Expert: Ryan Hale - 2/15/2011

Question
Is overeating a process addiction??  When I see lists of process addictions OE is the only one where a person puts a substance into their body.  I am under the impression that it is a substance addiction because the people seem to overeat sugars and carbs and these substances mix into their chemistry to make them feel comfortable.

Answer
Alex- you are right about the kinds of foods people eat who binge eat, however, there is almost always a ritual or process involved.  The same can be said for other addictions as well.  Often alcoholics can tell you about the feelings they get driving past the places they used to drink or their feelings when they would go to their favorite place to drink or the friends they used with.  Usually with chemical addiction, the person will get to the point that the process does not matter much (drinking any chemicals with alcohol or drinking in solitary).  Usually binge eater won't just eat anything and everything.  They often have their use planned: the trip to the store, the buying of certain foods, the trip home and the binge.  

I work with athletes and there is a situation where there is reward and reenforcement for their behavior.  The linemen on the football team would all have their binge nights and the heavy weight wrestlers would all go out to eat after weigh-in and binge.  The social aspect of being with their fellow teammates added to the experience in these cases.

So, most process addictions don't involve ingestion or injecting but there is a bit of a cross over with binge eating.  The person uses the substance to change how they feel (much like chemical addiction), but there is almost always a process involved with it.

Hope this helps