Comparing eating disorders to alcoholism, Shuman says it's a matter of potential and life's experiences. Just because the potential is there, however, doesn't mean one is relegated to developing a problem. According to Shuman, who has publicly acknowledged her personal struggle with a binging eating disorder, it's an abnormal relationship with food that impacts your health,social life and how you feel about yourself. Monitor not just what you eat, but why, and how you feel before you eat and after. Food takes on a much more important role.
Food is the main coping strategy.
Bio-chemically, it works for some people. Some people are particularly sensitive to carbohydrates , for instance. Research indicates that some of the reasons behind this kind of overeating come from the brain. According to Dr. Judith Wurtman, people who binge are biochemically different from those who don't. It's like aspirin.