Binge Eating Will Result in Drug Abuse Once Again.?
Question by suzjoy: Binge eating will result in drug abuse once again.?
My daughter is a recovering addict. The VERY nasty and uncontrollable food demon is taking over again. She attends both NA and OA. She has no time to work the OA program due to the fact that the binge eating is already putting weight on her. She is starting to isolate and get less joy from life due to the weight gain. She called me today that she just knows she’ll start using again, if she cannot overcome this need to eat and weight gain. OA does NOT believe in diet drugs, but they’re not drug addicts who just revert to eating when they are abstinent from their drug of choice. She wants to try a prescription diet drug to get her past this bump in the road. She feels that this would carry her long enough to get further into the OA program, see her therapist more, continue with her NA program and generally strengthen her psyche. She’s not a kid…she’s in her mid 30s. Is there someone out there who has a very constructive bit of advice for me? Thanks.
Best answer:
Answer by cella
I’m a recovering drug addict and my Therapists all stated that I have an eating disorder. I’m also not a child I’m 46 years old.
As you probably already know the way she sees herself is a different perception then reality. With that it makes it hard for us to really think someone isn’t just lying to make us feel better. So by me knowing this it is still very hard for me to know what I really look like. I understand the the mental part of it, I just don’t know what is real. I seem to be getting control of it little by little.
My therapist never talks about her perception of my weight, she just trys to raise my feelings of self worth. She has told me over and over that I’m very hard on myself. But what I feel from other people is that I’m just a weak minded person. So my weight is something I can control since I don’t you drugs anymore. I seem to spend all my time with that as my new drug so to speak. I agree that a diet drug is not the answer.
My sugestion would be to boost her self esteem in another way. Stay away from the food topic as much as possible unless she brings it up. When she does, tell her to discuss it with her doctor or the people that are educated in this area. Offer her support in the way of her group therapy and her one on one therapy. Of course always be there for the mom things. I say this because a family member or friend will never want to hurt the person. If you say please eat or check on how much there eating they will always think your picking on them. We tend to take out things on our loved ones.
I hope this made some kind of sense to you. This is just what has helped me get through some real tough days. Feel free to email me any time.
Take care and don’t give up!
Answer by gimmmee3
Hello.
When an addict stops using their drugs of choice there will be a strong urge to revert to thir next chosen mood-altering behavior. It could seem as innocent as spending too much time on the computer or excessive shopping.
So giving up one’s drug/drugs is only the beginning of a life-long practice to bring one’s life into balance.
I believe it is a matter of choosing the most possible healthy things to fill the gap quitting the drugs has left in one’s feelings of satisfaction.
And, of course, the ultimate goal would be to have a life totally free of any addictive behaviors. But this is a long and complicated process.
Sometimes an addict is so compulsive that choosing the next LEAST harmful thing is a stopgap to keep from using until some of the emotional pain is dealt with.
The questions that need to be asked by the addict himself are:
“Is this practice harming me in any of my life areas?”
“Is it nearly as damaging to my wellness as using drugs?”
“Is this preventing me in any way from reaching my goals of healthy recovery from drug addiction?”
“Could this cause a relapse of my drug use?”
And, just as an addict can rationalize their chemical use, they can also deny any harm from substitute behaviors. They can get some gentle support and confrontation from their support group/s if they are willing to be honest about what they are doing. A support group is crucial to recovery.
An addict tends to be secretive about their use of drugs and the personal consequences. Members of the support group know this, have done it themselves and are useful in developing a personal sense of okayness and recognition of one’s personal dishonesty.
But these things are for the addict themselves to come to conclusions about if they are adults.
As painful as it is to watch a newly recovering addict make what appear to be destructive choices, it is helpful to allow them to follow their own path to wellness. They are walking a fine line and it’s not an easy thing to do. Sometimes pleading, arguing or trying to advise them in any way can be counterproductive. Particularly if it is from a relative.
And it is only reasonalble for you as a mom to have a great deal of investment in your daughter’s wellness.
There is a good solution for you. It’s called Alanon. There you can meet with other people who care about the addicts in their lives. Their collective wisdom can teach you a great deal of how to live with and love an addict in the way that is most supportive of recovery for them. And, as a rule, they are caring and nonjudgmental people. They’ve been where you are now with the same fears, questions and needs.
You may be on the verge of entering a whole new lifestyle which can bring great satisfaction to your life.
Why not give it a try?
When an addict recovers nearly everything around them needs to change and that includes you!
Best of wishes.
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