Food addiction remains largely ignored but can be easily overcome, says psychologist

As holiday parties give way to New Year's resolutions, rehabs across the country become inundated, making early January one of the industry's busiest times of the year.

Most doctors agree that addiction is a disease, not a moral failing, and people are becoming increasingly aware that addictions to drugs, alcohol, and even cigarettes require treatment for the underlying illness, without relying on willpower alone. Yet even as sex addiction makes headlines (thanks largely to speculation about Tiger Woods), food addiction remains largely ignored, despite, as Jeffrey Fine, Ph.D., points out, it being the largest "quiet" addictive disorder in the U.S.

"Food addiction is one of the least-diagnosed and most easily treated addictions out there," says Dr. Fine, a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and psychologist with more than 30 years of experience. Marked by obsession with food, eating as means to relieve stress, feeling guilty about overeating, and a host of other symptoms, it causes as much damage as addiction to drugs and alcohol.

Unfortunately, most people try to mask and manage symptoms rather than addressing the underlying addictive disorder, which is why most weight loss resolutions don't work. Food addiction also fuels the American weight loss industry, which raked in approximately $50 billion last year.

Another complication lies in the fact that unlike drugs and alcohol, which can be avoided, food is a necessity. "While drunks who get sick and tired of being sick and tired can put a cork in the bottle and go to AA, it is not so simple with FOOD," says Dr. Fine. "YOU CAN'T STOP EATING."

Dr. Fine has had great success where "dieting" has failed. Helping people overcome addictions with his Web-based phone therapy practice at http://www.theNewParenting.com, he was the owner and operator of a Fasting & Vegetarian Spa and Resort in Florida for 8 years. "I know and understand the way out of the vicious circle of food and diet struggles," says Dr. Fine, whose diet resolution solutions help people finally lose weight, while restoring health, self-esteem and well-being.