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Information on the Science of Food Addiction

& Effective Treatments Presented by

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. �

Normal Eater, Emotional Eater, Food Addict


Normal Eater Emotional Eater Food Addict
(with obesity) (eating disorder) (chemical dependency)
The problem is physical The problem is physical, mental-
& mental-emotional: emotional & spiritual:
 Binge eating, restricting, and/or   Physical craving
The problem is physical: purging over feelings (false starving)
 weight  Unresolved trauma  Mental obsession
 And possibly weight (false thinking)
(sometimes overweight and  Self-will run riot (false self)
sometimes underweight)  And often trauma and weight
The solution is spiritual:
 Abstinence from binge foods
The solution is mental-emotional:
and abusive eating behaviors
The solution is physical:  Develop skills to cope with
 Rigorous honesty about all
 Medically approved diet feelings other than with restricting,
thoughts and feelings
 Moderate exercise purging and bingeing
 A disciplined spiritual program,
 Support for eating, exercise  Resolve past emotional trauma and
e.g. The Twelve Steps
and lifestyle change irrational thinking (healing trauma)
 . . . and mental-emotional
  . . . and physical
and physical
 Same as for Normal Eater
  And all those for Normal
& Emotional Eaters
What works: What works: What works:
 Willpower  Moderate Eating (challenge irrational   Surrender (no addictive foods, ask
(less calories in, more calories out) thinking, resolve prior trauma) for help, work a spiritual program)
So, What Works for
Scientific Evidence of Food Addiction Food Addicts?
A decade ago, there was almost no self-assessed food addicts diagnosed Diets alone don’t work. Simple therapy
scientific evidence that food addiction by professionals as having a chemical alone does not work. What works for
existed as a chemical dependency. To- dependency on food are treated by food addicts is surrender. Surrender-
day, the evidence is abundant, far more the same model that works in chemical ing, through physical abstinence, the
than when alcohol and street drugs dependency treatment for alcoholics foods to which they are chemically
were categorized as narcotics and as and other drug addicts, there is a high dependent. Surrendering to rigorous
addictive diseases. degree of recovery. honesty with all thoughts and feelings
about food. Surrendering to whatever
There is a bibliography of 2743 peer re- There is also a body of research show- structure and support is needed. Ulti-
viewed articles and books on food ad- ing the effectiveness of Overeaters mately, surrendering to the process of
diction at the Food Addiction Institute Anonymous and other food-related a spiritual experience, i.e., the type of
website (foodaddictioninstitute.org). 12-Step fellowships in supporting psychic change that has given relief
There is also a new medical textbook, compulsive eaters and food addicts and healing to thousands of chemically
Food and Addiction: A Comprehensive to become food abstinent and sober. dependent individuals.
Handbook, Brownell and Gold (eds), Key research citations can be found
Oxford Press, 2012. in Werdell’s letter “Dear Physicians, Most food addicts have weight prob-
Dieticians and Therapists” and a full lems – the majority are obese, though
From what we see now, food addiction discussion on the implications of the some are a normal weight or may even
is best understood as a cluster of sev- research for food addiction treatment be dangerously underweight. Many
eral different biochemical food depen- can be found in Cheren, et al, “Physical also have unresolved emotional trauma
dencies. Some of the most convincing Craving and Food Addiction: A Review similar to those who are diagnosed
evidence includes genetic evidence, of the Science” – both at www.foodad- with eating disorders, e.g. anorexia,
brain imaging, evidence of opioid de- dictioninstitute.org. bulimia, binge-eating disorder. In short,
pendency, evidence of cross-addiction most food addicts have problems simi-
from alcohol to food, evidence of mal- Other publications lar to those of normal eaters and prob-
function of serotonin, evidence of over- we recommend: lem eaters, but for food addicts, their
eating stimulated by endorphins, evi- addiction to food must be the primary
dence of hyposensitivity to insulin and Danowski and Lazaro, Why Can’t I Stop focus.
addiction, evidence of food addiction Eating? Recognizing, Understanding,
as extreme celiac disease, Prader-Willi and Overcoming Food Addiction, Ha- If food addicts just diet, they may lose
syndrome as an extreme food addic- zelden, Center City, MN, 2000. some weight but inevitably will gain it
tion, evidence of “volume addiction” to back. If food addicts do not commit
food, and inclusion of food as an addic- Foushi, Weldon and Werdell, Food to being rigorously honest – prefer-
tive substance in models of chemical Addiction Recovery: A New Model of ably with another food addict or with
dependency. Professional Support – The ACORN a healthcare professional that under-
Primary Intensive, Evergreen, Sarasota, stands food addiction – they may make
There is also scientific evidence that FL, 2007. some gains in therapy, but will eventu-
food addiction can be treated success- ally relapse into the food; this will make
fully. Studies of Glenbeigh Psychiatric Werdell, Bariatric Surgery and Food Ad- them even more anxious or depressed.
Hospital of Tampa’s food addiction diction: Preoperative Considerations, To be successful in healing from food
treatment program and the Primary Evergreen, Sarasota, FL, 2009. � addiction, one needs to first accept
Intensives of ACORN show that when that they are food addicted and then,
once again, deal with this as primary.

Most successful, long-term recovering


food addicts approach their physical
abstinence and deeper internal healing
as a spiritual discipline. One simple ap-
proach to this concept is to study and
practice the Twelve Steps. While this
clearly is not the only way – as there are
an endless number of spiritual paths
that will work – the Twelve Steps are a
spiritual practice specifically designed
for those who suffer from addiction. �
Mary Foushi, B.S. is co-founder and Ex-
ecutive Director of ACORN. She holds a One Woman’s Story:
degree in Human Services with a specialty Journey of a Food Addict in Pictures
in Addiction Studies. Mary is a food ad-
dict with over 23 years of stable recovery
and is maintaining a 200-pound weight
loss for over 22 years. Her strong com-
mitment to recovery and her ability to
honestly relate her personal struggles and successes with
food addiction offer an invaluable source of information and
hope for those seeking to learn about food dependency and
freedom from a life addicted to food. Mary is a CENAPS
Trained Relapse Prevention Specialist, a certified food ad-
First Grade 8th Grade 17 Yrs Old
diction professional, and facilitates groups, workshops, and H.S. Graduation
100 lbs. 270 lbs.
Primary Intensives throughout the United States.

Phil Werdell, M.A., Director of the ACORN/


Food Addiction Institute Food Addiction
Professional Training Program, has worked
professionally with over 4000 middle and
late stage food addicts. Mr. Werdell is a
graduate of Yale University with postgradu-
ate work in food addiction. He comes from
a 25-year career building innovative liberal
arts and graduate programs. As a food
addict professional, Mr. Werdell was lead counselor for the First Treatment 340 lbs. 1986 1992 Lost 200lbs.
residential food addiction treatment program at Glenbeigh
Psychiatric Hospital of Tampa and the outpatient program of
Rader Institute of Washington. He is cofounder of ACORN
Food Dependency Recovery Services and the Food Ad-
diction Institute, an independent, non-profit organization
whose mission is to support the healing of all food addicts.
Phil is the author of dozens of articles and books including,
Food Addiction: Beyond Ordinary Eating Disorders; Physical
Craving and Food Addiction: A Review of the Science; Food
Addiction Recovery: A New Model of Professional Support;
Bariatric Surgery and Food Addiction: Preoperative Consid-
erations; and, “From the Front Lines: Food Addiction Treat-
ment” for the new medical textbook, Food and Addiction: A
1996 2007
Comprehensive Handbook, Brownell and Gold (2012).

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.

ACORN Food Dependency Recovery Services


P.O. Box 50126, Sarasota, FL 34232-0301 | phone (941) 378-2122 | www.foodaddiction.com

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