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Addicted to…chocolate?
Wednesday, 16 August 2006.
Originally from express article 16 August 2006
By Di from Auckland Community Alcohol and Drug Services (CADS)
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| Di from CADS talks about being Addicted to...chocolate |
Do the following statements apply to you?
- "A day without chocolate is a day without sunshine"
- "Seven days without chocolate makes one weak"
- "Life without chocolate is no life at all"
- "There is nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate."
- "So much chocolate – so little time"
Then... You may need the 12-step chocoholic programme – never be more than 12 steps away from chocolate!
Oh yes – there are plenty of jokes about the special relationship people have with chocolate. These jokes tell us that there is more to eating chocolate than other foods… so what is it about chocolate? Is it a drug?
Well – there definitely are similarities between eating chocolate and using mind-altering substances. These are:
Pleasure
Oh yes – chocolate is a food that provides pleasure – not doubt about it! In fact some studies indicate that chocolate foods can influence the brain’s production of natural opiates. The chocolate tends to prolong the pleasurable sensations associated with the body’s own natural production.
Cravings
Research indicates that people do crave chocolate. This is especially relevant for women, when hormonal changes induce cravings for chocolate.
Mood altering
Eating chocolate influences the levels of those ‘happiness/ feel good” neurotransmitters – serotonin and dopamine. Unfortunately there is a sting in the tail here. Research found that when people who are self proclaimed chocolate ‘addicts’ are compared to controls, they experience less pleasure from eating the chocolate – in fact the initial pleasure is short lived and replaced by feelings of guilt!
Loss of control
Chocolate can play a major role in a number of disorders – including bulimia, binge eating and obesity. Like other mind altering substances – it can start with an emotional dependence – ‘it makes me feel normal’, ‘it means I forget about….’ One researcher (Drewnowski) found that it can fuel an addiction like desire, especially among people who exercise excessively, such as dancers. Drewnoski found that among ballerinas “chocolate is a fetish food.” They crave it, talk about it endlessly – even dream about it.
So what is the best way to eat chocolate?
To get more bang for your buck – go for the dark, high fat, chocolate, keep it for special occasions so that you can eat it without guilt and with FULL PLEASURE!
It’s that old saying: Chocolate, Coffee, Men. Some things are just better rich!
If you have concerns about your own or someone else's alcohol or other
drug use, or if you'd like more information, contact CADS on 845 1818 or www.cads.org.nz or if you live outside Auckland contact Alcohol and Drug
Helpline 0800 787 797.
About express
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For more information, visit their website: www.gayexpress.co.nz
