Passing Addictions

   This much I know to be true: Peanut Butter is my gateway drug.  Not just any PB, certainly not smooth, or natural (with its enticing pond of natural oils sitting on top).  JIF Crunchy is my Waterloo.  It's my go-to drug.  I have a long history with peanut butter.  As a teen I took long baths. My family speculated that I was doing something intimate.  I was: eating spoonfuls of peanut butter.  I can judge my adherence to a diet by how much I crave my JIF.  When off the wagon and eating late at night in front of the tv, I have found myself eating JIF.  I fall asleep, jerk awake, and eat more. 
    This being Thanksgiving week, food looms large. Even discounting peanut butter, I am a serial food addict.  Something catches my fancy and I eat it all the time, for about six months and then I'm done, never want to eat it again.  I've done this with Dove ice cream bars, bagels, Trader Joe meringues, lime yogurt with almonds, peppermint candy, those styrofoam wheat pops, caesar salads, fresh tomatoes, baked potatoes,peanut butter/banana/chocolate chip sandwiches, and buttercream icing.  Something triggers in me and it won't let go for months.  I can not have ice cream in the house or home baked goods.
   My current constant is McCann's oatmeal with sunflower seed butter and dried sour cherries.  Every morning for seven months.  I'm beginning to tire of it, which means another obsession is around the corner.
    The good news is I haven't had JIF in 8 months. My acupuncturist said peanuts were toxic to my  system. These days I am drinking Aloe Juice and curcumin pills to heal.  What fun!