I think we’ve all been at a place in our lives when all we think about is binging. We might feel the need to eat huge amounts of food or drink gigantic amounts of alcohol. When we come to the end of the binge, we do one of two things: we feel the need to purge everything we ingested or we beat ourselves up with feelings of guilt, believing that we failed and will never lose our extra weight. Once we find ourselves there, we often punish ourselves with yet another period of binging, perhaps followed by purging and then followed again by that soul shattering guilt. Soon, everything becomes a cycle of self-destruction as we live between the two extremes instead of living a normal life.

What is Binging?

Bingeing means eating and drinking not because one feels hungry or thirsty, but because some unpleasant feelings that cannot be repressed force the mind to seek comfort. Self-indulgent overeating and drinking is usually a way of trying to bury emotional problems even deeper, but this kind of quick fix doesn’t work. The problems don’t go away and the bingeing – purging cycle goes on as long as the person in question can keep doing it. Punishing yourself with a purge does not stop future binges. It just reinforces a cycle of indulgence and punishment that grows stronger and stronger.

Why Do We Binge?

The most important thing is to find out what is it that pushes you to binge. It’s not hunger that prompts people to eat enough food for a whole party of twelve, which means that it must be something else. Some basic dissatisfaction with life or some stressful situations push us into doing a thing that we usually end up regretting later. It takes courage to look into that matter and see what is wrong. It takes willpower to put an end to this behavior and breaking the cycle. But it all starts with the question “Why?” and goes on from there to find a solution.
Okay. How Do I Stop?

First of all, think about finding professional help. It’s not a sign of weakness! If you have been binging and purging for a great deal of time, then you already know you have not been able to stop yourself. So, you will need professional help to get to the bottom of the problem and to finally change the harmful behavior. Maybe you feel that going to a psychologist is too big a step to take at once. Remember, there are also books dealing with bingeing and how to stop it by understanding the reasons behind the compulsion, and this may be a good alternative . Actually, anything that puts an end to denial is a great alternative.