Everything You Need to Know About Eating Disorders and Addiction

Eating Disorders and Addiction

Did you know that people with eating disorders are five times more likely to abuse drugs or alcohol? Addiction and eating disorders are closely linked because they are both connected to risk factors like anxiety, compulsive behavior, and stress. Understanding how these two behavioral health disorders are associated with each other can help you get the care you need.

What Are the Types of Eating Disorders?

There are several different sorts of eating disorders, and not all of them follow the same stereotypical pattern of a person who never eats. Being able to understand and recognize an eating disorder is the first step to getting help. Here are some of the most common types of eating disorders.

  • Anorexia nervosa: This eating disorder is characterized by an intense desire to consume fewer calories. People may severely restrict food, abuse laxatives, vomit, or exercise excessively. They are often preoccupied with losing as much weight as possible.
  • Bulimia nervosa: Bulimia is characterized by eating a lot and then trying to compensate for binges with unsafe behaviors like vomiting, abusing laxatives, or excessively exercising.
  • Binge eating disorder: Those with binge eating disorder struggle to control their food intake. They typically eat excessive amounts of food in a short period of time. However, unlike those with bulimia nervosa, they do not purge afterward. This is actually the most common eating disorder in the United States.
  • Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder: Often called ARFID, this is a type of eating disorder where people have an aversion to many common types of food. They may only have a few safe foods that they can eat. When faced with the idea of eating food they have an aversion to, they will choose to stay hungry instead.
  • OSFED/EDNOS: Sometimes called eating disorder non-specific or other specified feeding or eating disorder, this is a category of unsafe eating behavior that cannot be defined as strictly anorexia, bulimia, or other disorders. Instead, people may exhibit symptoms of multiple eating disorders at once.

What are the signs and symptoms of eating disorders?

Signs you or a loved one might have an eating disorder include:

  • Preoccupation with food, weight, or dieting
  • Constant excuses for not being able to eat foods
  • Rituals surrounding food preparation and consumption
  • Withdrawal from friends or hobbies
  • General depression and anxiety
  • Trouble concentrating
  • Fatigue and weakness
  • Changes to weight, including loss or gain
  • Hoarding food or throwing away large amounts of food
  • Poor body image
  • Dental problems
  • Hair loss and growth of body hair
  • Menstrual irregularities
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How Do Eating Disorders Lead to Substance Abuse?

Essentially, a person with an eating disorder may begin abusing drugs or alcohol to further compensate for the problems that caused their eating disorder in the first place. For most people with an eating disorder, the underlying cause is not actually a desire to be attractive to others. Instead, it is mostly caused by underlying psychological, emotional, and social problems. Those with eating disorders tend to be under a lot of stress and turn to disordered eating as a way to feel in control of their own life.

All of these causes of eating disorders are one of the main reasons people turn to drugs and alcohol as well. Those dealing with eating disorders are often depressed, anxious, and stressed, so they may start trying to use drugs and alcohol as a way to feel relaxed or happy. Furthermore, many drugs have zero calories and make a person lose their appetite or care less about hunger pangs. Therefore, some may try to use drugs to lose weight or distract themselves from eating disorder symptoms.

How Do Drugs and Alcohol Make Eating Disorders Worse?

For those struggling with disordered eating, having a drug or alcohol addiction can make the eating disorder symptoms even worse. Those with a substance use disorder tend to neglect personal care to use drugs or alcohol instead. Therefore, they may find it easier to neglect eating and restrict intake even more. Even if a person’s addiction does not make them automatically quit eating, it takes them down a path of unhealthy behavior. Since eating disorder symptoms get worse during periods of stress, an addiction can trigger an eating disorder relapse.

Drugs and alcohol also greatly worsen the physical consequences of an eating disorder. People with an eating disorder frequently have labored breathing or irregular heart rates, and taking stimulants or depressants can further increase the intensity of these dangerous symptoms. The self-hatred common in eating disorders can be further exacerbated by drugs and alcohol that harm brain chemistry.

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Treatment for Eating Disorders and Addiction

Because addiction and eating disorders are so closely linked, it is important to address the two problems at once. A person who is dealing with both an eating disorder and an addiction typically needs medical and psychological care. Depending on their current state of health, they may need medical care to regain a healthy weight. They may also need medical supervision while detoxing since withdrawal symptoms can put a lot of strain on a body already weakened from an eating disorder. Once a person is physically safe, it is time for them to get therapy. Therapy can address the underlying triggers of eating disorders and addiction, and it can help people find healthier ways of coping with these triggers.

At Mission Harbor, we have plenty of experience treating addiction, eating disorders, and co-occurring mental disorders. Our specialists understand all the nuances of how these conditions can interact, so we create personalized treatment plans that can address all sorts of behavioral health issues. Get started on the road to recovery by giving us a call today.

The facilities at Mission Harbor are staffed with trained experts to best assist patients with their mental health issues. We are capable of dealing with any and all cases with a licensed staff, equipment, and approved techniques. Our mission is to help those who want to help themselves, and we support your decision in seeking help.

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