you must overcome the emotional addiction you have to chocolate, if you have it. To see and acknowledge whether you use chocolate to comfort yourself, observe your eating habits over a few days. See what triggers your cravings for chocolate - is it hunger? Is it an emotion? Once you know whether you do use chocolate as an emotional comfort, you can then start to address the issues surrounding it.

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