Why??

One of the biggest questions that seems to be out there about ED is why do they happen to some people and not others.  I don’t know that there  is a clear answer for everyone.   In my research and experience, it seems that not everyone has a precipitating event or other serious problems that underscore the ED.   When I try to look back at my own descent into the ED world, I can’t pinpoint a specific moment when I felt I needed that overwhelming control over my body.  I wasn’t a particularly unhappy teenager.  I wasn’t the world’s happiest teen either.   I was just…average.   Perhaps I’m not too objective about my own experiences,  but I don’t think the jury is in on why some people develop an ED and others don’t in similar circumstances.     There seem to be as many opinions as there are websites and books on the topic.

I deliberately wrote the book about an average girl who has an average life who finds herself caught up in the ED world because I believe it does happen in some cases.

I guess people want to know the why’s because knowing why could help you prevent it from happening or getting worse.  NEDIC does have some good prevention points on their site. http://www.nedic.ca/knowthefacts/preventionhealth.shtml

12 STEPS?

I’ve often thought over the years that recovering from an Eating Disorder must be much the same as recovering from an addiction like alcoholism.   I can’t speak for others, but I know I have to always be on guard against letting food get the upper hand in my life.  I stay away from scales (they kept on breaking when I threw them down the stairs anyway!) and try not to worry every time I let something “fattening” into my  mouth.   There’s a tiny voice always lurking, ready to get louder and tell me I need to figure out my BMI to be sure I’m not getting overweight.

I did some research into the comparisons between ED and addictions.  These two websites both approach ED recovery in the same manner as AA and, interestingly, Overeater’s Anonymous.  The 12 step program might not work for everyone and does have deeper implications in its faith based approach but I still found it interesting to find another alternative for healing.

 http://www.dailystrength.org/experts/DrDennis/article/12-steps-eating-disorders-addiction

http://recoveringanorexic.wordpress.com/overeaters-anonymous/