Everyone Has An Addiction
Mine is carbs. Not as lethal as drugs or alcohol, but the mechanisms triggering it in the brain are the same.
Like many others, I have had trouble with my weight the past few months. I found the only way to control it is to count my calories daily. Yesterday I ordered a cup of soup and half a sandwich from Panera. Their website posts the calories of everything they sell. I was happy that my order came in under 500 calories. Alas, after receiving my contactless curbside lunch and driving home, I made a terrible discovery. Inside the bag, was a six-inch long piece of freshly baked baguette. It was still warm. It’s yeasty aroma beckoned to me and ignited a spark deep in my brain. I touched the thick crust, and dreamed of the soft gooey inside. I stared at it for a few moments, hoping it would disappear. Then I thought about throwing it out or freezing it. After eating my soup and sandwich, I devoured it with butter. Another 150+ calories.
“The word ‘addiction’ is derived from a Latin term for ‘enslaved by’ or ‘bound to.’ Anyone who has struggled to overcome an addiction — or has tried to help someone else to do so — understands why”, (https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/how-addiction-hijacks-the-brain). It is probable that it is the same area of the brain rewarding the drug addict as the one firing up when I saw this beautiful chunk of bread. From this same…
