I am not about to offer you a miracle cure, because there isn't one. Recovery requires determination and hard work and as much as we wish there was- there isn't a magic wand to wave and make everything ok.
I am not a medical doctor and everything that I am saying here has come from my own personal experiences- I can't tell you how to recover, but I can give you some advice on where to start.

In order to be successful in recovery you have to want it. This in itself is hard… when you've been stuck in the same cycle for so long, change is scary… and recovery is the world of unknown- the light outside of the darkness. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that it is easy- I have tried many times and I know that it isn't. But it is possible, and it is very worthwhile. Imagine a life where food is not the central focus… imagine a life where you can be happy, have fun… it is worth fighting for.

I believe that the first step in recovery is accepting that you have a problem and then asking for help. This help could come from family, friends, or a doctor or therapist which is the step I would highly advise. I don't believe that it's possible to get through an Eating Disorder without some sort of therapy- whether this is seeing a therapist, or self-help books etc. I have been seeing my therapist for a while now, and that combined with the support from the recovery web site which I visit has helped tremendously in making me understand my behaviours and look at what is behind them.

I understand that asking for help is one of the hardest things you will ever do. But don't let fear prevent you from getting the help you need and deserve. Don't let the ed win, because all it is out to do is kill you…
Tell somebody… and take it from there- even if you write a letter/email/text message or just blurt it out- and once you have taken this step you can begin to look for support with help from others.

I think that one of the keys to recovery is determination. If you want recovery enough then you have to be determined not to carry out a particular behaviour… it's about baby steps, take a small step and remember that a slip is only a slip, not a failure. And if you don't want recovery you need to work on this in therapy- why don't you? What are you gaining from continuing with your behaviours?  What are the underlying issues that you are covering up with focus on food?
Eating Disorders are not about food… and it is the emotional issues that need to be worked on. You need to look at why you feel the way you do… what has happened that has made you feel like that? And is your coping mechanism a constructive, healthy way of coping? If you are using an Eating Disorder then your coping mechanism is certainly not healthy. Eating Disorders are dangerous, they can kill.

Self-help books can also be beneficial, but you need to want recovery in order to be able to use them successfully.

Your Eating Disorder is a symptom of the actual problem- the problem is your opinion of yourself and emotional difficulties which need to be dealt with. You need to admit that you have a problem, ask for help, and use therapy to work through your problems and understand why you are using the ed in the way that you are. Take baby steps… it's not going to happen overnight, but if you keep fighting you will get there in the end.
Take a stand against your eating disorder… get up in the morning, look in the mirror and say "I do deserve life as much as anyone. I don't deserve this, and I will fight it and win." Even if you don't believe it yet- say it, and even that can help make a difference to how you feel… go on, give it a go!

HOMEPAGE