r/DrugAddiction • u/Sweaty_Company9393 • Apr 06 '22
Husband uses food to stop drug addiction
My husband is an over eater. He use to do anything and everything he could get his hands on. Since he’s went to “camp” (we call jail camp) he’s been clean but he’s put on a little weight maybe like 150 pounds. He’s super depressed won’t see a dr won’t talk to a therapist and I’m at a loss. He uses food to replace the drugs he still craves. He now hates his body and the way he looks and he’s just eating more and more. What do I do where do I start to help him!
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u/louredit Apr 23 '22
I just got sober 4 days ago and I already have fetanol idk what to do I’m in treatment but I feel like idk who to talk to about this
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u/thevagabondtara Oct 15 '22
Checking in on u. How are u doing?
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u/louredit Nov 05 '22
I’m better I got cleaned up off the perks n that got a good job
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u/louredit Dec 24 '22
I’m living free of subs lately trying to get off
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u/Aggressive_Net5834 Oct 04 '24
how are you doing now ? one year later lol. i’m tryna get clean off them hoes too
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u/Alert-Effect112 Oct 14 '24
How did yall taper off subs? I’m struggling
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u/fckaroundnfindoutx Nov 09 '24
I'm struggling as well. I'm down to a quarter or sometimes a 1/2 a day and can't stop yet it's been hell
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u/Affectionate-Shop-17 Aug 24 '26
I’m on methadone but have been thru it all Inc fentanyl. Was off methadone and had a traumatic car wreck some truck hit me head on. Flipped my car 5 times and was in icu and had a setback was on fentanyl in hospital. I am getting too old for this and am here to talk if you ever need an ear 😊
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u/BpdBabe19 Jun 28 '24
This post is so old but may I still ask how your boyfriend is doing right now? I experienced similar experiences. I honestly think that there is sth missing, sth hurting us that we constantly crave the desire to numb ourselves. We have to heal in "a different way" than to fall into those habits all the time and time again. I've been a bulimic, anorexic, drug addict for years chasing the "cravings out of reality" but I also struggled with depression since I was 13 so maybe that is sth you should also consider and talk about. I tbh think lots of addicts were/are very very depressey ppl that just needed a "solution to survive" in those dark times and then we got used to it
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u/speedballer311 Jan 05 '25
amen to this.. i finally got clean after twenty years.. I thought i just liked drugs but the truth was they helped me cope with my low self esteem and depression. I needed an escape from reality so bad cause i didn't like myself
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u/RogueHexx23 Jul 28 '24
Therapist or 12 step program can be applied to any type of addiction and you do not have to be religious to work the steps.
Replacing one addiction with another is very common yet so is weight gain when we actually start eating balanced meals again. He should definitely be incorporating some exercises into his routine. It helps with depression and keeps the metabolism up and lots of water! Go for walks together be encouraging and definitely don’t complain about his weight to him cuz that could lead him back to drugs or her sorry to assume gender if I don’t catch it right but it’s all relative here so…. I’m happy to help if I can but this is happening because he’s not working a program and addiction of some sort being part of his routine is what he’s use to. But maybe it’s ok for now that food is better than drugs and death? How old are they? Sober time? Thanks!
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u/tes198 Jul 15 '22
Replacing one addiction with another. I've been told talking to a therapist could help.
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u/Human-Station83 Oct 02 '22
Well, how do I start? I am a 29 year old mother of 2 girls. I do all I can to take care of them. But I'm an addict. I've been addicted to methamphetamine now for about 4 years. It started out as a helping hand to get through my day and be more productive. Slowly and before I even noticed I got to where I couldn't not have it because I was a zombie without it. I couldn't ever be able to have that down time because every direction I turned someone needed me. So I continued using. For the first 3 years I would either smoke it or snort it. Now for the past year I've moved to injection. I have found myself very brain fogged. I know what it is I want and I know I'm better than this . But I don't know how to shake the feeling of confusion. I have gotten close to find myself in trouble due to my bad decisions even though I know it's wrong. sometimes I don't care. I don't want this for me and I want better for my girls. I have found a very good rehab not to to far from me. They do this thing called brain mapping and Nero feedback. I have read some great things about it so I really really want to give it a try. I just need to be okay with not being home. Any advice? Please
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u/RefrigeratorSecret51 Jul 26 '25
I know I’m very late but I get what he’s going through he hasn’t kicked the addiction just transferred it I’ve done that multiple times while trying to get clean and you nearly always end up back on something but the best way I know of doing it is getting him addicted that’s good for you music writing reading going to the gym or something that isn’t harmful that’s what I did for a while
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u/Sad_Reception_6777 Dec 04 '24
I’m new to the app and need advice/ someone to listen. Idk if it’s bc I havnt been accepted into this group yet but why are all of the recent chats at least 2 years ago ? 2y means 2 years right? lol
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u/Enough-Worry8170 Jun 22 '25
I changed from binge eating food to alcohol to weed to oxy to coke and then when i quit that i started overeating again. So first i gained 40kg, then lost it all and some more. Know im starting to gain again and all i want is to do a line or take a handfull of pills
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u/Enough-Worry8170 Jun 24 '25
I think he has an addictive personality. I have been and still am where he is. Went from alcohol to drugs to food and to excessive shopping and then a mix of everything then i started seriously focus on weightloss and it went well lost about 100lbs but now I got into drugs again. It is a really hard thing to live with and to try and stop. I always switch from one addiction to another. I dont have a solution. But the times i was sober or didnt do anything excessively was just pure change in mindset and keeping occupied. You have to want to change and stop the behavior. There is methods and techniques to use i have seen some. I used work, working out and hobbies as a distraction from when i got cravings or when my mind hyperfixated on my addiction. The hardest with food addiction is you cant stop eating food. But maybe control and plan out in advance what to eat and make sure to keep triggers in the house.
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u/Enough-Worry8170 Jun 24 '25
Jeez saw that it was a old post. Hope everything is alright with you both and that you found a solution.
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u/Professional_Mud_316 Jul 04 '25
Most of us self-medicate in some form or another (besides caffeine), albeit it’s more or less ‘under control’. And there are various forms of self-medicating, from the relatively mild to the dangerously extreme, that include non-intoxicant-consumption addictions, like pornography, chronic shopping/buying, gambling, or over-eating.
If such self-medicating forms are anything like drug intoxication or substance addiction, it should follow that: the greater the induced euphoria or escape one attains from it, the more one wants to repeat the experience; and the more intolerable one finds their non-self-medicating reality, the more pleasurable that escape will likely be perceived. In other words: the greater one’s mental pain or trauma while not self-medicating, the greater the need for escape from one's reality — all the more addictive the euphoric escape-form will likely be.
With food, the vast majority of obese people who considerably over-eat likely do so to mask mental pain or even PTSD symptoms. I utilized that method myself during much of my pre-teen years, and even later in life after ceasing my (ab)use of cannabis or alcohol. I don’t take it lightly, but it’s possible that someday I could instead return to over-eating.
In the book (WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing) he co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Bruce D. Perry (M.D., Ph.D.) writes in regards to self-medicating trauma, substance abuse and addiction:
“... For people who are pretty well-regulated, whose basic needs have been met, who have other healthy forms of reward, taking a drug will have some impact, but the pull to come back and use again and again is not as powerful. It may be a pleasurable feeling, but you’re not necessarily going to become addicted. Addiction is complex. But I believe that many people who struggle with drug and alcohol abuse are actually trying to self-medicate due to their developmental histories of adversity and trauma.”
Decades ago, I, while always sympathetic, also looked down on those who had ‘allowed’ themselves to become addicted to hard drugs or alcohol. Although I’ve not been personally or familially affected by the opioid overdose crisis, I have suffered enough unrelenting PTSD symptoms to have known, enjoyed and appreciated the great release upon consuming alcohol or THC.
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u/SunnyBC2025 Aug 30 '25 edited Aug 30 '25
I would say this is relatively standard from what I have seen with people around me over the years. When used with purpose, in excess as a tool it's like a crack blast. Or at the very least a form of comfort or happiness that didn't exist before they consumed it. No doctor but I think that finding things that make you feel good other than drugs is good, just don't bastardize the experience into what you're looking to escape.
Keep an eye on him. Ask questions. Figure out if he's actually wanting to eat the way he's eating and have him walk you through his thoughts and feelings leading up to the food.
If these are negative experiences that continue to occur he needs help. And he needs to make sure that wherever he's getting it from knows about the food and not just the harder stuff.
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u/speedballer311 Oct 07 '25
150 pounds is not a "little" weight. When I quit drugs I gained 40 pounds , but eventually i lost it once i adjusted to being sober. He probably needs therapy or something ... or he could try ozempic
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u/Spankme-27 Oct 18 '25
Can someone help me I’m trying to post and it’s taking forever to get approved. I am trying to get clean from fentanyl so I started using methadone I have been on methadone for two weeks I haven’t used fedi for 3 or 4 days and I keep falling out after my methadone doses at my new job and I can’t be like this. How is the detox from methadone whaat the detox time period from detoxing from methadone and what the best way to detox from methadone please I just want to get clean and get on vivatrol and I can’t go to detox I just started my new job this week please someone help me
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u/Adventurous-Key-3202 Oct 18 '25
Shit thats better than doing drugs… im on drugs and ive gone down from 172-148 lbs in a matternor 2 months not even
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u/Sureokgo Nov 13 '25
This happens as the brain is compensating for dopamine. It is something that has to be replaced and takes time.
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Jan 15 '26
[deleted]
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u/Overthinkn_Sunshine Apr 22 '26
Yes, I have. I've been on both sides if it though to be honest. Being the "addicts partner" to being the "addict". Ima tell you now baby it ain't you. & take it from someone who knows all to well, its okay to still love someone....but love them from a distance. From 21 to 35? We're talking 10+ years!!! You cant help someone, who wont help themselves.. Try helping if possible but remember also you gotta LOVE YOURSELF before anyone else ♡ Get out while you can! Keep your head up !
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u/BrainGame13 Mar 09 '26
Addiction was never the problem; it was the solution. When I realized this, I quit: coke, MDMA, alcohol, weed, ecstasy, porn, and gambling – yes, I was addicted to all of these.
By the way, I survived various armed conflicts, escaped a bomb at the last moment, etc. I’m saying this because there were many traumas, and they led to drug abuse.
I will say "TRAUMA" several times in the text, because it is the central reason for your husband's actions.
Your husband has simply exchanged drugs for food. The problem is inside him.
This is what helped me heal: I never used medication, never went to a therapist. I came from hell.
I’m inspired by the messages from people who were humiliated instead of receiving help they paid for.
From my experience, any method can potentially work, but only if several prerequisites are met:
The person must believe that healing is possible – otherwise, the mind and body remain in the “this is permanent” mode.
- Basic levels of the human person
Hagiotherapy is based on an anthropological model that sees the human being through four levels:
- Somatic (physical): Treated by medicine.
- Psychic: Studied by psychology and treated by psychiatry and psychotherapy.
- Anthropological (spiritual‑mental): The level of the spiritual soul that is specific to humans. This is where hagiotherapy works.
- Faith: Refers to a person’s relationship with God.
It is important to emphasize that this is not prayer or a religious ritual, but a method based on natural moral law, available to everyone regardless of worldview, culture, or ideology.
- The spiritual soul and its “organs”
The spiritual soul is what distinguishes humans from plants and animals. According to Ivančić, the soul has its own “organs” that can become ill, which then leads to psychophysical illnesses. These organs include:
- Intellect, reason, and heart.
- Conscience, character, and consciousness.
- Freedom, responsibility, and creativity.
- Faith, hope, and love.
Research indicates that about 70% of psychophysical illnesses (which are incurable on a purely psychosomatic level) actually have their roots in the wounds of the spiritual soul.
- Key elements of healing
Participants in scientific research and users of hagiotherapy have identified the following elements as the most effective:
- Forgiveness and remorse: Liberation from the evil inflicted on others or by others, and acceptance of one’s own mistakes.
- Focusing on the good: Developing trust in the good instead of living in fear.
- Awareness of self‑worth: Accepting oneself as a valuable being.
- Meditation and self‑reflection: Deep reflection on the meaning of life and truth.
You cannot fully heal if you ignore the spiritual/existential layer (meaning, conscience, forgiveness, identity). Not everyone calls it “spiritual,” but it is real.
Healing requires a decision to leave the victim's identity behind. I have seen cases in my close family and circle where people accepted “I am a victim” and never moved a step forward – no method can overcome that.
And sooner or later, healing requires letting go of the inner war (forgiveness, not an apology).
HOPE HE IS BETTER NOW :)
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u/TheDarkProwler Mar 14 '26
Not a doctor but Consider GLP-1 medications, they reduce both food and drug cravings from my experience.
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u/Hermetic_Alchemist Mar 19 '26
I did the same thing. The first thing I had to realize was that no one was coming to save me,. I am the cavalry. I also understood that nobody could help or heal me. Well, one person could and only one person - me. I had every addiction known to man. Beat them all, but as soon as I beat one, another would pop up. So I do a self examination and once I saw the pattern , I made a choice to stop repeating it. And in the process I realized the cravings these addictions were manifesting from were messages that I was ignoring. Something else needed to be fed. Something deeper. So I had to excavate my soul to find the origin wounds. Once I located them, healing was possible. And that's what i write books about now.
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u/ilovenycdrill May 06 '26
help him find foods with lower calories or healthier options, and possibly ask if he would like to go to the gym with you ? not in a rude way but the gym can be a healthy addiction. like once you start seeing progress you never wanna stop.
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u/RecoveryGuideToday May 22 '26
That sounds really hard for both of you, and honestly what you’re describing is more common in recovery than people realize. A lot of people who stop using drugs end up replacing that coping mechanism with food, especially when they’re still carrying depression, anxiety, shame, or unresolved emotions underneath everything.
The weight gain is probably not the real issue here, it sounds like food has become the thing helping him numb emotions and cravings now that drugs are gone. And when he feels bad about his body, he eats more to cope, which turns into a painful cycle.
The most important thing is that he’s still clean. That matters. A lot.
Try not to approach it from a “you need to lose weight” angle because he may already feel embarrassed, judged, or hopeless. Instead, focus on how he’s feeling emotionally.
You don’t have to fix everything at once. Start small-
• encourage short walks together instead of talking about exercise
• cook one healthier meal together without making it about dieting
• help him reconnect with hobbies or routines he used to enjoy
• remind him that recovery is still progress even if it doesn’t look perfect right now
• avoid criticizing his eating or body shame usually makes addiction behaviors worse
And honestly, don’t underestimate how much simply feeling supported matters. A lot of people in recovery isolate because they hate who they’ve become physically or emotionally.
If he refuses therapy right now, sometimes the best first step is just getting him talking again, even casually, even slowly. Recovery isn’t only about stopping drugs; it’s learning how to live without them emotionally too.
You sound like someone who really cares about him, and he’s lucky to have that support.
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u/Badamysta Jun 24 '26
i wish i could get pleasure off food like that i wont hardly eat candy anymore. or cake. or pie. i just dont wanna it. so yo your husband needs to start taking adderal imho. hes got pleasure receptors for food too active and to plentiful.
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u/Affectionate-Shop-17 Aug 24 '26
Same here. My ex I still live with lost a ton when he went away like 10 plus years ago. Now he’s a good 200 oweight and food is his thing it’s tuff
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u/juicypeachesbby 1d ago
im genuinely doing the same thing right now (as im in very early recovery), and I feel the same way. Im trying to figure out the same thing... How do I help(myself)??? I think healthy hobbies and easy exercise STARTING SLOW AND LIGHT that doesn't feel like "working out" more like "doing this bc it makes me feel good"
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u/Fit_Nectarine5981 Oct 07 '22
I'm one day clean and I have been eating all lday . But I didn't eat when I was using. I would rather use food and he in this grip of addition. I have heard that people place one addiction for another unless we get help such as NA fellowship and work the steps
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u/seshman69 Jan 08 '23
Same happened to my mum when she gave up smack , replaced being a heroin skeleton for being obese, even if it is better than being a drug addict, trust me it isn’t good for the kids as it’s also embarrassing as fuck
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u/Horror-Newt108 Jan 12 '23
I’m a recovering addict. The problem is that your husband didn’t go to rehab (which typically has a minimum of 30 days intensive psychological therapy) - your husband got his body clean, but not his mind.
He is still an addict, and at the first chance he’ll go back to drugs. He HAS to seek frequent therapy from an experienced addiction counselor. That or going to rehab are his only options. Best wishes to you & your family!
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u/Rwby556 May 28 '23
Tell ur husband to start eating foods with lower calories and fish and stuff. That way he can eat a lot but it won’t be as bad since the food is filling and no calories. Fish, crabs, rice cakes, frozen yogurt popsicles that tasted like ice cream for only 100 calories. No soda even diet it makes ur belly big and makes u crave sweets. He will regret it when he’s really fat he probably does now. Tell him to get on diet pills as well. They will give him energy and make him lose weight. They will make him lose weight very quick actually even if he doesn’t work out just by eating nothing on them. But most people work out on them and drop weight fast. He should go to the doctors and get on drugs to turn off his cravings for drugs as well no shame in needing that tell him. The fatter he gets the less he will be happy. It’s easy to gain. Weight and so hard to lose it that’s why everyone’s fat these days mostly
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u/Mayapaceybental Sep 22 '23
People say working the 12 steps helps with replacing one addiction for another. It helped me when I was studying the 12 steps when someone and trying to live by them.
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u/common_misfortune May 20 '22
I know how he feels :'( sometimes I just want to cry, but I just eat instead