When trying to stop overeating, it is important to realize that you may be dealing with an addiction. In our society, overeating has just recently been recognized as a legitimate addiction. A number of harmful stereotypes are connected with overeating. Until recently, people struggling with obesity have been viewed as lazy and gluttonous. The common reaction is to tell the obese person to just cease the habit. This is similar to telling a smoker to just stop smoking or an alcoholic to just stop drinking. Unlike these other addictions, an overeater still has to eat to survive, making recovery from his addiction even more difficult.

Addictive Overeating

Although there is a plethora of health conditions that occur with obesity, many Americans continue overeat. The addicted overeater uses food to medicate a variety of different issue the same way that an alcoholic uses alcohol to numb his pain. Accepting this as an addiction is the first step in being able to stop the habit. Research has indicated that when an overeater expeiences cravings, similar areas in the brain are affected to those of a drug addict with cravings for their drug.

Body Image and Obesity

Body image plays an important role in the process to stop overeating. Many eating disorders have at their core a distorted self image. Anorexics see themselves as fat and some obese people see themselves as thin. People diagnosed with obesity sometimes show genuine surprise when told that losing weight is a must. Body image also plays into self-esteem. Low self-esteem has been determined to be a very common trigger for overeating. Both low self-esteem and distorted body image need to be addressed in order to stop overeating.

Symptoms of Excessive Eating Addiction

There are many symptoms of addictive eating habits. The most obvious is obesity or being overweight. When chronically taking in an excess of calories, the body stores the extras as fat. Another sign is eating a great deal over a few minutes. Overeating addicts tend to eat food at a rapid rate, sometimes barely chewing it completely. Often the food binge is followed by feelings of guilt, remorse and self-loathing. Many overeaters say to themselves, "I can't control my eating problems."

Health Ramifications

Many health problems are associated with obesity and eating too much. Immediate conditions include indigestion, nausea and bloating. In the long run, the health effects can be dangerous. Long-term effects can include high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. Although overeaters are made aware of the health ramifications, this alone is not enough to get them to stop overeating.

Treatments for Overeating

These symptoms need to be treated as an addiction in order to be treated effectively. Programs that are similar to other addiction treatment program are available for overeaters. A number of self help approaches are also available. Self-hypnosis is one of these that have been seen to be effective in treating addictions and can often help people to stop overeating habits and establish a healthier relationship with food.