A chocoholic is a person who craves or compulsively consumes chocolate.[1] The word "chocoholic" was first used in 1961, according to Merriam-Webster. It is a portmanteau of "chocolate" and "alcoholic".[1] The term is used loosely or humorously to describe a person who is inordinately fond of chocolate; however, there is medical evidence to support the existence of actual addiction to chocolate.[2] Psychoactive constituents of chocolate that trigger a ‘feel-good’ reaction for the consumer include tryptophan and phenylethylamine, which may contribute to cravings and addiction-like responses, particularly in people with specific genetic alleles.[3] The quantity of sugars used in chocolate confections also impacts the psychoactive effects of chocolate.[4]
Although the concept of a chocolate addiction is still controversial in the medical literature, chocolate (especially dark chocolate) is considered to have effects on mood,[5] and chocolate confectioneries almost always top the list of foods people say they crave.[6] The craving can be so strong in some cases that chocoholics may experience withdrawal symptoms if the craving is not fulfilled.[7]
^ ab"Chocoholic". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
^Hetherington, Marion M.; MacDiarmid, Jennifer I. (1993). "'Chocolate Addiction': A Preliminary Study of its Description and its Relationship to Problem Eating". Appetite. 21 (3): 233–46. doi:10.1006/appe.1993.1042. PMID8141595. S2CID36613545.
^Nehlig, Astrid (2004). Coffee, tea, chocolate, and the brain. Boca Raton: CRC Press. pp. 203–218. ISBN9780429211928.