So you discovered that you don’t just have a sweet tooth — you are seriously addicted to sugar.  It’s your best friend when you are lonely or sad or bored.  You feel you CAN’T give it up.  But you want to be healthy and fit. You want a life.  Where do you go from here?

I checked with an expert to get some advice to give you.  My son-in-law, Ken Wilson, has worked in the addiction recovery field for many years. “What do you say to people who find they have an addiction?” I asked him.

He told me that realizing you have a problem is the first step.  The next step is to ask “why?”  What drives you to your addiction?  Is it the stress in your life that makes you reach for the cookies?  Are you unhappy about a relationship or with the direction your life is taking?  Figure out what is making you unhappy and deal with the real problem that is at the root of your dependence on sugar and on food in general.

I think that is good advice – and I can tell you that the ultimate answer to all of those things is God. Once you identify your issue, take it to Him.  You may need counseling to help you deal with it, if the problem is too big for you to figure out on your own.  Don’t be ashamed to seek help if you need it.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.  You can’t expect your circumstances to change unless YOU make a change.  Some of those changes might be in your attitude and outlook rather than in your situation — but a change has to happen.

So find the problem — find a way to alter either the situation or your attitude toward it — and then DO something different.  That’s the only way out of the endless cycle of unhappiness and overeating.  We’ll be talking in the next few posts about ways to be an overcomer and how to make the changes as painless as possible.

Meanwhile, here is a special Bible verse for you:  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!  Philippians 4:13  Yes, you CAN overcome your dependence on food!

Eating to live and living for Christ,

Susan Jordan Brown