Craving or addiction?

Have you ever wanted chocolate so badly that nothing else would do? Join the club. I suspect that you and I are not alone and that there are many women who have had the same experience, and have had this experience more than once.

Certain events seem to trigger this desire for chocolate including sudden stress, sudden hunger and 'that time of the month'. And then there are the days that there is no apparent or obvious reason. We just want chocolate.

I have been told by clients that they are addicted to chocolate and that whatever plan we create for them to follow must include some chocolate. Some of my clients are quite concerned that they could be addicted to chocolate.

How do you tell the difference between a craving and an addiction? Here are a few differences so that you can work out which one is you for difference foods and drinks. For example you may have cravings for cheese and be addicted to coffee. I recently met someone who has 7 - 8 cups a day.

• A craving causes you to be very focused on that one food and there is no substitute for that food. There are no signs and symptoms such as shaking, nausea or headaches, just a real desire to eat that food.
• When you eat that food it feels great and you feel very satisfied.
• An addiction means that you need that food and without it you experience a range of signs and symptoms. An example of this could be suddenly giving up coffee when you usually consume 8 cups a day. You will get headaches and other signs and symptoms.
• With an addiction the consumption of that food or drink item doesn't make you feel great, rather it makes you feel normal and cures the withdrawal symptoms that you were experiencing.
• With an addiction you require an increasing amount of that food or drink to feel normal. It is the same with drugs such as Morphine or Valium.

Now that you understand the difference you can work out if you have a craving or an addiction to chocolate. The answer is nearly always a craving and not an addiction.

love
Sarah