A publication of the American Association of Christian Counselors
VOLUME 1
/
ISSUE 2
ADDICTION &
THE BRAIN
PAGE 6
ADDICTION
THERAPY
PAGE 4
ANOTHER
HELPING,
PLEASE
Rhona Epstein, Psy.D., C.A.C.
A
merican waistlines continue to
grow, as do the profits from
processed foods and health-
care costs for obesity. However,
treatment, and the understanding of it,
keeps simmering away on a back burner
like a pressure cooker left to explode.
Already there’s a mess and lives are
left to ruin one cupcake, super-sized
order from the drive-through, and sweet
or fatty food at a time. According to the
National Institute of Mental Health, in
any given month in America, 2-5% of
the population binges “out of control.”
More than 54,000 people are members
of Overeaters Anonymous, a group that
reports 9,000 meetings a year with an
estimated number of overeaters twice that amount
who will never join out of shame. The number of
cases of bulimia in girls and women ages 10-39
has tripled since 1988, according to the National
Eating Disorders Association. Nearly 73 million
Americans are now officially obese. All the while,
food manufacturers keep introducing new-fangled
processed foods designed to be irresistible by
taste and texture and with synthetic flavor enhanc-
ers. Think about how many new potato chip, soft
drink, cookie, cracker, and ice cream flavors or
brands you’ve been introduced to in advertising
blitzes in the last month alone.
At risk are those who spend their days and
nights obsessing over food, consuming it in volu-
minous amounts, and spending their last dollars on
a fix one day and a new diet plan the next. Mean-
Addiction & Recovery Network
Volume 1, Issue 2
Addiction & Recovery Network is
published by the American Association of
Christian Counselors Foundation.
President:
Tim Clinton
ARN Director:
Mark Laaser
Graphic Designer:
Amy Cole
The American Association of Christian
Counselors is chartered in Virginia
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and unity in Christian counseling. The
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Christian Counselors. The
Addiction &
Recovery Network
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FOOD
ADDICTION
PAGE 1
