Discipline, Drugs, and Disorder
I was recently challenged with the notion that eating disorders are not as intense or similar to drug addiction or alcoholism. I’ve also been asked if eating disorders are more of a “discipline” rather than a “disorder” issue.
And then we have misconceptions about what eating disorders “look” like: only when are you very thin should you get help. When you are at a higher BMI number, you just need to “eat less and exercise more.”
Not exactly.
Misunderstandings & Misconceptions
There’s a lot to fight against with eating disorder misconceptions. This can be what makes eating disorders so difficult for sufferers to admit what they are going through. I do appreciate the questions I receive from those who simply have not had an eating disorder. It means they are either trying to understand or that they are at least helping me to understand their confusion and skepticism. But it can be frustrating when people quickly dismiss the illness when you are not hooked up to an IV or fainting at work.
No one can see the obsession circling day in and day out in your head, and that’s the scariest part–that you can’t escape your own mind.
Addiction Struggles
I have not had alcoholism and I cannot say I know everything that entails it, but I feel I can understand the pull of the addiction. I have not had drug problems, but I feel I understand the intense, all-consuming cravings when I hoard food and binge.
Some suggest that someone with an eating disorder just “eats more” or even “eats less.” Would you tell an alcoholic to “just drink less”? A drug addict to “just stop doing drugs”? How are eating disorders different?
While the world often treats eating disorders as petty girl issues (and what about the male sufferers?) or a matter of discipline, those of us who suffer want to scream that it is not just about aesthetic or something within our control, but a chemical and emotional disturbance that we fight day after day.
Breaking Up With an Eating Disorder
Eating disorders can be similar to struggle of alcoholism. It is much like yearning for the high of drugs. And to pull away from it is like a breakup from a very destructive love affair. To let go is to fall headfirst into months or even years of grieving the loss of something that you felt held you together for so long.
This is why eating disorders not only take over lives, but also kill. It may not be as quick as a life-threatening drug withdrawal, but a long, slow death is no easier.
Eating Disorders are a growing problem especially in the Muslim world which should be resolved and it is possible If we spread awareness. For more information visit our blog.
You nailed it, Rachael.
Dear Rachel, I feel particularly touched by your story, bacause I have been through the same, and I am still fighting. This year I could start training again after one year and a half stop. Throughout this year my weight has been quite normal, and no one seemed to believe how difficult it is this daily fight with compulsion. I would be happy to talk with you and share my experience.
That would be great Fran! I would like to talk to you soon. You can email me at rrs004@aquinas.edu.
Here is an addition to the difficulty of the problem that you, Rachael, have pointed out to me in the past, and I believe bears re-iteration. An alcoholic/drug-addict can direct recovery by eliminating the offending substance (alcohol or drug). A food addict cannot eliminate food. She or he MUST eat food and find a way to do it in a healthy way. Alcohol or drug addicts do not have to make peace with the enemy. Their solution is to eliminate the enemy. Your solution is not nearly so simple.
Rachael, Thank you for sharing your story. I went through a similar experience in college, nearly 12 years ago, and am very grateful to be recovered, and can remember times I doubted it was possible. I hope your sharing can make a difference for all those struggling with this painful addiction; a recognition that they are not alone and hope for a different way, even in the darkest times. Blessings to you