Fast Food Addictions: Quick and Easy

Overcoming a food addiction can be difficult and will often take the use of counseling or support group in order to do so. The biggest problem with any type of addiction is the cycle of the addiction, where the person participates in the addictive behavior, feels good for the moment, plummets to despair when it is over, and uses the addictive behavior to feel good again. Fast food addictions are the same way and a process must be embarked upon to solve the addictive behavior so that the person does not partake in it any more. Fast food addictions are very difficult to break because there are fast food restaurants on practically every street corner, thus making it extremely tempting to go to one. However, there are certain steps that the person can take to help to break the addiction.

There are two keys to overcoming a fast food addiction. The first of these is planning. In order to break any habit, especially one that is instantly rewarding as in the case of a fast food addiction, careful planning has to be put in place. The person who is addicted to food needs to plan when and where the meals they eat will be eaten, and at least for the first six months should probably eat at home or, if eating out is unavoidable, eat in a group atmosphere. The person should also plan the routes that she will take when going on errands or going to and from work so that the favorite fast food places are not passed along the way, thus giving too much temptation to turn in and buy something. Putting sticky notes in the car that remind the person of the positive outcomes of not partaking in the fast food addiction is also helpful when moments are tempting.

The other key factor in overcoming a fast food addiction is to be accountable to someone. This is why the twelve step groups and other similar programs are so successful in helping people to overcome their addictions. There are meetings at least once per week and each person is set up with a sponsor who is further along in the process so that each person can be accountable to someone and can call someone that understands when they are feeling weak. Even if the person does not want to join a group situation, the person still needs to find a friend or counselor to whom they can be accountable throughout the process. Addictions thrive in secrecy, so breaking the secrecy is key to healing.