FOOD ADDICTION

The Problem and Solution for Men

(click here for a printable copy)

The Men’s Food Addiction Group will provide support to any and all men who

struggle with food issues and will focus on strengthening their relationship with

God. This will provide freedom from the ongoing internal battle with food. You

can expect to become closer to God through His Word, the Recovery Principles

and the love and support of other men.

• Throughout our lives many of us have turned to food to ease our pain

or fear.

• We felt comfort in eating and found ourselves turning to food whenever

we were hurt, angry or frustrated.

• Food became our comforter, our friend.

• Some of us may have a specific food that we have trouble eating in healthy

amounts, and once we start eating it, we cannot stop.

• Some of us may have been emotionally, physically or sexually abused and

use food to cope with the emotions of those events.

• Some of us may have had healthy eating habits as children or young adults,

but at some point in our lives we chose to overeat and lost the ability to

discern when we were physically hungry or when we were physically full.

• Some of us may have turned to food after obtaining sobriety in other areas.

• We thought food was “safe,” not realizing it could become our “drug

of choice.”

• We have focused on our body image instead of our health.

• Many of us have tried various diet programs, exercising, medications or

many other ways of trying to control our eating habits.

• We have failed over and over and are left feeling guilty, incapable

and unlovable.

• We have given in to the idea that there is one perfect diet or pill out there

that can save us, if only we could find it.

• Some of us believe that thin people do not struggle with food addiction.

We have also failed to recognize food as our “drug of choice.”

• As a result of our food addiction we feel out of control and may struggle

with many other areas of our lives.

• Some of us have low self-esteem which may affect our motivation, and

our relationship with God and others.

• We came to realize that we are powerless and could not control

our addiction.

• We understand that our problems are emotional and spiritual.

• We are ready to face our denial and accept the truth about our lives

and our food addiction.

• We are ready to accept responsibility for our actions and make Jesus

the Lord of our lives.

• We are dedicated to learning about healthy eating.

• We are committed to learning the difference between physical and

emotional hunger.

• We are willing to turn to God when we are not physically hungry.

• We will begin to view food as fuel for our body so that we will not eat

unless we are physically hungry and stop when we are physically full.

• We are willing to begin the process of recovery and working through the

12 steps to heal ourselves, and start living the life God has planned for us.

• We are willing to find a Sponsor and Accountability Partners.

• We realize our group provides a safe place to share our fears, hurt or

anger and is also a place to rejoice in victories.

• We are willing to face our character defects and work through these

feelings in our group.

• We are willing to take the focus off of food and focus on God.

• We recognize that recovery from food addiction is not about our body

image or what foods we eat, but it is about trusting God and having an

intimate relationship with Him.

• We are willing to believe and trust in God’s love for us, and to see

ourselves as He sees us.

• We are willing to seek a closer relationship with God.

• By facing our fears we have realized that we need Jesus Christ and the

Holy Spirit in our life to overcome those fears.

• As we surrender our food addiction to God, we will come to know that

He is all we need.

• We will continue to seek a daily quiet time with God and will rely on

the Holy Spirit as our source of comfort. We will be transformed by the

renewing of our minds.

• We will use the tools of recovery: calling our accountability partners,

journaling and reading the Bible.

1. Keep your sharing focused on your own thoughts and feelings. Limit your

sharing to three to five minutes.

2. There will be NO cross talk. Cross talk is when two individuals engage

in conversation, excluding all others. Each person is free to express his

or her feelings without interruptions.

3. We are here to support one another, not “fix” one another.

4. Anonymity and confidentiality are basic requirements. What is shared

in the group stays in the group. The only exception is when someone

threatens to injure themselves or others.

5. Offensive language has no place in a Christ-centered recovery group.

Sponsor: ______________________________________________________________

Accountability Partners:

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