Professional Documents
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foodaddiction.com
ACORN
Food Dependency Recovery Services
FOOD ADDICTION
Beyond Ordinary Eating Disorders inability to eat certain foods the way
normal eaters can do with impunity.
When considering how to be most peer support such as Overeaters Anon- Even more significant, middle and late
helpful to clients who have issues with ymous (OA) or other food-related 12- stage food addicts must accept that
weight, eating behaviors, or food, it is Step fellowships. In addition to 12-Step their thinking about addictive foods
useful to look at three categories of support, late stage food addicts, like has been so distorted by the disease
eaters: Normal Eaters, Emotional Eat- advanced alcoholics and drug ad- that their judgment about these foods
ers and Food Addicts. dicts, often need professional support, is unreliable even after they are in
sometimes even repeated treatment. recovery.
Normal eaters can diet. Their issue Diets and talk therapy alone don’t
with weight is primarily physical. Af- work over time for food addicts. Many middle and late stage food ad-
ter checking with a doctor for medical dicts need to become part of a re-
complications, they have to eat less The recovery process for a food addict covering community such as the food
calories, fat and sweets while increas- begins with abstinence from the one related 12-Step fellowships in order
ing their exercise. This often requires
attitude and behavioral changes that
are not easy but can be done alone, “Some people are addicted to specific foods – or
with a counselor or in a commercial food in general – the same way that some people
weight loss program.
are addicted to alcohol or drugs.” (foodaddiction.com)
Emotional eaters cannot diet success-
fully. Their problem is not just physical or more specific foods over which they
but also psychological: something is have lost control. This often includes
In This Brochure
“eating them.” These clients need help challenging food addiction denial and
learning to identify and communicate being rigorously honest about difficult You Will Find:
feelings, be assertive, reframe societal thoughts and feelings. For long term
notions of beauty, make peace with recovery, food addicts frequently need Normal Eater
family, and resolve abuse issues, in ad- to work on deep emotional and spiri- Emotional Eater
dition to changing their eating behav- tual issues while abstaining from their Food Addict Chart
iors. Many of these people experience addictive foods.
success after intensive therapeutic Scientific Evidence
work for a few months or years. A therapist working with a food addict of Food Addiction
uses a markedly different paradigm than
Then there are food addicts. These when working with eating disordered What Works for
people find it impossible to stop abus- clients. Eating disorder therapists Food Addicts?
ing food. At first, they binge once in a focus first on underlying issues and
while but over time there is increasing work toward their client being able to Journey of a Food
loss of control. Many try therapy for un- eat all foods in moderation. A therapist Addict: A Story in
derlying psychological problems but working with a food addicted client Pictures
this doesn’t change their relationship deals with the food first; everything
with food, at least for long. They are the therapist does is directed at How ACORN Recovery
chemically dependent on food in exactly maintaining physical abstinence. Services Can Help You
the same way alcoholics or drug addicts When irrational thinking or prior
are dependent on their substance. Un- trauma arise, the focus is on dealing
like normal eaters and emotional eaters, with these issues in order to remain
food addicts need to abstain from their abstinent. Through challenging food
binge and trigger foods completely. addiction denial clients must come
Middle stage food addicts often need to the point where they accept their
Revised from “Food Addiction: Beyond Ordinary Eating Disorders,”
The Clinical Forum, International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals, Winter, 1994. Philip R. Werdell, M.A.
FOOD ADDICTION
Beyond Ordinary Eating Disorders (cont. from Pg 1) What is ACORN?
to maintain stable long term recov- it often takes food addicts some time ACORN Food Dependency Recovery
ery. The role of health professionals before they find the level of structure Services is a professional organization
is to help people figure out for them- and support needed to maintain stable committed to helping other food addicts.
selves whether or not they are food recovery. All staff members are food addicts with
addicted, then help motivate them to long-term stable abstinence and recovery.
make their recovery a priority. This of- A wider recognition of food addiction on We see ACORN work as a supplement to
ten includes helping food addicts work the part of the therapeutic community Twelve Step work in a fellowship such as
through any resistance to surrendering is necessary. Some estimate that half of Overeaters Anonymous (OA), Food Ad-
to the level of support they need for the obese and one quarter of overweight dicts Anonymous (FAA), Compulsive Eat-
ongoing abstinence and recovery. people are food addicted. If this is true, ers Anonymous-HOW (CEA-HOW), Food
millions in the United States need the Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA)
While the principles of food addiction same level of professional support that and Grey Sheeters Anonymous (GSA).
recovery are the same as those for is already available for alcoholism and Abstinence is not dieting, and ACORN
alcoholism and drug addiction, there drug addiction. process groups are not therapy. Facilita-
are important differences. Most food tors of ACORN groups are committed to
addicts abstain from sugar and other Many people who use 12-Step groups putting their own abstinence first, and
key binge foods, however there are work with a doctor, dietitian or thera- sharing their process of recovery with
often subtle differences in food plans pist who resists using the addictive others in the group. The primary work in
among food addicts. Moreover, many model. These professionals encourage ACORN groups is to achieve and maintain
food addicts began using their drug clients to focus on their underlying is- abstinence, be rigorously honest about
addictively in childhood, generally sues and to learn how to eat all foods thoughts and feelings, and share about in-
long before people take up alcohol or in moderation. No health practitioner depth spiritual work starting with a food
drugs. Finally, there is more variance would support a drug dependent client First Step, i.e., the story of one’s power-
among OA groups and other food re- to continue using a substance to which lessness and unmanageability about food.
lated 12-Step fellowships than there is they have become chemically depen-
in AA. And, because there is so little dent much less have a goal of using it Visit foodaddiction.com for more infor-
professional support for food addicts, in moderation. � mation. �
ACORN SERVICES
Assessment Testing and evaluation for possible chemical Professional Training A three-year experiential training pro-
dependency on food. Individual appointments – in person gram preparing graduates to do in-depth work with middle
or on the phone. and late stage food addicts.
Detoxification & Recovery Education Five-day residential Consulting Work with organizations that want to better
Primary Intensive © which includes practice using a food serve food addicts, such as in-service training for staff and
plan, education about the disease, resources for support. developing addiction model programs.
Expert Support (3 days with Phil) Groups of five or less For more information, currently scheduled events or
meeting from 9-5. Phil Werdell has worked with over 4000 registration go to www.foodaddiction.com or
middle and late stage food addicts. call Raynea McCumber as 941-378-2122.