Recently, faculty and students at Connecticut College released a study that concluded that Oreo cookies stimulate rat brains the same way as cocaine and morphine do and, therefore, may be addictive. Seeing as Halloween is right around the corner, the topic of dessert and candy “addictions” is especially relevant.

Personally, I don’t think it’s the ingredients of Oreo cookies that people should be worrying about but rather the amount of Oreo cookies, or the amount of any food for that matter, that one consumes at a time.

Frequently, I’ll find myself sitting down with a box of cookies or a bag of chips while doing my homework and before I realize it, half the box or bag is gone. Though not intentionally, I’ll eat two or three times the portion size of a particular food simply because I’m not paying attention.

If Oreo cookies do have addictive ingredients, getting carried away while eating them could be a problem because if you eat too many, you can become addicted. Usually, people just worry about the health problems caused by eating too much junk food and now there is the possible issue of becoming addicted to junk food to worry about as well. With the growing prevalence of drug and alcohol addictions, our society doesn’t have the energy to deal with yet another addiction issue.

So how can we stop this possible addiction from occurring? In my opinion, I think there are two simple solutions: we need to learn to eat foods in moderation, and we need to be aware of our eating habits rather than getting engrossed in a movie or in our Twitter feeds and devouring 12 cookies in one sitting. Eating a few cookies won’t make one addicted, but eating in abundance (if Oreos really are addictive) could lead to a “cookie addiction.”

So when trick-or-treating with your younger siblings or friends next week, remember not to go overboard while collecting candy. Although your sixth grade self may tell you that you need to collect more candy than your friends, your body will thank you later for not having an endless supply of chocolate to gorge on for weeks to come.

Have a safe Halloween, and remember not to eat too much candy!