ninthchance

hey there

i've read before that there is a link between certain eating disorders and substance abuse. I bring this up b/c i was anorexic and bulimic for years throughout high school and college. When I stopped (don't know why or how i just was no longer symptomatic) is when i began boozing like crazy.

I think i just substituted one issue/addiction/control problem for another one. Has anyone else dealt with both eating disorders and alcoholism?

Necile

That is exactly what I did. I was using while I had the eating disorders, then one day I gave up the bullimia but the drug use escalated. I suppose I have simplyl been switching addictions for years and years. <sigh>

ninthchance

yeah..it was so weird...i suddenly gave up my bulimia...and then i got tremendously depresssed...to the point where i couldn't even look anyone in they eye anymore.

i would wear hats everywhere i went so i wouldn't have to look people in the eye and then i wouldnt' even leave my apartment.

and then, about a month later, i started drinking heavily. it has only escalated since then. so drinking is my new problem. it is not getting better. i see a therapist about 1/week but it is not really helping much, other than the cathartic effect of getting things out. not really sure what to do next. i am in a very advanced MBA program at school, so i keep my stuff together to the extent that i can graduate in may, but besides that i am coming apart at the seems. i don't even know how i keep my wits about me to do schoolwork. i feel fuzzy sometimes. it's just so weird. being a slave to something that i want nothing to do with.

Ashes

I was anorexic for about 4 years (starting at age 17) and I was a binge-drinker from then on, until about a year ago, when I recognized that I had become an alcoholic. I think I sort of "switched" addictions at the time. A few years later I got really sick with pneumonia, pleurisy, and broken ribs. I had to stop exercising, I didn't want to eat for fear of gaining weight... I was eventually "lectured" by my doctor, my parents, my friends... I was about 30 lbs underweight. I'm now about 50 lbs OVERweight. I'm constantly on some kind of diet. No matter what I eat I am still overweight now, most likely because of my previous problems. It sucks because I screwed myself up at such a young age, and now it seems that no matter how hard I try I can't be "healthy". And right now that is all I want - to be HEALTHY.

I wish I could offer some support, but the truth is that I'm also looking for a way out. Alcoholism is a result of the disease of ADDICTION and I'm constantly going from one addiction to another. I'm always trying to find a "healthy" addiction. Does this exist?l

~ashes

ninthchance

its funny...i have friends who are compulsively anal with their own "healthy" addictions. they are obsessed with running/yoga/spinning, what have you, and this obsession bothers them on some level. they just want to enjoy these things normally. i think any obsession is unhealthy. It bothers you to feel so out of control. no matter what it is that you are obsessed with.

Music

Over eatting is substance abuse.
Doesn't bother me one bit to not have to be in control.

july

this is exactly what i am going through now, ninthchance. (by the way, i just came back from having lived in boston) i started going days without eating so i would lose weight, eventually i was introduced to cocaine and dexedrine/speed. this got so out of control that i tried to stop but felt like i kept going back to binge-eating whenever i quit the drugs. i soon noticed that if i drank alcohol all day and night i never thought about food..and it started making me happy as well. like everyone here has said, one addiction for the other. i also agree that any obsession is not healthy. my bro-in-law does nothing all day but workout at the gym and talk about fitness. he even quit his job so he could spend more time rock climbing/working out. he gets pissed off when he can't get 20 miles of running in each day and will bit people's heads off if he doesn't get his way. yet he criticizes me for having an addiction to drugs/alcohol and basically views me as a weakling. trust me, i worked in a healthclub before. i've seen people fall down on treadmills, cut open their face and continue running. they never miss a day. they are regarded as healthy people. a lot of them are actually annorexic and bulimic.

CarolD

Eating disorders

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...isplay.php?f=18


Perhaps this might be helpful.

Estella B

I have just stumbled across your post by accident but am glad I did ! I too suffered eating problems, mainly binge eating as a young teenager, my weight grew and my self confidence shrank. In my twenties I replaced alcohol and sex with eating (too much) and bingo .. I was the perfect weight. However, in my early thirties after the sudden death of my father, depression crept in and the drinking took over my life.. nearly ending it more than once. My weight has never got out of hand since my teens as i have constantly 'watched it', by dieting, weighing, and obsessing..
I had problems during my second pregnancy ( too much gain)but eventually got rid of the excess. I am still only a few pounds over what is recommended for my build yet I am constantly unhappy, I weigh myself everyday, I take laxatives and herbal diuretics, I am constantly thinking of when I will get down to the 'goal' weight. Feel free to PM me if you would like to ! Regards, Estella

Estella B

Sorry, I'd missed this part of the forum when I joined, looks like I belong here ! I am an alcoholic with eating disorders, I am constantly dieting and thinking about the fat and fibre and calories and carbohydrate and glycemic index and gylcemic load of everything I eat, I write everything down that I eat. I admitted that heavy drinking had turned into a full blown alcohol addiction in my early thirties, divorced, sort of got things together. struggled with infertility then had two kids late in life ! they probably saved me ! I still battle with my silly food problems and my alcohol addiction. I do personally believe in the addictive personality ! My head is above water at he moment but i feel i'm playing Russian roulette, any drink could push me over the edge into a bender, giving in to the very sparse diet i've been following for the past fortnight could send my blood sugar into a frenzy and I'd binge on carbs ! Please let me know I'm not alone.

CarolD

Glad you are here...

This thread is sort of old EB.
I think the posters/members have moved on.

I suggest you check out the link I posted .

I have no personal experience with eating disorders.
I certainly do have with alcoholism.

Blessings...

CarolD

I am so sorry....when I tried the link...it is broken.

The SR forum is Eating Disorders.

Estella B

Thanks Carol ! I realised it may be an old post but it just rang a bell with me, well two actually Never mind, I'll mention it elsewhere and may be able to track down people with both problems. Meanwhile I'll continue to post at both the eating disorders forum and the alcoholism forum anyway !

Peter

Don't know too much about anorexia or bulimia (I know what it is) but when I stopped drinking my weight shot up thirty pounds within a year because I was using food to fill the hole I still had inside me. By then I was well into my 12 Step recovery programme and I was able to recognize my addictive behaviour and address it. I still tend to overindulge on foods I like but I recognize it as a problem I need to watch.

I will abuse food the same way I abused drugs and alcohol and because of the same reasons: "Not feeling good about myself and need to take something from the outside to feel good on the inside."

Estella B

Hi Peter, It's strange my weight plummeted when I was really drinking the most, yet when I just cut back on drinking I put weight on. When I again gave up drinking for three months I lost weight again. it's all addictive behaviour I suppose. If I wasn't so obsessed by my weight I'd definitely use food as a drug ! It depends what you drink too, obviously beers and ciders are full of calories wheareas spirits aren't.

janeeyre

Estella & all,

Funny, I've been wondering/stewing about this idea all week and here your post brings it to the forefront!

I quit drinking several weeks ago, then last week had to go the doc's for a sinus infection. You know how they always weigh you when you go in? Well, I've put on 20 pounds since I got sober! YIKES! Can't quite figure it out. I did go a little overboard with chocolate the first couple weeks of sobriety, but am eating like a normal person now (I think!).

For a few years back in college (18 years ago) I was anorexic/bulemic. Ate like crazy, hid while doing so, lived a very sneaky and obsessive life (JUST LIKE THE ALCOHOLIC LIFE) trying to hide my eating and psycho-exercising. Never was "fat" or overweight--very fit in appearance, but it was an excruciating existence, mentally. Then, POOF! It just stopped being an issue (maybe because of a new relationship? Don't know--this bears examination). A few months later, I started drinking. Didn't have food issues anymore, but as I look back on it, I began an increasingly obsessive "relationship" with alcohol.

So anyway, I can sure relate! I wonder if there are any books about this?

Jane

AndrewBeen

Music, there is a difference. We can recognize that we are powerless over alcohol and give it up. We can't give up food.

Estella B

Jane I know exactly what you mean, i see some foods as an indulgence like alcohol. andrew you are correct but is it possible to totally give up alcohol ? I can't ! please don't tell me to I wish I could and I admire those who do but not me, not yet anyway... I do severely restrict myself, once a week, prescribed amount. I daresay it isn't 'right' but it's better than where i was !

convergence

I seem to gain weight no matter what I eat due to my drinking and low activity level. I'm behind a computer at work so I don't get any exercise day to day. I drink about 6 beers along with 1/2 to 3/4 of a fifth of whisky daily. After the alcohol I do have a tendency to binge on food too some nights which doesn't help. I just bought an exercise bike today. Going to try to get myself to put in 20 mins a day on it for starters. That is if I can ease back on the drinking enough to have the energy to get on it in the morning.

Estella B

Good luck with the bike ! take it easy at first. Do you walk much ? I make the effort to walk everywhere, it's good exercise and it's free. 10,000 steps is recommended for average fitness, I usually clock up between 10 and 20,ooo. I bought a pedometer (step counter) and it's invaluable for showing you just how active or inactive you are ! Beer is full of calories, I know I shouldn't drink at all but I've switched to red wine which I dilute with diet lemonade ! You sound like your'e making the effort, best wishes !