Recovery from Food Addiction

Recovery from Food Addiction

Curious about how others handle their recovery journey with food? This conversation on *Life Recovery Today with Stephen Arterburn* zooms in on food addiction as a serious issue, not just a lack of willpower or a matter of dieting harder. Psychologist and addiction specialist Dr. Rona Epstein shares her own history with sugar, growing up on junk food and spiralling into a full-blown eating disorder before anyone was even using that term.

She jokes that with Oreos, "one was too many and a thousand was never enough," and thousands of people responded online saying, "me too" – a clear sign that many feel trapped in the same cycle. The episode unpacks how food addiction can show up in different ways: constant bingeing on sweets, overeating pizza or chips, or simply feeling mentally hijacked by obsessive food thoughts all day long. Dr.

Epstein stresses that this isn’t just about body size; she works with people of every weight whose lives are dominated by cravings, shame and secrecy. You’ll hear a clear difference between ordinary overeating and addiction. Some people can learn moderation and use tools like intuitive eating. Others find that moderation never works, and an abstinence-based, 12-step style approach around sugar and refined carbs is what finally brings relief. Both Dr.

Epstein and Stephen Arterburn emphasise that real recovery has to address body, mind, emotions, relationships and spiritual life. Food often becomes a stand-in for comfort, escape and love that people are really longing to receive from God and healthy connection. Recovery, they suggest, is about building a life where you don’t need food as a drug and finding peace and sanity instead of constant internal warfare.

If you’ve tried every diet going and still feel stuck, could it be time to treat your struggle with food as an addiction and reach for deeper help and community support?