The Power of Friendship

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Good and bad, friends hold a lot of power over us. Peer pressure doesn’t magically end when high school is over and socializing often includes food and drinks. It’s one of my biggest struggles.

I’ve heard it all:

• “You’ve been working so hard, one little piece of cake won’t hurt.”
• “Oh, you’re still sticking to that diet of yours?” [Said with a tone that suggests the speaker knows you’ll be caving soon.]
• “What, you don’t want to hang out with us any longer?”
• And the ever-popular, guilt-ridden, “Well where CAN we go that you could eat?”

I’m not saying I don’t ever cave in to peer pressure or even that piece of cake. I do. And when I do I try to climb back up on the wagon as soon as I can and forgive myself for being human. Hopefully these moments of weakness start to come fewer and farther between. Until then, I am trying to plan out my meals as far ahead of time as possible. And if I can’t head out to lunch with my friends, I hope they understand why. I definitely need to try and keep the peer pressure to a minimum.

I know it seems harsh, but this isn’t easy for me. Lately I find myself needing to make really hard decisions. Let’s go back to my first post–I AM A FOOD ADDICT. Hanging around people while they eat junk food that I wish I could eat is not good. One piece of cake CAN hurt me, because over-and-over again that one piece of cake, that one slice of pizza–they are the only thing standing between me and that downward spiral back towards eating myself to death.

I’ll let that soak in a minute, I need a moment myself after that thought…deep breath.

There are two types of people reading this blog. One is thinking, “Wow, that’s taking it a bit far, isn’t it?” And the other group–you know who you are–you’re thinking, “OMG, that’s me.” For us, every time we say, “No thanks,” we’re one step farther from that scary future we’re trying so hard to avoid.

There are so many more of “us” out there. We are not alone. If we could just find each other, maybe there could be strength in numbers?

I’m starting to collect email addresses now. If you’re interested in getting updates on the blog, words of encouragement, etc, please sign up. I don’t know what will become of this site, but I’m hoping I can inspire you, and you can inspire me. Food addicts of the world, UNITE! LOL!