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September 16. 2012 11:19PM
In Nashua, group finds ways to battle food addiction
NASHUA — When Emma reached 308 pounds about 10 years ago, she was desperate to find a way to halt her food cravings and stop the weight gain once and for all.
When this Bradford, Mass., woman had to purchase a new scale to calculate her increasing weight gain, she knew something had to change.
“I was miserable. I was bottom-of-the-barrel miserable,” said Emma.
Preferring to remain anonymous, Emma is one of three people willing to share their experiences with food addiction and how they were able to overcome the impossible through a local support group that meets in Nashua — Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous.
“If there was a bag of food open, I couldn't keep my hand out of it,” Emma said. “My kitchen never had food in it because I was always eating.”
Emma began participating in Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous about a decade ago at the age of 31, quickly losing 175 pounds and maintaining the weight loss. Since attending weekly meetings, Emma said she has learned how to live a life where she is not obsessed with food, dieting or body image.
Similar to Alcoholics Anonymous, Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous follows a 12-step recovery process to gain freedom from addictive eating. It is described as an international fellowship of people struggling with food and seeking a solution through support and spiritual guidance.
The only membership requirement is the desire to stop eating addictively. The non-profit group believes that food addicts have an allergy to flour, sugar and quantities that spur uncontrollable cravings.
Sometimes, the trick to overcoming the food battle is talking to others who share these similar patterns with addiction, according to Stephanie, 58, of Nashua.
Stephanie, whose name has been altered, attends regular Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous meetings with Emma.
Although she was about 20 pounds overweight, Stephanie said it felt like she was 300 pounds overweight.
“It is a real mental obsession with people wanting their body perfect,” she said. “I was especially ashamed of myself because I ate in secret, and would binge late at night. I felt guilty day after day.”
But after participating in Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous meetings for 30 years, Stephanie became neutral around food, she said. Anywhere between 10 and 30 participants attend the meetings held at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua.
“This is about putting down an addiction. At first, I didn't want my life without my drug, because that is where my happiness was,” said Mary, 45, of Beverly, Mass. “But I was very depressed. I was always pretending to be happy even though I wasn't.”
Mary began attending meetings, but didn't fully embrace the process until a year later when she decided to obtain a sponsor.
“I thought it would feel restrictive, but it was actually liberating. The hope is what I needed to turn my life around and become normal again,” she said.
Participants do not have to reveal their names, nor do they even have to talk at meetings. Men and women struggling with food addiction are encouraged to keep an open mind and learn more about the program.
Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous is hosting an informational session from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center's west campus, 29 Northwest Blvd., for anyone seeking more information about the program.
For more details visit www.foodaddicts.org.
khoughton@newstote.com
When this Bradford, Mass., woman had to purchase a new scale to calculate her increasing weight gain, she knew something had to change.
“I was miserable. I was bottom-of-the-barrel miserable,” said Emma.
Preferring to remain anonymous, Emma is one of three people willing to share their experiences with food addiction and how they were able to overcome the impossible through a local support group that meets in Nashua — Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous.
“If there was a bag of food open, I couldn't keep my hand out of it,” Emma said. “My kitchen never had food in it because I was always eating.”
Emma began participating in Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous about a decade ago at the age of 31, quickly losing 175 pounds and maintaining the weight loss. Since attending weekly meetings, Emma said she has learned how to live a life where she is not obsessed with food, dieting or body image.
Similar to Alcoholics Anonymous, Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous follows a 12-step recovery process to gain freedom from addictive eating. It is described as an international fellowship of people struggling with food and seeking a solution through support and spiritual guidance.
The only membership requirement is the desire to stop eating addictively. The non-profit group believes that food addicts have an allergy to flour, sugar and quantities that spur uncontrollable cravings.
Sometimes, the trick to overcoming the food battle is talking to others who share these similar patterns with addiction, according to Stephanie, 58, of Nashua.
Stephanie, whose name has been altered, attends regular Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous meetings with Emma.
Although she was about 20 pounds overweight, Stephanie said it felt like she was 300 pounds overweight.
“It is a real mental obsession with people wanting their body perfect,” she said. “I was especially ashamed of myself because I ate in secret, and would binge late at night. I felt guilty day after day.”
But after participating in Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous meetings for 30 years, Stephanie became neutral around food, she said. Anywhere between 10 and 30 participants attend the meetings held at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua.
“This is about putting down an addiction. At first, I didn't want my life without my drug, because that is where my happiness was,” said Mary, 45, of Beverly, Mass. “But I was very depressed. I was always pretending to be happy even though I wasn't.”
Mary began attending meetings, but didn't fully embrace the process until a year later when she decided to obtain a sponsor.
“I thought it would feel restrictive, but it was actually liberating. The hope is what I needed to turn my life around and become normal again,” she said.
Participants do not have to reveal their names, nor do they even have to talk at meetings. Men and women struggling with food addiction are encouraged to keep an open mind and learn more about the program.
Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous is hosting an informational session from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center's west campus, 29 Northwest Blvd., for anyone seeking more information about the program.
For more details visit www.foodaddicts.org.
khoughton@newstote.com
