How long will withdrawal last?

[toolgirl]

Hi my name is Gina I'm from Oklahoma City, OK. There are no meetings here I could find, so online is going to be my lifeline. I am an addict of other things as well. I've know for some time I had a problem just never could find the right program. Need all the tips I can get.

[cindyskylar]

Hi Gina,

Welcome to FAA. Along with online meetings, we also have phone meetings:

http://www.foodaddictsanonymous.org/phone-meetings

I would suggest attending some phone meetings and get some numbers at the end of the meetings. When you hear someone share who you can relate to, get her number and ask if she can sponsor you. A sponsor will help you with the food plan and also help you begin to work the steps, the crux of this program.

Good luck and welcome, again, to FAA.

Cindy

[JustForToday]

Gina,

If you have other addictions, then it usually works out best to get clean of those other addictions (like alcohol and drugs) before tackling food addiction. Most people who talk about this,have said that the food hits on other deeper levels and they have to work a much harder program to get clean of the food (sugar, flour and wheat). I hope that doesn't sound like a put down on other addiction programs, because it's not meant to be - it's just that the food is something that is needed for survival....

Many people find it helpful to begin on a Friday and then sleep as much as they can on the weekend to get through the withdrawal symptoms. I felt like I had the flu and ached all over,had terrible headaches and just felt really bad in general. These withdrawal symptoms vary from person to person - some find theirs were very mild and others say theirs lasted nearly a month. Mine lasted almost 10 days and the last 5 of them, day I felt a bit better each day. Most people get thru the worst of it in 3-5 days.

The Post Acute Withdrawal symptoms (P.A.W.S.) affect some addicts quite a lot and others are hardly affected - it varies even more than the initial withdrawal. More can be found on the web about this and it affects every food addict (and other addicts also). I felt mentally confused like two and two were no longer adding up to four, was physically more clumsy than usual - kept spraining my ankles or knees quite a bit for over a year - there were other symptoms from time to time; but these were the main two for me.

Best of luck to you in your recovery.

[chicko3x]

I didn't experience an enormous withdrawal physically, but emotionally it took me a while to feel myself. The addict voice was very loud when I went off the sugar flour wheat, so I felt disoriented and unstable. This lasted a couple months for me. Remember to take care of yourself and keep good communication with positive people to help in rough patches. Cheers to a great recovery!