Tastes good but makes you feel bad (My Chocolate Addiction)

Member Name: katygriff

Product:	My Chocolate Addiction
Date:	13/09/05 (1892 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tastes good

Disadvantages: Creates pain

Not to be honest I am quite a good girl when it comes to being healthy. I mean I go to the gym every day and do 30 minutes of exercise and I make sure that I eat 3 pieces of fruit a day and then try to have some vegetables with my evening meal. I have only one weakness ….. Chocolate!!!

I got thinking about chocolate today while I was out on my lunch and when I got back to the office I realised that I had picked up a tuna sandwich which is fair enough but then a chocolate croissant and then as if that wasn’t enough of my chocolate fix I bought a snickers bar. Now I have been given this some thought and it turns out that I have a chocolate product every day and that to me is a scary thought. The fact that I do not even realise how much of it I am eating and the fact that I do eat it every day seems to point to the fact that yes I am addicted without even knowing it.


First what is addiction?

I found a couple of definitions that sum it up just nicely;

1) Uncontrollable craving, seeking, and use of a substance such as a drug or alcohol. www.stjude.org/glossary

2) A state of chemical abuse characterised by a high level of physical and/or physiological dependence. www.doitnow.org/pages/203/2.html


Now chocolate is known to be addictive but what exactly causes it?

For many people it is simply the sugar that is addictive. Although chocolate is only one out of a thousand products to contain sugar, usually it allows people to get a sugar fix several times a day. It is a simple fact that sugar creates energy and as silly as it sounds chocolate is becoming a more effective and efficient sugar boost because it is so easy to buy and eat. Thin about it with a chocolate bar you can just pop into a shop, buy and off you go. The majority of chocolate bars contain around 45 – 55% sugar and the average chocolate bar contains over 150 calories. That isn’t even taking into consideration the king size chocolate bars that you can get nowadays.

Another reason that it is found to be addictive is because of certain substances such as phenylethylamine and tryptophan which are known for releasing chemicals within the body. These chemicals trigger mood signals so can cause you to feel excitement, euphoria and attraction. Scientific research has shown that some of these substances can release a neurotransmitter (this is basically a chemical messenger) called dopamine. Now when dopamine is released it causes you to feel relaxed and happy but when the levels of dopamine decrease, it causes people again to crave that feeling. This is why we get addicted to chocolate as we crave the feeling it gives us as well as the taste. Ironically it I the same feeling and effect that drugs give to people so in that way chocolate is sometimes referred to as being a kind of drug.


Why is it so easy to get addicted?

Well the answer to this question is pretty obvious as chocolate tastes gorgeous. I love the way that when it I in your mouth it slowly melts and then it leaves you waiting for the next piece. It sounds quite sad but that is exactly how it is. With all of the varieties of chocolate around too it makes it even easy to find a type that you like. I mean dark, milk, white, with nuts, flavoured etc… You even find chocolate flavoured products, you know like muffins, milkshakes, cakes etc… Personally I only like chocolate bars and things that taste like chocolate like cakes I am not too fond of but it is the fact that it tastes so good that makes you wanting more.


Is it dangerous?

To be honest yes. Being addicted to chocolate is one thing but there are people who take it to the extreme and become very ill because of it. I eat a chocolate bar a day which is extremely excessive and I know I should stop doing it but because I am healthy in other ways I can’t see any bad effects which makes me ignore the fact that I eat so much of it. My friend however who used to be very overweight sees chocolate as evil after she has realised what she was doing to herself. She used to be able to eat 4 chocolate bars in a row and I really hated seeing her do it. She decided to get some help as she realised she was addicted and it was ruining her. Now she is a healthy weight but after abusing her addiction she took a long time getting there. I guess my point is while it seems ok to say you are addicted to chocolate when you eat one bar a day remember for some people it is a disease to them and not just a joke.


Tips for cutting out your addiction.

I thought for all those people who are having a serious problem with a chocolate addiction I would give you some tips from when my friend was going through it.

1) Use chocolate as a reward such as do 30 minutes worth of exercise and reward yourself with one piece of chocolate or eat 3 pieces of fruit a day and reward yourself with another piece.

2) Exercise. This might seem like a very simple idea and everyone is thinking yeah we have heard that before but trust me it is an integral part of getting back on track. If you choose simple exercise programmes such as do 10 situps followed by 15 minutes of jogging and continue it every day you will find yourself feeling 100% better. See you do not even have to bother joining a gym, it is just continuing the exercise daily. Exercise is great for you because it releases endorphins which make you feel relaxed and also help to build up your confidence.


3) Get rid of the temptation. Again such a simple idea but it works. Any chocolate you have in the house just get rid of it. My friend did this and told herself that if she wanted chocolate she had to walk to the shop to get it. Even though the shop is only 5 minutes away from her house it was great because through the winter she never wanted to go out in the cold to get some.

4) The last tip is to eat at regular times. Try to eat at the same times every day so you have some routine. Also take healthy snacks such as unsalted nuts and fruit which will still provide you with energy and are good for you.


My verdict on the matter.

Yes I think that I have a small addiction to chocolate. The availability of chocolate fuels my addiction as all I have to do is have 40p and a shop nearby and there you go. I think that people do not realise how addictive it is because when the word addiction is mentioned people generally think of drugs or alcohol. But think about it, if somebody was having a shot of heroin a day then you would call them addicted so the same goes with a bar of chocolate although the effects are not as extreme as with heroin obviously.
It is sad that I see my lunch as empty without a bit of chocolate and although it is gorgeous and tastes divine it has its bad points to. They say chocolate cause’s migraines, acne, obesity, heartburn and many more; in fact the list is almost endless.

To be honest I think my chocolate cravings stem from when I was little as I am sure I am not the only one but my mom and dad always used to give me chocolate and they used to ration it so I only got some when I was good. Now that I am older and I can just go down the shop and buy some is seen as a luxury but with that in mind I am not sure how you should treat kids with chocolate. Should you ration them so they always want more or should you just give them what they want so they become obese? Either way it seems that chocolate is a little bit evil.

Anyway now at 23 I have and always will love chocolate. My favourite is snickers and galaxy ripple and honestly I could eat a bar of them each a day but I limit myself to one. It is not just me either; everybody I know limits their chocolate intake. My bosses eat a chocolate bar a day and always say after I could eat another one of those. The truth is we all could because chocolate is one of the nicest tasting foods on the market and we all have to limit ourselves so we don’t go overboard. Plus I’m not sure it is the same with everyone but I enjoy it while I am eating it and then feel really bad afterwards as I feel I have committed a crime as I know it is not very good for you.

I am rating chocolate addiction 2 stars because it essentially is bad to have but tastes so good.


Last bit to think about.

Yes I laugh about the fact that I must have a chocolate addiction because I just love chocolate and eat it every day but although I laugh and call myself a chocoholic I also realise that many people out there see it as a disease and really have a problem getting over their addiction.

Remember a little bit of what you fancy is good but a lot can do you more harm than good.

Thanks for reading.

xxx

Summary: Chocolate is evil!!!!!