It Was Hard For Me To Address My Eating Disorder

I was just on an eating disorder support site and came across their online memorial page. There are over six-hundred entries for people who have died from anorexia-nervosa and bulimia. Many of them were adolescents. One Los Angeles girl died on her way to treatment. Seeing all of these names of people who have actually died from complications from their eating disorders really struck me. Sometimes it is easy to dismiss eating disorders as not being that serious. I never think that restricting my food intake or binging and purging could lead to my death. Seeing the names of people who have died from their eating disorder really makes me want to take my eating disorder recovery seriously.
It was hard for me to address my eating disorder when I was in adolescent eating disorder treatment, since I felt like there were so many things already wrong with me, like my challenges with substance abuse. I am so glad that I was forced to look at my eating disordered behaviors honestly, and that I was offered such quality treatment in such a supportive environment. Left to my own devices, I would have continued to act in my eating disordered behaviors, which would have most likely resulted in me compromising my sobriety. My drug use and eating disorder were strongly linked, as body image and self esteem issues were a large contributor to my using drugs. Being forced to address my eating disorder in treatment is probably one of the main reasons I have stayed clean. The issues that drove me to starve myself or binge and purge are the same issues that led myself and others to use drugs. I learned that the most common element surrounding ALL eating disorders is the inherent presence of low self esteem.

Visions recognized these links and provided me with not only substance abuse treatment, but specialized care for my eating disorder. I was challenged to learn how to make healthy food choices, and was able to work through difficult food issues in a safe environment. Having my meals and behaviors monitored was not at all something I wanted to happen, but working through all of the discomfort of recovery turned out to be very beneficial. I began to learn tools to help me build my self-esteem and less destructive ways of dealing with my feelings. I am so grateful that I was able to address my eating disorder and to find a path to recovery in eating disorder treatment. As I look at all of the names of those who fell victim to their eating disorders, I know that no one else has to die from this. Recovery is a reality and eating disorder treatment can be the first step to freedom.

If you think your teen is suffering from disordered eating, body image issues, or any other form of self harm or abuse, please don’t hesitate to contact us today for adolescent eating disorder treatment in Los Angeles

Adolescent Self Harm, Depression and addiction

When I was using, I resigned myself to the idea that I was just crazy. My behavior certainly made it appear that way. My self-harming behaviors and bouts of extreme depression landed me in more than one psych ward before I went to residential treatment in Malibu. I remember sitting in the hospital one time, surrounded by doctors asking me, “What happened to you? Why are you like this?” I thought I was destined to be crazy. I never considered that drugs might be contributing to my growing mental instability and depression. I never considered that because I was constantly using and not being honest with doctors that I was making it impossible for them to give me a clear diagnosis and treatment. One day a Hospitals and Institutions (H&I) panel from Narcotics Anonymous came to the hospital. The H&I panel members were volunteers from NA who had brought a meeting in to us, since we couldn’t leave. Even though they were much older than me, I identified with the feelings they talked about, and the unreasonable compulsion to use drugs and alcohol. They had had that same kind of "crazy" that no one could put their finger on. They were addicts, and I was an addict. I was a teenage drug addict? I felt like I should have had my own Lifetime movie or after school special in order to be classified a teenage drug addict. It was a heavy moment for me when I realized that drugs and alcohol might be the culprits behind my steady decline, and that I had to use drugs, even when I didn't want to. I took it in as something to consider.

Following the hospital stays, I began my attempts at sobriety, finally ending up in residential treatment. As I stayed clean and began to work the 12 steps with my sponsor and work more closely with the counseling staff at the rehab, I began to see myself kind of “level out.” In early recovery, my reactions to discomfort were rather volatile, but as I developed new behaviors to replace my old, destructive behaviors, I began to feel my insanity lift. Who’da thunk it, that taking away the drugs and alcohol and lunatic drama that was my life in Santa Monica would make me feel less crazy? The structure in treatment and the life that followed in outpatient and sober living was key in maintaining and developing my mental stability. My newly developed tools were best practiced in safe environments for awhile. After developing such a strong foundation, I have been able to take my skills into the world with me. In treatment I learned how to ask for help and worry about saving myself before saving face. I learned how to think before I speak and react. I learned anger management tools and practical application of the 12 steps. I learned how to show up even when I don't feel like it. When I walked out of the doors of Visions, I walked a out a completely different person than the fearful, depressed person that walked in.

Adolescent Self Harm, Depression and addiction

A Bio-Psycho-Social problem

Addiction

Experts can describe addiction as a bio-psycho-social problem. It can be caused by any combo of heredity/genetics, psych makeup and environment. You have to use drugs in order to be an addict; the stage can be “set” by one’s family, the stress levels going up, and many different aspects of how drugs and alcohol were used and viewed in the family origin.
Bio stands for the biological aspects of addiction which means that addiction runs in family lineage. It can also describe the effects that chemicals have on the brain by altering the brain chemistry. It is believed that 20% of children of addicts become addicts themselves.
Psycho stands for the psychological aspects of addiction. Personality or character traits can make certain people more venerable to addiction. Psychological factors are based on instincts that are mostly hardwired in early childhood. The traits that can cause one to be the most susceptible to addiction are low self-esteem and insufficient emotional management skills.
Social stands for the social aspects of addiction. The social aspects include anything from peer pressure, to media to economic conditions. It can also include the nature of the family system and its impact on the development of a healthy view on life.