Is Chocolate Addictive?

Submitted by Stella Morgan on December 3, 2009

Tips For Overcoming Chocolate Addiction

Chocolate addiction is a fascinating subject of discussion. It’s probably the intense cravings associated with chocolate, a centuries old discovery, which have led to this belief. Cocoa beans are what give us this wonderful food. Just conjuring the image of that gooey, delectable chocolate bar can send people rushing to grab one. The compounds one finds in chocolate have different effects on our brains and these mostly relate to inducing a feeling of pleasure.

It is widely believed that chocolate makes a good aphrodisiac, especially due to the pleasurable sensations that it causes.

Yet these effects aren’t strong enough, as in the case of typical drugs, to make chocolate classify as an addictive drug. It’s amazing that a simple mental image of chocolate in its various forms can make one want to go out and buy chocolate.

Another fact about chocolate is that it can be a great favorite as a comfort food. Thus, the moment we feel down, we automatically think of our need for chocolate. Chocolate actually has the potential to cause a shift in our depressed mood.

It has a number of psychological connotations as well – such as love, feeling attractive and thrilled. Chocolate has traditionally been indelibly linked with Valentine’s Day. For this and many other reasons it has been termed a love drug.

However, bear in mind that addiction is a more serious issue and is different from simply feeling those chocolate cravings.

How many times have we watched an advertisement involving chocolate and wanted to get a bar at that very moment? Before you jump to the conclusion of addiction, remember that even a pizza advertisement can cause overwhelming cravings for a large cheesy pizza. This doesn’t mean that pizza is actually addictive, though it can sometimes feel that way. It’s the visual stimulation that makes us salivate and crave for the food we like.

If you feel the urge to load up on chocolate, some research indicates that you can reduce that urge with the help of a brisk walk. Don’t forget that chocolate holds a great number of health advantages, but this is typically associated with the dark variety. Such benefits stem from flavonoids, coming from cacao beans. From helping your heart to getting that LDL cholesterol down to getting your blood pressure under control, chocolate has so many beneficial properties. The dark variety also has its use in cutting down one’s diabetes risk. Such good qualities of chocolate make it rather irresistible.