Food is the addiction choice of carers

[BillyJoel]

Read an article in the paper this weekend. Quite interesting. I shall quote a very small piece of it here and hope I don't get sued (it is actually quoting someone else- Caitlin Moran)

"Overeating is the addiction choice of carers, and that's why it's come to be regarded as the lowest-ranking of all the addictions. Its a way of fucking yourself up whilst still remaining fully functional, because you have to. Fat people aren't indulging in the "luxury" of their addiction making them useless, chaotic or a burden. Instead, they are slowly self-destructing in a way that doesn't inconvenience anyone. And that's why it is so often a woman's addiction of choice. All the quietly eating mums. All the KitKats in office drawers. All the unhappy moments, late at night, caught only inthe fridge light."

Bloody hell. She's right. I am the one driving to and from social events and staying sober and then eating a packet of biscuits when I get home. Or a spoon or two of nutella. Well, one of us has to stay sober for when the house burns down, or to hear the breaking glass of an intruder.

(Please don't flame me - I am 5 stone heavier than is good for me, and not really worried about intruders.) But it did ring a bell with me.

Ever heard it before? What do you think?

[flibbertigibbert]

It struck a chord with me to an extent. I'm not really a carer - no DCs or any family members relying on me. But I've always been very sensible and overly keen on making my parents proud - I've always been quite responsible that way. I suppose food addiction is a lot easier to hide than drugs or something like that - although my weight is getting to a stage that people are asking me questions, and today DP found some hidden chocolate wrappers.

Because it isn't as dangerous to my immediate health (though I know I WILL end up with diabetes if I carry on this way), it isn't really taken seriously - if DP had found an empty vodka bottle it would've been very different.

[BillyJoel]

mmm - get your point. What questions are they asking?

[jasper]

yes I agree with this up to a point.

overeating for me is definitely about being unhappy. I have often jokd that I will eat in response to any emotion ( happy, sad, excited, angry, whatever) but the really sustained chomping for me is associated with being really unhappy with myself.

In fact I see it as a form of self harm

[BillyJoel]

Jasper - thanks for that. I eat in reaction to not having any kind of social life once the kids are in bed. Mumsnet is good for me cos it keeps me away from the kitchen, but bad cos it means I am glued to my chair and so not even moving around.