Recovery is Possible

Compulsion is defined as an irresistible urge to behave in a certain way, especially against one’s conscious wishes.  Many of those who suffer from eating disorders often struggle with not wanting to use food as an unhealthy coping mechanism, and yet they do not know healthy ways to cope with what they are dealing with.  Eating disorders often arise out of trauma, abuse, neglect, and the sufferer can feel shame or guilt, which in turn leads to not reaching out for help.  Disordered eating is a very unhealthy coping mechanism and the biggest hurdle for these clients is reaching out for help and beginning the recovery process.

The purpose of recovery is to give the client tools to stop the compulsion of their eating disorder behaviors.  Many do not realize how strong the compulsion can be in eating disorder patients. Restricting and bulimia behaviors have “worked” for the client for so long, by giving the client a sense of “control” or “relief” that eases the thoughts of past abuse or trauma.  Many clients are not willing to give up this level of control in their daily lives. When an individual has “become powerless and unmanageable” in their behavior, they have crossed the line into eating disorder addiction. The difficult part is that many individuals are so deep in their eating disorder, they are not aware of the problems it is causing. A key point in recovery is getting the person to see how their eating disorder is negatively affecting their lives. This can be a difficult process and it takes a great deal of awareness on the individual’s part. 

Relapse is Okay

When relapse occurs, it is accompanied by shame and guilt.  A good friend and eating disorder residential treatment center owner once said that, “You can start your day over as many times as it takes”.  There are going to be slips in eating disorder recovery and that is completely okay.  Relapse does not mean failure, it’s a learning experience.  Recovery is about learning through experiences and being good to oneself.  Individuals struggling with an eating disorder should be made aware of the positives of recovery. Maggie Schwann once said, “It takes a lot of strength to ride the storm of addiction, but it’s worth it.”  Eating disorders are very much the same. It is the freedom from the compulsion that is worth fighting for.  Once one is free from the compulsion, one can achieve the goals and dreams that they have always wanted. One cannot be free and at war with oneself at the same time.  May you always be free and choose recovery.