Breaking a Binge

One of the best things to do to prevent binging is to look at your cycles of past binging. Do they occur when you're stressed, lonely, scared? Do they happen at specific times of day, or in certain places, or after certain events? Many people binge as an emotional response to something that is happening in their lives that they don't know how to handle. If you can figure out a way to successfully handle a binge-triggering situation then you will be able to beat a binge before it starts.

It may sound simple, of course, but it's not. Often a therapist or counselor can help you uncover the feelings you are having during and before a binge and help you come up with coping strategies.

You may be able to identify an alternate behaviour to counteract the need to binge. For example, if you binge under stress, relaxation / meditation techniques may be helpful. If you binge when lonely, having a list of friends' phone numbers whom you can talk to can help break the binge cycle. If you binge when angry, having a list of positive coping mechanisms will help you work through the feelings without turning to food.

Denying yourself food is often a precursor to a binge. Restricting heavily for long periods of time can make your hunger "gang up on you" until you begin eating uncotrollably. By learning to eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full -- learning to listen to and love your body instead of denying and fighting it -- you can help beat a binge.