Food Addiction Treatment at The Cabin Chiang Mai

Do you have a tendency to eat even when you do not feel hungry? Afterwards, do you experience feelings of shame and guilt? Do you ever eat in secrecy?

Everyone experiences occasional food cravings, but if eating and thoughts of food consume your life, you may be struggling with a food addiction.

In Thailand, obesity has reached epidemic levels. While obesity is caused by many factors, food addiction is certainly one of those causes. Food is an integral part of virtually every culture and because it is essential to live, it is impossible to escape.

The good news is that there is help. The Cabin’s effective and innovative treatment can free you from food addiction and help you regain a healthy relationship with eating.

What is Food Addiction?

Food addiction is a process addiction caused by a malfunction in the brain’s reward circuitry. It is classified by the compulsion to over-consume certain foods despite negative consequences (over-eating). It can also include habits of binging and purging (bulimia).

The foods that addicts struggle with are fatty, sugary and salty options or ‘junk’ food. These junk foods activate the brain’s pleasure centre producing a response similar to that seen in drug and alcohol addiction. People become addicted to the good feelings associated with consuming these foods and will continue to eat, despite not being hungry, in order to prolong the feeling of pleasure caused by dopamine flooding the brain.

Signs and symptoms of food addiction include:

• Inability to stop eating certain foods once you start
• Overeating to the point of feeling ill
• Preoccupation with thoughts of food
• Going out of your way to obtain desired food
• Having an increased ‘tolerance’ to certain foods and needing to eat more in order to feel satisfaction
• Continuing the disordered eating behaviour despite negative consequences

Consequences of Compulsive Eating

Food addiction negatively affects every facet of daily life. The physical consequences of food addiction include:

High cholesterol
Extreme fatigue
Diabetes
Heart disease
High blood pressure
Sleep apnea
Kidney disease
Arthritis
Stroke
Bone deterioration
Cancer

The social and emotional consequences of food addiction are:

• Feelings of guilt, shame, hopelessness and depression
• Avoiding social situations that involve food and isolation from others
• Decreased performance at work  or school due to behaviour regarding food
• Lack of enjoyment in life, in some cases leading to suicidal thoughts

“Help, I am Addicted to Food.”

Fortunately, effective and confidential treatment options are available. The two main options for food addiction treatment are outpatient or inpatient centres.

Outpatient treatment allows people to continue their day-to-day activities while fitting therapy into their daily schedule. This type of treatment is convenient for those who do not have the option of taking leave from personal commitments.

Inpatient treatment is held at a residential rehab facility. An inpatient recovery setting is considered the gold standard in addiction treatment. Clients are housed and treated simultaneously and have access to round-the-clock care. In an inpatient treatment centre, you are removed from triggers and are able to put your complete focus on recovery.

The Cabin Chiang Mai: Effective and Confidential Food Addiction Treatment

If you are struggling with food addiction, The Cabin Chiang Mai’s inpatient programme is the turning point you have been looking for. We have a unique method for treating bulimia and over-eating as we approach these disorders from an addictions standpoint. The Cabin’s proven Recovery Zones method, which has a 96% completion rate, is specifically designed to treat process addictions for which complete abstinence is not possible.

Instead of focusing on your weight, we get to the root cause of food addiction. Certified and highly trained clinical professionals help you create a treatment plan individually tailored to your needs. With the combined techniques of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), the 12 Steps and mindfulness, we provide you with the tools necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle free from your addiction.

An on-site nutritionist will teach you about using ‘real’ food as fuel for your body and mind and help you develop the skills of shopping for and preparing healthy meals. Treatment is coupled with an exercise programme that focuses not on weight loss, but on learning the skills you need to relate to your fitness in a healthy way. We also use yoga, qi gong and reiki as tools to assist you in the recovery process.

The time for change is now.