<p>Alcohol, gambling, sex... you could stay away from all of these but overeating is a problem that requires Herculean efforts to get out of. <br /><br /> The only thing that could match overeating, when it comes to addiction, is gambling.Gamblers are addicted to probability. They are forever after the winning formula which in most cases remain elusive. <br /><br />Overeaters though attack food in large quantities. They eat when they’re happy and also when they’re depressed. And they are connoisseurs of a kind. <br /> For some it’s biryani at six in the morning, for others it’s one full chicken at one go and while some others stuff down nothing less than 20 idlis at one go.<br />Metrolife interacted with a few compulsive overeaters and gamblers and found that their problem was too deep-seated and sensitive. <br /><br /> It needed concerted efforts from a larger group. Overeating is interlinked to several other problems. It’s mainly financial. <br /><br />“I always sink into depression when I fall short of money. I don’t know how I will manage my financial shortfalls but somehow things fall in place in the last minute. I have made up my mind that I will not eat when I am depressed. It’s tough but it’s a decision I have to make,” says Rohini Shah, a counsellor by profession. <br /><br />Forty-year-old Ravi Kiran has two plates of biryani as early as six in the morning. <br />“I found out a place nearer home that serves biryani and would be there even before the shop opened. It was such a problem. And I would eat through the day. I feel hungry very fast and just need to fill myself or else I begin to sulk,” confesses Ravi.<br />Sanjay drives 30 kms with his friends to have samosas and coffee at 12 midnight. He weighs nothing less than 150 kg. He also says he just can’t stay away from alcohol. <br />“I can’t keep off eating a certain quantity at every meal. And every time I hit the bottle I tend to eat more than the usual quantity,” says Sanjay. It’s biryani and chicken kababs most of the time and Sanjay says he can’t stick to regular meal times and eats whenever he feels like. <br /><br />The overeaters and gamblers anonymous always meet in groups. <br /> They come together twice or thrice a week. No amount of counselling helps.<br /> “Overeaters and gamblers follow a 12-step programme to recovery. They share their experiences on a weekly basis and practice what we call abstinence. Once you are able to abstain from a certain thing then we believe you are on the road to recovery,” says Rahul Rao, a counsellor who was once a compulsive overeater himself. <br /><br />Gamblers too lose money, power and a certain amount of self-esteem when they gamble but they confess they’re helpless and just can’t get over their problem. <br />Chetan Kumar lost close to two lakhs just gambling with his friends. He gains just as much as he loses. <br /><br /> Soon this problem turns out to be a question of ego and prestige, “I am still working on my recovery. All I can say is that I lost my family and friends because of my addiction. What started off as a pastime grew on me and I became addicted,” says Chetan, who thinks it’s going to be a long-drawn-out process before he can say he’s out of it. <br />Nina C George</p>
<p>Alcohol, gambling, sex... you could stay away from all of these but overeating is a problem that requires Herculean efforts to get out of. <br /><br /> The only thing that could match overeating, when it comes to addiction, is gambling.Gamblers are addicted to probability. They are forever after the winning formula which in most cases remain elusive. <br /><br />Overeaters though attack food in large quantities. They eat when they’re happy and also when they’re depressed. And they are connoisseurs of a kind. <br /> For some it’s biryani at six in the morning, for others it’s one full chicken at one go and while some others stuff down nothing less than 20 idlis at one go.<br />Metrolife interacted with a few compulsive overeaters and gamblers and found that their problem was too deep-seated and sensitive. <br /><br /> It needed concerted efforts from a larger group. Overeating is interlinked to several other problems. It’s mainly financial. <br /><br />“I always sink into depression when I fall short of money. I don’t know how I will manage my financial shortfalls but somehow things fall in place in the last minute. I have made up my mind that I will not eat when I am depressed. It’s tough but it’s a decision I have to make,” says Rohini Shah, a counsellor by profession. <br /><br />Forty-year-old Ravi Kiran has two plates of biryani as early as six in the morning. <br />“I found out a place nearer home that serves biryani and would be there even before the shop opened. It was such a problem. And I would eat through the day. I feel hungry very fast and just need to fill myself or else I begin to sulk,” confesses Ravi.<br />Sanjay drives 30 kms with his friends to have samosas and coffee at 12 midnight. He weighs nothing less than 150 kg. He also says he just can’t stay away from alcohol. <br />“I can’t keep off eating a certain quantity at every meal. And every time I hit the bottle I tend to eat more than the usual quantity,” says Sanjay. It’s biryani and chicken kababs most of the time and Sanjay says he can’t stick to regular meal times and eats whenever he feels like. <br /><br />The overeaters and gamblers anonymous always meet in groups. <br /> They come together twice or thrice a week. No amount of counselling helps.<br /> “Overeaters and gamblers follow a 12-step programme to recovery. They share their experiences on a weekly basis and practice what we call abstinence. Once you are able to abstain from a certain thing then we believe you are on the road to recovery,” says Rahul Rao, a counsellor who was once a compulsive overeater himself. <br /><br />Gamblers too lose money, power and a certain amount of self-esteem when they gamble but they confess they’re helpless and just can’t get over their problem. <br />Chetan Kumar lost close to two lakhs just gambling with his friends. He gains just as much as he loses. <br /><br /> Soon this problem turns out to be a question of ego and prestige, “I am still working on my recovery. All I can say is that I lost my family and friends because of my addiction. What started off as a pastime grew on me and I became addicted,” says Chetan, who thinks it’s going to be a long-drawn-out process before he can say he’s out of it. <br />Nina C George</p>
