One of the most common, pervasive and under reported addictions in the West is to food. Many people are in fact eating themselves to death.  Eating too much and the wrong foods will have terrible health consequences for most people.  Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and strokes are amongst the body’s response to the ingestion of unhealthy food in high amounts, over the years.  In the United States, there is a major concern about citizens being overweight and even obese. Both can lead to poor health, and as stated above, significant health problems and eventually death.

Individuals being unhealthy because to their weight or weight related ailments costs the government billions of dollars. It also places a lot of strain on the individual who has become overweight from their food addiction, and also those who love and care for them. Packing on the pounds will place strain on the body, including the heart and other organs. The primary people in an addict’s life may also struggle alongside said persons, either because they have to care for them or from the stress related to their health problems.  

A food addiction can be quite expensive both in the short-term and long-term.  Individuals addicted to food will typically spend a lot of money on food. They will also often rack up expensive medical bills, which may include doctor visits and medications for chronic diseases that have developed because of their addiction.

There are numerous reasons why a person may choose food as their drug of choice. It is more accepted by society. Eating is encouraged, at times even excessively, for the most part. Because of this a person’s addiction can often go undetected.  They may eat in private and away from others.  Eating as an addiction is seen as being much better than using drugs or drinking alcohol excessively.

Some persons use food as a mechanism to cope with life. They may be lonely, depressed and have unresolved issues which compel them to eat in order to improve their mood, even if it is only temporarily.

A food addiction can be just as significant, dangerous and problematic as one to drugs.  Even though a person may not be at risk of overdosing from food after a single consumption (though it is possible), generally over time, the effects of a food addiction can be just as deadly as a dependency on drugs.