In a way, addictions like binge eating and drug abuse aren’t that different. Whether it’s a stack of hamburgers and a dozen doughnuts or a drug pipe and a bottle of pills, these temptations can be difficult to put down once they’ve reached the hands of an addict.
So the results of a new study in the “Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine” make a lot of sense. The study, published in December 2012, found that teenagers who binge eat are far more likely to become addicted to illicit drugs. Drug and food addictions can both provide relief from daily struggles, and both can also help teens forget, if only momentarily, their angst and teenage problems. Once a teen is “using,” oftentimes nothing else matters.
The study, conducted by pediatric medicine experts in Boston, also found that binge eating can lead to depression. And depression, of course, is another reason teens may get involved with drugs in the first place.
In this study, both binge eaters and overeaters were found to be twice as likely to experiment with drugs, and results conclude that binge eaters are especially prone to impulsive behavior.
What do you think? Do the addictions of binge eating and drug abuse go hand in hand? For more, check out this story from CBS Connecticut.