Memories of a dark past still haunt Nathan. Addiction has ruled most of his life.
The 70-year-old – who wished to remain anonymous and asks to be called Nathan – has been struggling with an eating disorder since he was young.
He calls himself a food addict, never able to stop eating. It is an addiction that eventually led him to be 350 pounds overweight.
Nathan fell into a deep depression, even contemplating suicide. “Wanting to go and plan to end the pain and stop this life, because I didn’t know how to stop it,” he said.
“There’s that feeling of hopelessness and mentally that takes you down. I retreated into myself. I gave my power away to everybody.”
In 2000, Nathan joined Food Addicts, an anonymous recovery program for people with eating disorders. It was an experience that changed the course of his life. “The first night I came into a meeting, I heard hope,” he explained.
“I heard people that talked about their relationship with food now compared to what it was before they came into FA. It was like I came home.”
Eating disorder groups are not common in Lethbridge. Heather Ponech, a Registered Provisional Psychologist, said Food Addicts is a great way to bring those suffering in silence out of isolation.
“One of the real benefits of a support group would be that a lot of people with disorder eating suffer from social anxiety, so this is one way for them to have a positive social experience,” she said.
Since joining the group, Nathan has lost over 200 pounds. He credits the support system with saving his life. “At my age, I would have retreated into myself and numbed myself with more food. I don’t think I would be here,” he said.
Food Addicts is holding an information session on September 21 at Chinook Regional Hospital. To learn more about the group, visit their website: foodaddicts.org
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