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Are you not able to control eating in this Lockdown? Often there is confusion among people between overeating, binge eating, and food addiction. So what is the Difference between Overeating, Binge eating, and Food addiction?

Overeating

Overeating can be a normal tendency for many individuals, to have excess food at a function or wedding even when already full or eating beyond satiety at a special holiday meal or to celebrate. It may occur periodically in a person and cannot be called a disorder. During the lockdown, we might tend to overeat since most of us are working from home an have easy access to food and we have the time available to show our creativity in the kitchen.

But, there is this fine line drawn between overeating and Binge Eating?  It is important to make a distinction between overeating and binge eating. Binge Eating Disorder is, in fact and diagnosable eating disorder, not just an occasional happening or symptom.

Binge Eating

Binge Eating is a Disorder that can be defined as recurring episodes of eating more food in a short period. People have feelings of lack of control often leading to both emotional and physical distress.

Men and women who struggle with binge eating typically experience feelings of disgust, guilt, or embarrassment and binge eat in isolation to conceal the behavior.

Food addiction

Food addiction is a disorder – a biochemical dependency on food. This problem is described as a person relating to the specific food(s) Food addicts experience a physical craving, mental obsession, irritation, headaches if they do not have the specific food at that point. There is a direct connection between emotional problems and food addiction.

In the case of food addiction, the body has become dependent on certain foods or eating behaviors. The most common addictive foods are sugar, flour, fat, salt, or a combination of these. The most common addictive eating behaviors are bingeing, purging, grazing, and volume eating.

Food addiction is a chronic disease characterized by seeking the foods or food behaviors we are addicted to, eating/doing them compulsively, and having difficulties controlling these urges despite harmful consequences.

When we initially consumed these foods as children, we probably still had the choice of when and how much to eat them. But repeated use can lead to brain changes that challenge an addicted person’s self-control and interfere with their ability to resist consuming these foods or partaking in their eating behaviors.

The proper cure is required for Binge eating and Food addiction disorders, as if untreated it can lead to serious ramifications on the mind and overall health. Consult a Counsellor in your vicinity soon if you want to get de addicted.

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All images, courtesy: Pixabay

Most of the teens start smoking at the age of 14-17 years. The teenage is a critical period in the formation of the smoking habit. Globally, smoking is still on the rise among teenagers. The habit of smoking is considered a true drug addiction and is widespread all over the world.

Your teenager may experiment with smoking for reasons mentioned below:

1.      They have seen you/someone smoking: It is said that children imitate you very well than listening to you. It will be hard for a parent to ask your teen to stop smoking if you are indulging in it. Although public smoking is banned but barely followed in India, many people smoke at smoking joints which might influence children.

2.      They are curious to know how it tastes: Teenagers are curious about new things. They may be curious and want to find out what a cigarette tastes like. They want to get into something that thrills them.

3.      They smoke as their friends do it: Friends of the same age or elder to them can influence them to smoke just once. They want to be cooler of their age. When they see their older friends smoke, they may have the misconception that smoking is what mature adults do.

4.      They are stressed: Teens go through a lot during their adolescence, changes like their bodies are growing in ways that are new to them and perhaps no one is ready to explain; they are expected to do things on their own and to perform well in school, sometimes they do not have a cordial relationship with parents. They find it even more important to make new friends. To relieve stress, teenagers may pick up smoking, misled into thinking that smoking can offer some form of relief.

5.      They may do it under pressure: Friends may dare or bully them or rag them to try one and then may start to enjoy the toxic feeling they experience.

Counseling greatly improves quitting rates among teens. Consult a nearby psychologist /counselor if your teen is addicted to smoking.

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All images are courtesy Pixabay

Smoking is hazardous and every cigarette you smoke is harmful to your physical and mental health.

But how does your mental health gets affected by smoking? It is a well known fact that a person’s physical health is affected as each cigarette contains a lot of dangerous chemicals that can harm a person’s lungs, stomach, teeth, aging process, and fertility.

So how does smoking affects your mental health?

Smoking and stress (Anxiety and Depression)

Smoking numbs your temporary pain. Smoking acts as a ‘self-medication’ to emotional pain. Stress is very common these days, right from school going kids to adults all face stress because of the competitive world. Stress causes anxiety and depression and to feel better people smoke.

Research into smoking and stress has shown that instead of helping people to relax, smoking actually increases anxiety and tension. It also increases dependency. Nicotine gives instant relaxation so people smoke in the belief that it reduces stress and anxiety. This feeling of relaxation is temporary and leads to withdrawal symptoms and increased cravings.

Nicotine stimulates the release of the chemical dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is involved in triggering positive feelings. It is often found to be low in people with depression, who may then use cigarettes as a way of temporarily increasing their dopamine supply. However, smoking encourages the brain to switch off its own mechanism for making dopamine and when the supply decreases, which in turn urges people to smoke more. Physical activity is another way which can increase the happy feeling in you.

Most people start to smoke before they show signs of depression so it is unclear whether smoking leads to depression or depression encourages people to start smoking. The most likely explanation is that there is a complex relationship between the two.

If you are suffering from stress, depression anxiety and/or smoking addiction then please reach out to your nearest psychologist for help.

All images courtesy Pixabay

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