What if I can't solve the emotional issues that lead me to binge?

I started of bingeing maybe once or twice a week. I binge every day now as I see my family fall to pieces. Many people say that to solve your bingeing you should first solve the underlying emotional issues that lead you to eat. What if they can't be fixed? Am I going to binge forever?

Ever heard of 'Pavlov's Dog'...?  It was a famous experiment where a dog was trained to associate food being available when a bell rang.  They trained it so well that eventually the dog would salivate at the sound of the bell even if there was no food.  Stimulus... automatic response. 

My point is that you are a lot smarter than that dog.  You are not tied to making the same knee-jerk response to the same situation.   You're an intelligent human being with free will.   You may never be able to resolve the underlying emotional issues - emotions are tough to ignore -  but you can certainly change what happens next.  Unlike Pavlov's Dog, you can choose how to respond.   Currently you're opting to overeat.  Next time something happens tell yourself you're going to do something else.  Work out what that 'something else' is, line it up and do it. 

Edited to say.... The rest of the time, keep yourself in good physical and mental shape so that you are as resilient as possible to the inevitable stresses and strains of life.  That means getting good nutrition, some daily exercise, not 'dieting' as such.  Take time out to relax away from your family (if they are the source of the stress)  Talk things through with friends.  Get as much sleep as possible.  Look after yourself, basically.  

Original Post by gi-jane:

Ever heard of 'Pavlov's Dog'...?  It was a famous experiment where a dog was trained to associate food being available when a bell rang.  They trained it so well that eventually the dog would salivate at the sound of the bell even if there was no food.  Stimulus... automatic response. 

My point is that you are a lot smarter than that dog.  You are not tied to making the same knee-jerk response to the same situation.   You're an intelligent human being with free will.   You may never be able to resolve the underlying emotional issues - emotions are tough to ignore -  but you can certainly change what happens next.  Unlike Pavlov's Dog, you can choose how to respond.   Currently you're opting to eat.  Next time something happens tell yourself you're going to do something else.  Work out what that 'something else' is, line it up and do it. 

 

 

Another wise reply. Thank you gi-jane. Do you ever run out of inspiring things to say? Just reading your post made me realise something important- you're right. But I always wake up the next day thinking its a new start. Arguments continue and I devour everything in sight in between sobs...

I'm ruining my life and my health, and I know that one day I'm going to pay for this. I just wish it were a lot simpler..

When families are battling around you it's very nerve-wracking and upsetting, of course it is.   But I'm guessing you're not the cause of the arguments?  Just caught in the crossfire?   There's no easy way to deal with those situations.  My personal technique is 'complete detachment'... I just switch off, trance-like when my family get into one of their frequent slanging matches!  As a kid I got into reading in a big way, probably because when I'm engrossed in a nice, long complicated story I'm literally deaf to anything going on around me.   Shrinks talk about a 'happy place'... and mine was usually an Agatha Christie murder.  Hmm....

You're not ruining your life or your health.  Good luck

Wow, I do the same thing and my life is not even that complicated. I binge a lot when I feel I am not achieving something I should be...have done this since I was 13, thats 20 years. I am better at dealing with it now- deep breathing, exercising, etc. help make me be one step ahead of Pavlov's dog, but only just one step...I fall back so often to being that dog again.

Nice response Gi Jane, you are invaluable on this site!