I wrote a book about the food relapse cycle almost 10 years ago now.  It was entitled “Our Countless Vain Attempts.”  The book attempted to guide people who were on a relapse cycle back to the Steps, which I truly believe is the long term answer to compulsive eating.  If an outsider were to look statistically at the situation, they might be doubtful.  In my years in program, I have seen thousands upon thousands come into the program, but then leave.  Sometimes they leave right away, but often they leave after a year, or two, or even more.  To them, 12 Step programs don’t work for compulsive eating.  Statistically, they are right.

On one level, I found these peoples’ exits baffling.  Those people came in and heard from other members how those people recovered from a lifelong battle with compulsive eating through the Steps.  They heard many people talk about having recovery for 20, 30, and even 40 years.  As I said before, I truly believe the Steps can help anyone find permanent recovery, but even I had to admit that sometimes those statistics had me questioning my beliefs in this regard.

However, I then thought about another group of eaters for whom the Steps hadn’t worked.  Their belief in the 12 Step process was as real as mine.  They understood the people who said “you have to put down the food” at meetings.  They heard about surrender.  These eaters truly wanted to do what others were telling then, but were in a different category, the seemingly hopeless.

I was in a 12 Step program with a relatively strict food policy.  The people in that program knew it was more strict than other food programs, but offered an explanation.  Their literature explained their way would “offer any sustained abstinence to those of us whose compulsion has reached a critical level.”

It is my belief that with alcohol and drugs, the choice is binary and everyone is affected by their substances at essentially the same level.  However, food is a different animal altogether. Everyone comes into program with a disease that has progressed to a certain level.  To me, compulsive eating is to be seen as a spectrum disease, and thus “some are sicker than others.”

This book is geared to those for whom the disease “has reached a critical level.”