Some of us are food addicts. I am for one. An addict can be described as someone who uses a substance to get from point A to Point B. He or she feels that they cannot manage on their own and so they choose an illegitimate source for help. And point A and Point B can be almost anything. Point A could be the beginning of the work day and Point B the end of the work day. Point A could be feeling bad about me and point B could be feeling good about me. Point A and B are anything that we need to get from and to, at the moment.
I got the above idea from my therapist, Barry Horton. He goes further on to say that being called and addict is a label that we put on ourselves, or someone else applies to us and so we then believe it. But what if having an addiction is something that can be true and being an addict is something that can change? This question puts an entirely different spin on the situation. I can have a food addiction, but I can get rid of it and no longer be a food addict.
It comes down to choice. I can remain a food addict and gorge myself on high carbohydrates and fat rich food, or choose to not do this and instead rely on the energy giving foods that are high in vitamins and proteins. Foods that will, instead of giving us a short high and then bringing us lower than we were before, will build up our energy and keep us in a good place.
It also comes down to attitude. We can have an attitude of need, or an attitude of thanksgiving. The attitude of need says, “I need that chocolate covered donut filled with cream, it will make me happy.” An attitude of thanksgiving says that “I have a choice about eating that donut or enjoying the salad that I had already planned and will make me feel better and for longer periods of time. I am grateful to have a choice.”
The Greeks told the story of Pandora. Pandora received a lovely ornate box which she was told never to open. Being human and curious the desire to see inside became unbearable and she opened the lid. When she did all the evil of the world came out and the Greeks believed we have been plagued by them ever since. But at the bottom of the box remained one more thing. That last item was hope.
Hope can always rescue us when we are having bad days. Hope can shield us from the temptation to over indulge and use substances to get through our lives. Hope is an attitude that we can cling to when we want the third slice pizza. The hope that tomorrow will be better and our lives will look better and the solutions to our problems will present themselves.
Back in the 1970’s a Little Girl Ran away from the orphanage she lived in and found a dog that she named Sandy. She felt that she had little to look forward to and nowhere to go, and possibly no one to love her. This all took place in a show called Annie. At this point in her life she sang about tomorrow and the hope that things can always change for the better. From this day forward let’s try to imitate Annie’s attitude and remember that “tomorrow. I love you tomorrow, you’re always a day away.”