Essay on Food Addiction in America - 1499 Words

Addiction is a dependence on a substance in which the affected individual feels powerless to stop. Millions of Americans have addictions to drugs, alcohol, nicotine, and even to behaviors such as compulsive gambling and shopping. Recent studies suggest that millions of Americans are addicted to food, as well. An average American is bombarded daily with random propaganda to try to sell what some would consider perfection. Most American citizens try to emulate those fictional characters in celebrity magazines. The truth is a lot of those pictures are air-brushed and some of the individuals have had extensive cosmetic surgery and other medical procedures done to look that way. This media manipulation is the main cause for the many†¦show more content†¦Self-esteem is reliant upon body shape and weight. Physical implications may include disruption of the menstrual cycle also known as amenorrhea, signs of starvation, thinning of hair or hair loss, bloated, yellowish palms/soles of feet, dry and pasty skin. The risks that people take while indulging in anorexia can also become physiologically and mentally damaging. There are several effective treatments. One of which is hospitalization, this occurs when the weight loss is greater than 30% in 3 months time. Some other effects to be taken into consideration when hospitalizing a patient are the risk of suicide and depression, severe binging and purging, and serious metabolic disturbance. Therapy and counseling is used to help the patients with depression and family complications that may have led to the state they’re in. Clinical studies have not yet identified a medication that could improve the core symptoms of anorexia. Bulimia Nervosa is the diet-binge-purge cycle. It is an illness that is mostly found in young females. This cycle involves a strict diet, uncontrollable eating and then unhealthy strategies to get rid of the food and therefore the guilt. This addictive eating disorder is based on guilt. The individual tends to under-consume and thereby becoming very hungry. Once the individual gives in and allows one’s self to eat, the person begins to over-eat. After finishing the large quantities of food, the individual begins to feel immenseShow MoreRelatedAddiction: drugs vs. food1632 Words   |  7 PagesWilliam Armstead Sociology 1301 11/23/13 Addiction: Food vs. Drugs Millions of people suffer from an addiction of some sort. A person can actually suffer from addictions to all sorts of things. It’s sad to say the first thing that comes to the minds of pretty much everyone when they hear the word addiction, is drugs. Controversy is at an uproar over whether or not food is addictive. As a matter of fact, food is the last thing on a person’s mind when addiction comes about. 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