Nearly week 3 and the damage is getting quite bad - on both the bar and my health. Spots are out with a vengeance, I'm feeling a bit sickly and drawn into a whole cycle of chocolate addiction. Why is it I can't stop? What chemical substance or ingredient creates a need for more, yet more, even though I know I've eaten more than I should? The sensual, melting feeling, bittersweet taste and intense sensation make it highly addictive, but I know it goes beyond the purely sensual pleasure. Maybe the lack of sex or attention? Probably not. Now into the serious stuff. Research has shown that there are substances in chocolate (alongside polyphenols and some magnesium, which are undoubtedly good for you) -Phenylethylamine, Theobramine and Tryptophan, which all make it pleasurable and hence, addictive. In this case, I'm not having the sugar-laden variety, so the addiction lies -partly at least- in these somewhat magical substances. The other part, I reckon, would be emotional. How many ads, mostly aimed at women, draw onto the sensual pleasure of chocolate, something personal and selfish. Very true - I don't crave chocolate when I'm with people; it only happens on my own - and what a terribly selfish habit. Is it perhaps filling a gap in my mental state, a deep insatiable well? Whatever... Just shut up and eat the bloody thing.
on the 'psychological effects of chocolate':
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate#Physiological_effects
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