The confusion around food shows up in the ways we have learned to use food to relieve emotional and physical pain. Moreover, in addition to the issue of what we eat or don't eat in the way of nutrients, many of us are addicted to various drugs in foods, beverages, or food-like substitutes: caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and a wide variety of pharmaceuticals.

It's a vicious circle in which each unbalancing factor leads to another and then turns back to reinforce itself. The more stressed you are, the more you may eat in an attempt to relieve your pain.

The more you eat, the more pain you may create through increased weight or compounded guilt. The more pain you create, the more you may want to eat to relieve it. Round and round you go. It makes no difference at what point on the circle you jump in. Anywhere you turn, you lose. Winning requires breaking this cycle - moving into another circle altogether.

---