Expert: Rebos - 2/1/2007

Question
Hello - I have a friend who drinks to lose weight.  I think she is anorexia because she is very underweight.  When she puts a pound or two on she will drink until she vomits and when she vomits she loses the pounds.  I keep telling her that what she is doing is very dangerous but she wont listen to me.  I was wondering if you could write how dangerous this is so I can email it to her.  Maybe if she hears it from a professional - she will listen.  Thank you for your help.

Answer
Good morning Katie:

Thank you for your question. I hope that your friend pays very close attention to her two life threatening health problems.

With both anorexia and alcoholism the afflicted one has to (what they call) “gottawanna”. Unfortunately, both illnesses require that the person has to be honest enough to recognize that they are headed for some serious trouble in the not too distant future. There is little that you can do for your friend unless she hits her bottom, and even then it is still “a day at a time recovery”. However, since I can only base my answer to you as it deals with alcoholism… Stopping drinking is not a matter of willpower. Alcoholism and anorexia are both diseases. Drinking alcoholically and anorexia is but “are just symptoms of a deeper underlying problem” that must be faced up to by her in order for her to recover. Without learning what that problem is, it isn’t very long before she has to drink again, or find some other substitute that will make her vomit.

I believe that she is using both the alcohol and vomiting for the same reasons… to escape from her self! Your friend needs some serious counseling, or other appropriate help. Before too long (if not already so) she will have an alcoholic addiction to battle with in addition to her anorexia problem.

I am sorry that I could not help you more, for you to help your friend. Thank you, Rebos