I am a chocolate aficionado, and I'm not the only one in my family with this affinity. I have to eat brownies with two forks: one for eating and one for protection from invaders. My dad must be part canine because he will inhale anything in front of him, especially my brownies. My sister, the Drama Queen, does not understand that sharing is not in my vocabulary when chocolate is involved. And my mother, the Apache helicopter of chocolate thieves, will hover over my personal space and snatch a piece when I'm not looking.

I don't remember when my relationship with chocolate began. There are pictures of me during my terrible twos wearing nothing but chocolate. It was the ultimate reward, used as a lure to get me to eat the most despised of dinner foods: ceviche.

But it's not just the sweet taste I love; chocolate is comfort. When my friends don't pick up their phones, chocolate is there. Sometimes chocolate is the only company I need late at night or on a rainy afternoon, because the taste brings back a thousand happy memories of time spent with family. I realize that chocolate is the thing that brings us together, even as I jab my fork at my father's invading hand.

With any relationship, there is good and bad, and I understand that too much chocolate can be detrimental. I learned this lesson the hard way on one birthday when devouring a huge ice cream cone. My brain, supersaturated with the pleasure of sugar and cacao, did not register the chocolate flowing down my hand onto my chair. When I came back with a second cone, I sat directly in the puddle of chocolate, not realizing until too late that my behind bore the marks of my passion. I realized then that I should limit my chocolate consumption so I can fit into my few remaining unstained clothes.

I have learned from my family that to love something, I must love all parts of it. It baffles me that there is a culture of people who refuse to eat milk chocolate, believing that if chocolate is not dark, it's not chocolate. They treat chocolate like wine, remarking on earthy and nutty tones, excluding chocolate that is not at least 70 percent cacao, discriminating against beans based on their fermentation or the region in which they are grown. I am not one of these snobs. I give all chocolate a chance, weighing it on its merits rather than its label.

Chocolate also has health benefits. Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants, quiets coughs, helps keep the heart healthy, and improves blood flow. Most importantly, chocolate contains dopamine, which makes me happy, and – as a bonus – it tastes like heaven.