Erin K, a recovered food addict was exposed to addiction and 12-step recovery as a child which she believes helped her realize that her food addiction could be alleviated through 12-step recovery work.  She knew early on that she did not use food for nourishment, but rather to soothe her anxiety and to feel normal. Erin’s powerlessness and her compulsive behaviors around food drove her life. It was not until she surrendered to her disease at the age of 18 and stopped blaming others and taking responsibility for her life that she began to recover from the disease of food addiction.  Later in her life, she had a relapse from abstinence and food began once again to dominate her life.  Today she has 11 years of successive abstinence and through recovery Erin has freedom from food addiction. She recommends to anyone who cannot control their food or weight on their own to consider recovery and that there is freedom from being controlled by food.