Most people love a good chocolate binge. Seems harmless enough, especially over the Easter season. But if you are the kind of person who, when depressed, stressed or in need of comfort, launches yourself at the nearest chocolate treat, it may not be as harmless as you think.
When Carrie Eddins realised and accepted that she was seriously addicted to chocolate, she took a number of steps to overcome it. ‘You must firstly take it seriously as chocolate addiction is not generally seen as a problem,’ she says. ‘Unlike addictions to alcohol or smoking, it is socially acceptable. But it is just as serious and just as detrimental as any other common addiction.’
As a motivational speaker on overcoming chocolate addiction, Eddins says that most people don’t even realise they have a problem. ‘I’m not addicted, they say, but I can’t go a day without it.’
According to Eddins, the problem is not the amount consumed, but the dependency some people have on chocolate. ‘For me, it was comforting and nurturing,’ she says. ‘It gave me love, support and satisfaction – it was reliable, it was my safety net.’ Eddins admits that it was symbolic of how she functioned and how many people operate – indulging in chocolate instead of living their lives.
The mental, emotional, nutritional, sexual and spiritual aspects of your addiction require all your attention, she says. ‘Once you know why you are addicted, it becomes easier to overcome.’ This involves analysing the emotions connected to chocolate, asking yourself if you turn to chocolate when you are stressed, when you’re bored, fed up, excited, lonely or sexually frustrated.
Eddins promotes channelling your chocolate addiction into other areas of your life, and ‘creating a life that excites you’. A woman she met recently said that chocolate was the most exciting part of her day.‘ To her, I’d say, look at what you can get excited about in your life and start to do it,’ she says. ‘It might be just booking a regular time to see your friends and let your hair down a bit or it might be taking up that hobby you’ve always wanted to try.’ Whatever you choose, Eddins stresses the importance of having a plan of action.
She believes people often reach for the chocolate when they are stressed. In these circumstances, the key is stress management and finding ways to reduce stressors instead of turning to chocolate. ‘Chocolate will not take away the stress. You just need to find other ways of responding,’ she says. ‘I often suggest seeing a life coach for support and to help manage your life better.’
For Eddins, the most important part of overcoming her own addiction was improving her relationship with herself. ‘Learning to accept and love yourself is one of the biggest gifts you can give yourself, ‘she says. ‘You must have a healthy level of self-esteem and a healthy self-image.’
Only once you have an understanding of your emotional habits, she says, can you look at the nutritional and sexual aspects of your addiction. Nutritionally, she encourages chocolate addicts to opt for alkalising products such as wheatgrass and barley grass that will balance sugar cravings associated with chocolate addiction.
Eddins also addresses the sexual aspect of chocolate addiction. For centuries, there has been the belief that chocolate has a euphoric impact on the senses. More recently it has been shown to produce a sense of elation similar to an orgasm. Taking this into consideration, Eddins says, ‘Look at how it is possible to replace that orgasmic feeling from chocolate. You need to get in touch with your sexual power and connect back to your own sexuality.’ Eddins says she did this by experimenting with vibrators.
Her new book Chocolate Rehab analyses various elements of chocolate addiction. Eddins hopes women all over the world can turn their lives around, just as she did. ‘The biggest result is me,’ she says. ‘I am now satisfied with my self and my life. I no longer have a need to medicate myself with chocolate. I feel grounded and balanced nutritionally, energetically, sexually, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically.’
