Originally Posted by
Em24 
Wow!
...Problem is I'm an all or nothing person. I was anorexic at 13, weighing 6stone (84Ibs). I binge ate and put weight on, then developed bulimia at 16 and got down to 6 stone again. I've since binge eaten and am now overweight. This might seem irrelevant but honestly, food is almost like alcohol to me. I can't have a little bit of what I like. I have to do it til I'm physically sick. Once I get the taste, I can't stop.
I will look into AA, does anyone know if you need to be referred by your Gp? Or can I self refer?
Thanks again everyone xx
Not irrelevant at all. Just part of that addictive / alcoholic thinking. There are plenty of what they call 'double winners' amongst us. That means that we have more than one thing that we use to try to make things better (that is a very simplified explanation, but hey, it's not even 5.30am yet lol ). For some that may be using food to control their feelings (and that can look like controlling intake or eating excessively). If you are prone to acting out in bulimic ways I think a program of recovery is especially important, as some people just try to Quit and don't work on recovery and then just transfer addiction and act out in other ways. It may even be worth investigating OA (Overeaters Anonymous ) which works the same principles and 12-step program of recovery. It is for people who have issues around food generally, not just straightforward overeating.
What I didn't realise when going to AA Is that their recovery program isn't just about stopping drinking. It's about finding diffrent and more positive ways to deal with life on life's terms. Of addressing that all-or-nothing, perfectionist-to-f***-it thinking that is, I have realised, common to people with addictive tendencies. Of dealing with the way we feel things (ohhhh so intensely - we can be a sensitive lot). Our grudges. Our rages. The rejection we feel. .. I could go on (if it wasn't 5.30am lol).
You can just drop in any AA meeting. One of the beautiful things, I think, about AA is that wherever I am in the world, it's likely there will be a meeting I can go along to. And that room will be full of people who 'get' me. A lovely man i know at my local AA fellowship refers to AA people as being his 'Clan'. And I get what he means. I never expected to be able to feel as close, accepted, understood, or loved as I do by the friends I have made in AA.
Anyway, there are lots of threads on here about meetings are like and what to expect. Here is one, but yiu could do a search for others to read through. ..
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-my-story.html
My top tip is to arrive at least 5 to 10 mins before the start time so you can get your bearings and comfortable before the actual meeting starts. Also, to have a pack of tissues in your pocket (just in case) as many people, me included, find that first meeting quite emotional and the loo paper isn't always great quality for eye wiping and nose blowing in public venues.
Ask away of you have any questions, even if you feel they might be silly or irrelevant. There's no such thing as a silly question. And what seems irrelevant at first often turns out to be quite relevant to our recovery after all.
BB