The Little Blue Book

Weight gain is a common sign of loneliness (and also of depression), where food becomes a substitute for the nourishment of love or friendship. Many people suffering from obesity and overeating compulsions don’t have a problem with food, they have a problem with loneliness that creates the problem with food. Similarly, eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are linked to loneliness and powerful feelings of inadequacy. Unfortunately, the feelings of hopelessness, self-loathing, and disconnection that can attach to these disorders can then drive a deeper wedge of insecurity and shame between the individual and those around them. Which, in turn, can intensify the feelings of loneliness and intensify the pain that comes with it. Loneliness and social anxiety disorders are also strongly linked to loss of control and compulsion around alcohol and drugs. “Lonely middle-aged adults drink more alcohol, have unhealthier diets and take less exercise than the socially contented.” J.T. Cacioppo Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection (1) Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection Cacioppo, J. T., Patrick, W. (2008) New York: W. W. Norton and Company. 37 ADA Australia PostScript Section 1 Section 3 Section 2