A year ago last January, I wrote a post titled "Asking for Help" and remarked that before release, every single person with an eating disorder who has been receiving treatment in an eating disorder program ranging from inpatient to residential to outpatient needs to learn how to ask for help before going out on her/his own. I noted the reasons why I thought so and you can read the entire post here.
Fast forward to yesterday's issue of the Sunday New York Times (July 13, 2014) and included is an article in the Sunday Styles section (p. 1) by Marisa Fox titled, "A Guide's Sobering Effect: Affluent mothers are hiring coaches to help them stay clean in battling their addictions." I have provided a link to the article here. I don't know how long the link will be viable, however.
My first thought was what a great idea! My next thought was, why can't this service (I would call it a profession) apply to anyone who needs to stay clean (whatever that means) or in my terms get into recovery? My third question was, how expensive does this need to be? And my fourth question was, could this service profession be covered by one's health insurance policy? Of course lots of questions (and answers) could pour forth, but the fact is, a recovery coach skilled in the field of addictions and similar disorders the behavior of which becomes entrenched in brain pathways is needed for all sorts of reasons, including eating disorders, for example bulimia.
Fox refers to these coaches as "sobriety coaches, ....sober companions and recovery therapists. Her article lists/points out various facts that many of us who have family members or friends recognize easily, especially for those of us, like me, who have a family member whose disease has been ongoing for more than 25 years. For example, one person in recovery remarked, "....addiction is a disease of isolation. I would have loved to have someone come over and help me not get drunk."
And, as one of those who utilized a coach noted, "I found it hard to function in the real world in a sober capacity without the protective cocoon of a rehab....It's like reading a book on how to swim, and then jumping into the ocean. Having a companion with me at all times allowed me to transition, so I didn't drown." She went on to say, "I had been on chemicals for more than thirty years....It takes a while for the brain to normalize.
Scientific research is revealing the process of recovery from an eating disorder takes a long time, particularly for the brain and particularly for those who have been entrenched for quite awhile.
So, I put this idea out there again with the NYT article as a backdrop. Within the last year I did contact an agency and arranged, with my family member's consent, for a person to serve somewhat in this capacity but more like a companion than a coach. My family member ultimately rejected the idea because apparently she is still under the control of her eating disorder and unable to change her behavior(s).
Sometimes, as much as a parent and especially a parent of an adult would like to completely fill the role of getting their family member into recovery, the role needs to belong to some other person who appears more neutral (this idea has been the subject of many writers).
The idea of an actual recovery coach, sober companion and/or recovery therapist takes this a step further and I am certain could be utilized to set up a program for those people who desperately want to get rid of behaviors that are undermining their ability to live a better life.
Information is provided about eating disorders, particularly of adults, to parents and other loved ones written by a parent who is in recovery from an eating disorder.
Welcome
When I created this blog, I was "getting on" in my early sixties, hence the blog name. However, my adult daughter's eating disorder and co-occurring emotional dysregulation disorder and other co-morbidities - ongoing for about 33 years - became and was our focus as we attempted to help her get into recovery. By learning about, reflecting on, reading about, attending conferences and writing about eating and brain disorders, I created a place to blog what I've learned. I hope this blog will be of use to others, especially families of and adult sufferers themselves to help them get into recovery. I update posts from time and the update date will be present at the top of the post.
Sadly, my daughter passed away in early October 2021 mainly because her body became so malnourished that she was immunocompromised, contracted a severe infection that was not properly addressed during an earlier hospital stay the month before, and developed an overwhelming non-covid pneumonia following surgery to save her life. I believe she should have been able to receive palliative care but Arizona, our country, and even the professionals trained in the treatment of eating disorders, particularly anorexia, are not "there" yet. I address the issue of palliative care in a recent post below, initially written in November 2021. I am not a certified eating disorder specialist. I am an Expert by Experience and college-educated with a BA in Community Work with an additional certificate in a one-year program in Business Administration from the same institution.
I am passionate about all of this because, as Shakespeare wrote in The Taming of the Shrew, Act 4, Scene 3: "My tongue will tell the anger [and sadness] of my heart or else my heart, concealing it, will break. And, rather than it shall, I will be free even to the uttermost, as I please in words."[2016]
Travel Guide
If you're new to my blog, I recommend you begin on the right side and take a look at the "Of Note" offerings. Read Dr. Cynthia Bulik's recent published interview (5/4/22) "Rethinking Eating Disorders" if you want to print an easy-to-understand professional's expert opinion about anorexia for your family doctor or the therapist. [Early intervention is absolutely critical. For those whose eating disorder is categorized as entrenched or severe and enduring, read the editorial comment by Stephen Touyz and Philipa Hay for a new approach about treatment. It is possible for your loved one to recover! I have also attached a link here for additional papers on the subject of severe and entrenched eating disorders. If you are a family member or friend of an adult with an eating disorder and have been at this for awhile, I refer you to the posts within the title "Adult Eating Disorders and Recovery Tools" found in the Index on the right hand side of this site. As well, in the "Of Note" section take a look at those posts with an asterisk. If you're a parent and need support, look for posts in the Index about parent support or parent toolbox.
In my opinion, the best book to buy, to refer to constantly and to share with members of the medical/psychiatric profession is "Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders" by Jennifer L. Gaudiani MD, CEDS, FAED. "Dr. Gaudiani aims to improve medical diagnosis and treatment, motivate recovery, and validate the lived experiences of individuals of all body shapes and sizes, while firmly rejecting dieting culture."
I recommend two groups who will support you on your journey - F.E.A.S.T and the National Alliance for Eating Disorders. Both maintain websites and Facebook private groups.
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