Food addiction, previously referred to as "compulsive overeating" is a condition wherein a person cannot stop themselves from eating. This means they eat continuously all day, and have frequent periods where they eat much more they need to. They will feel strongly compelled to continue eating, or helpless to stop. Oftentimes, the addict feels down, or will have guilt feelings once done binging.

Food addicts don't need to be hungry to eat. There's a lot of time spent thinking about food, and when, and what to eat. In between binges, addicts will also pick at food continuously. The drive to eat for some addicts is such that it the motivation to engage in other rewarding activities diminishes and disappears, and self-control becomes difficult to impossible. Overweight or morbidly obese people are not necessarily food addicts. Sufferers may also experience sleeplessness, headaches, mood swings, or even clinical depression.

Needless to say, there are a very high number of calories consumed in a short time, despite the fact that the actual calorie consumption per sitting may or may not be large. In the absence of professional intervention, a food addiction can result in serious ailments such as: high cholesterol count, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and depression. Longer-term disorders can include kidney disease, bone disease including deterioration, stroke, and arthritis.

For many sufferers, food addiction can be successfully treated with a personalized program of a physician's care and monitoring, therapy, proper nutrition, and sometimes medication. Also, Overeaters Anonymous (OA) and other similar 12-step groups hold meetings regularly in many places, or even over the Internet.



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