I’m A Chocoholic, Not An Addict

Resistance is futile. The more we try to fight off a craving for chocolate, the more our desire for it grows, a British researcher has said.

But chocoholics can take heart that such sweets are not addictive despite the fact many people consider themselves as having no control over their urges to eat them, said Peter Rogers, a psychologist at the University of Bristol.

Mmmmm, chocolate

“Food behaviour can look like addictive behaviour in extreme situations but chocolate does not fit these criteria,” Dr Rogers told a meeting sponsored by the British Association for the Advancement of Science.

Where is that Mars bar?

Many people point to certain compounds found in chocolate – such as phenylethylamine – that produce a buzz when they reach the brain as evidence chocolate is addictive, Dr Rogers said.

I’m sure I put on my desk last night.

But many of these compounds also exist in higher concentrations in other foods with less appeal, such as avocados or cheese, and do not cause addiction despite what many chocoholics believe, he said.

NOOOOOOOO –  The empty wrapper! I ate it then. This is a chocolate-free house! NOOOOOOOOOO

Instead, a social attitude that chocolate is “naughty but nice” may actually drive people to see chocolate as a forbidden pleasure and desire it even more, Dr Rogers said.

I’ll be back soon – I have to go shopping – urgently!