65% of women are disordered eaters.

By the way, I do fall off the carbs wagon from time to time (and it messes up my blood sugar every time).  But instead of throwing the baby out with the bath water and descending into full scale bingeing, as I used to do, I can stop the carb splurges before they get totally out of hand and I no longer torture myself about having done it, except to remember that I am borderline diabetic and that I need to try my best to stay on the wagon.

But after all, I'm only human.   

I am now about to turn 38, and have been free of food addiction/disorders for nearly 4 years.

That is a fantastic feat! Congratulations for that 

ETA, This is where the article pretty much lost me:

"Food addicts eat to soothe stress, deal with anger, even celebrate a happy event"

I've got a history not unlike Darwin's and have struggled with food and body issues for literally as long as I can remember - I don't recall ever having a normal relationship with food and even after many years of therapy I still struggle with it. Interestingly the quote that you've pulled, Mort, is a key factor for me. My family NEVER celebrated a happy event without food. And food for me became intrinsically related at a very early age to my emotions. Happy? Eat! Sad? Eat! Bored? Eat! Angry? Eat! When I went vegan and my mom rang me to ask what on earth was going to happen at Thanksgiving, suddenly I made the connection and I told her that it didn't matter because it wasn't about eating, it was about having a nice time together. The lightbulb went on! Not that I don't still struggle, but understanding that celebrating, mourning, etc. can be done without food has been a big revelation for me.... So I would actually agree that using food to celebrate can (though obviously not always) be very much linked to disordered eating.

I've got a history not unlike Darwin's and have struggled with food and body issues for literally as long as I can remember - I don't recall ever having a normal relationship with food and even after many years of therapy I still struggle with it. Interestingly the quote that you've pulled, Mort, is a key factor for me. My family NEVER celebrated a happy event without food. And food for me became intrinsically related at a very early age to my emotions. Happy? Eat! Sad? Eat! Bored? Eat! Angry? Eat! When I went vegan and my mom rang me to ask what on earth was going to happen at Thanksgiving, suddenly I made the connection and I told her that it didn't matter because it wasn't about eating, it was about having a nice time together. The lightbulb went on! Not that I don't still struggle, but understanding that celebrating, mourning, etc. can be done without food has been a big revelation for me.... So I would actually agree that using food to celebrate can (though obviously not always) be very much linked to disordered eating.

Very interesting.  I come from a Jewish family where food and celebration as well as mourning (sitting shiva--oh all the food!!) went hand-in-hand.  I have a feeling it is that way with many cultures.  I don't think it's a bad thing for the "normal" non-disordered eating person.

For me, the issue was more about a compulsion to control.  I was borderline (I was never diagnosed, and I never got below 100 lbs., so I just say borderline) anorexic in high school.  I got into counting and severely limiting my calories and weighing myself everyday.  My gym teacher noticed that I had gotten thinner and said something to me about it, but that was it. 

Then when I was in college I boomeranged in the opposite direction (bingeing, but never purgeing)--I was now *out* of control and I'm pretty sure I was soothing myself--college life and then moving out in my early 20's was a big change from my teenage life.  At this time I also got addicted to sugar and a spiral of sugar / depression ensued--I didn't understand how the two were integrated.

Finally, in my mid to late 20's I got interested in healthy eating, organics, and vegetarianism.  First for diet reasons, then for spiritual ones. 

I do agree with you Anne that the major focus should be on spending time with loved ones and not so much on the food. 

As with any addiction, I think the issue is more about moderation than about whether or not your celebrate/mourn with food.

The difference between a piece of cake and the whole cake.

The difference between a glass of wine and a bottle of wine.

This article made me laugh.

Anyone BUT my doctor would accuse me of having an eating disorder, simply because I have loads of food allergies and dietary restrictions and DO have to think hard about what I eat and carefully plan meals - so I probably do think about food more than the average person.  I also probably throw up more than most people because even the slightest amount of something like onion or garlic will set me off, and sometimes it's in the weirdest things.  (like today, Tim opened a packet of cheese hoops (or similar item), and it turned out there was onion powder in it...)

I actually had to have my doctor call my dentist once to tell him about my problems because the dentist was concerned about the enamel on the backs of my teeth being bad when I was in college, and apparently that's a sign of being bulimic.

As with any addiction, I think the issue is more about moderation than about whether or not your celebrate/mourn with food.

The difference between a piece of cake and the whole cake.

The difference between a glass of wine and a bottle of wine.

Exactly!