Mission
- Advocating widespread acceptance of food addiction as a disease of substance abuse and the availability of effective, abstinence-based solutions.
- Helping to identify and expand knowledge about food addiction.
- Providing professional and public education about food addiction as a treatable chemical dependency to physicians, dietitians, therapists, counselors and allied health professionals, internationally.
- Offering information about promising new practices for the treatment of food addiction.
- Supplying resources for those who may be food addicted. Creating a forum for the development and dissemination of innovative and effective public health strategies related to the prevention, mitigation and treatment of food addiction.
History
Summary of Work to Date
Supported the writing of several books on food addiction and a series of scientific review articles on the major characteristics of Substance Use Disorders in relation to food.
Compiled and posted a bibliography of 2,733 peer reviewed articles and books on the science of food addiction.
Developed an International Advisory Board of leading scientists, clinicians and advocates in the field.
Created a three year Professional Training program currently administered by ACORN Food Dependency Recovery Services.
Joined the Food Addiction Research Group at the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine
Co-Sponsored, with UMass School of Medicine, the First and Second National Conference on Treatment of Food Addiction
Helped develop the International Society of Food Addiction Professionals (ISFAP) in cooperation with the Refined Food Addiction Research Foundation (ReFA).
Initiated and coordinated yearly food abstinent cruises for food addicts, their families and professionals who serve them.
Developed a Pilot Program for researching, educating and treating food addicted bariatric surgery patients.
Published “Physical Craving and Food Addiction: a review of the science.”
Supported the writing of several articles books in the field of food addiction recovery and treatment, including “A Tool Kit for Food Addiction Assessment and Treatment; the Basics from A to Z. For Physicians, Dietitians, Therapists and other Allied Health Professionals.”
Wrote and pretested a three-fold pamphlet about food addiction for doctors and allied health professionals
Supported the development of new recovery houses for food addicts.
Organized an educational campaign to add food addiction as a Substance Use Disorder in the DSM5 of the American Psychiatric Association.
Organized, developed, and will shortly launch The Food Addiction Institute’s Just Say It! Addiction to Food Is Real! Recovery is Possible Campaign.