Food Addiction and Overeating

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People can overdo it with food and drink from time to time, and, despite their good intentions, the majority of people skip on their diets occasionally. Adherence to a diet plan involves willingness, determination and resolve, and there is a goal in mind. Food addiction or overeating is not a reaction to a failed diet plan. People don’t become overeaters due to weak willpower. Rather food addicts are suffering from an eating disorder for which they need help, understanding and counselling.

Consequences of food addiction

Food addicts will eat compulsively and excessively in the face of severe adverse consequences. For example, the majority of people can drink alcohol socially without any long-term costs, yet others cannot regulate their drinking, despite the damage it causes them, their friends and families, and their careers. This is the same with food addiction. Food addicts are incapable of controlling their consumption and also suffer undesirable consequences in their lives. Overeating can create health issues, including obesity. Due to overeating certain types of food a dietary imbalance can occur thus creating health problems.

Behaviours associated with food addiction and overeating include continuing eating when full, concealing how much one eats, not eating in public and feeling ashamed after eating. The feelings of guilt and shame can then become unbearable so the food addict will overeat again in an attempt to alleviate these uncomfortable emotions.

Food addiction treatment

Depression, anxiety and low self-esteem are often associated with food addicts and overeaters, and sufferers of other eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. Considering the presence of these emotional issues treatment for food addicts includes counselling and interpersonal group therapy. This helps overeaters to deal with these difficult feelings without resorting to their compulsive overeating.

A requirement of addiction treatment programmes is for addicts to stop using. This is difficult for people with eating disorders as abstention from food is impossible. However, food addicts will be helped in treatment by following a healthy, regular eating plan. Other activities such as nature walks, horse riding and holistic therapies help restore health and balance.

Oasis Counselling Centre provides professional overeating therapy in our residential treatment centre in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa.

Welcome to OASIS Counselling Centre

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Oasis Counselling Centre is a residential secondary treatment rehab located in Plettenberg Bay, in the Garden Route, South Africa. We are an internationally recognised drug and alcohol treatment centre and we offer help to those struggling with addiction to all types of dependencies.

Whether the addiction involves alcohol, drugs, food, relationships, prescription drug abuse, sex, gambling, or self-harm, we are convinced the addicted patient can be helped with professional counselling and a programme of recovery presented in an environment of love and understanding. As part of the recovery process we also deal with abuse and trauma issues. Our treatment centre provides a caring environment within which to begin a journey of recovery.

Our clients attend interpersonal group therapy daily and have one to one therapy sessions with their focal counsellor. The group also attends 12 Step fellowship meetings. Nature excursions, horse riding, yoga, sports and a healthy diet enhance our holistic approach to recovery.

At Oasis we do not believe that addicts are bad people; with therapy from fully qualified counsellors, patience, care and understanding they can step back into society.