Alison Spittle ‘The compulsion to eat was stronger than wanting to live’

Alison Spittle ‘The compulsion to eat was stronger than wanting to live’

From How Do You Cope? by Significant Productions

April 27, 2026 · 1h 9m · Episode 35

About this episode

Alison Spittle discusses her journey with food as a coping mechanism and the impact of a health scare on her emotional well-being.

What does it mean when your coping mechanism stops working for you? John speaks to comedian, podcaster, writer and actor Alison Spittle about using food as protection, and how it shaped her sense of self.  After a serious health scare forced a change, Alison found herself confronting feelings she had numbed with food. She reflects on being treated differently since her weight change, how it feels to address emotions she had previously buried, and the complexity of labels. On Thursday in our bonus episode The Gratitude List, Alison shares the 5 things that she is currently grateful for. You can send in your thoughts and reflections to hello@howdoyoucopepod.com or via howdoyoucopepod.com Watch and subscribe on YouTube   Follow the show on Instagram , TikTok and Facebook  If you need support, you can find advice and someone to talk to by visiting www.samaritans.org , emailing jo@samaritans.org or calling 116 123. How Do You Cope is a Significant Production . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: John

Guest: Alison Spittle

Topics covered

  • coping mechanisms
  • mental health
  • food addiction
  • self-identity
  • emotional health

Keywords

  • coping mechanisms
  • food addiction
  • mental health
  • self-identity
  • emotional health
  • weight change
  • Alison Spittle

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Samaritans, Significant Productions, Acast

More episodes of How Do You Cope?

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the How Do You Cope? podcast page.