Is Food Addiction Worse Than Drugs or Cigarettes?

How many Doctors, Nurses and other health specialists still smoke? How many health workers are drug or alcohol addicts? Not that many I think you would agree. How many Doctors, Nurses and Health industry workers are very overweight? Lots! We see them every time we visit hospitals, medical centres or specialists. How is it so?

Most people are well aware that being grossly overweight is a health risk. Doctors and Medical articles are constantly lecturing us on the dangers. Diabetes, Heart and Blood problems, Kidney and Liver diseases. Hip, Knee and other joint problems cause by the extra weight.

We all acknowledge that eventually being obese will reduce the number of years you live. If we all understand the danger to our well being is just as serious as cigarettes ( which a lot of us have given up ) why is the problem increasing to an alarming degree? Doctors and Medical Professionals are telling us to lose weight, why are they not looking after themselves?

We must conclude that its a serious addiction that is more difficult to control than drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Many experts have put forward theories that some foods are addictive in themselves, others say that we overeat to compensate for emotional problems and others say that it is an illness. Eating to overcome feelings of loneliness, sadness or other worries seems to be one of the main causes, but the instant relief is followed by feelings of guilt at the overeating. No wonder the weight loss industry is booming.

Can the worldwide problem be solved? Education helped reduce s tobacco usage by spending millions on adverts graphically showing the results of smoking, lung and other cancers, breathing problems etc. Maybe it could work, but in the meantime we will have to stick to help from the weight loss industry.

Laurance is a novice article writer and has had experience in many fields including, Firefighting, Electronics, Building and Service Industries. He migrated to Australia as a child from wartime England in 1940. He plays golf and lawn bowls and loves Travel, Cruises and Family. He has been married to his second wife Fran for 28 years and between them they have six children,9 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.