Can anyone tell me how they've been successful at beating this addiction? What worked for you? Has anyone had success with particular meds? A particular therapy? What can I do?

Pokiedot,
I have been sucessful in recovery. As far as for me, it took

Individual Therapy - Lots
Meds - I was on Zoloft then Prozac
Group Therapy
Hard work
Determination
Faith
Time - Lots and Lots

The road to recovery takes on many appearances and your road will be slightly different than everyone else's. The one common thread is professional help.
You can not get better by yourself.

Hope that helps some!

~Dance

I wonder the same... how can one beat the addiction, rather for me, the 'cycles'. I read thru your post, Dance4jc, and I then wonder what the definition of 'recovery' might be.

To me, recovery would mean something other than what the 'psychology of EDs' would state. Perhaps it's part of my stubborn nature, though I fall and get up and fall over and over again ~ but I don't think I will ever be able to view 'recovery' as accepting a weight that others find acceptable for me. Yes, I fail terribly, but the same idea exists in my mind at all times, that I must be satisfied with my own weight, no matter what others say.

This past week, I attempted what "I" would consider recovery. My personal 'ideal' recovery would be: 1) satisfaction with current weight, and 2) eating ONLY according to my body's hunger signals to support that weight. I failed this week, and now, before I feel good again, I must fix my mistakes. I hate the cycle.

Thanks for reading and for the question this thread presents. xoxoxo

eating ONLY according to my body's hunger signals to support that weight.

Hey gal,
That is one of the cool things about being recovered. Along the road to recovery I learned to truly understand what I was hungry for. Sometimes it was food, other times the hunger was emotional, but I didn't know how to interpret the feelings so I ate instead. Recovery gave me the tools to learn the difference. Now I eat what I want when I want and understand why and maintain my weight without really thinking much about it. I learned to really understand my body.

You are right about recovery being and meaning different things to different people. For me it was learning how to deal with my emotions/insecurites/expectaions in my life in a healthy manner. For me it was learning to like who I was on the inside. Once I was able to do this, the outside became much less important.

Keep searching for freedom. If you don't give up, you can achieve it.

~Dance

Understanding where my feelings about my body had come from, how they had changed over time, and the inter-dependent relationship between my body and my life.

Realising that the goals I was setting for myself were providing me with hope and a feeling of control, when I wasn't feeling it elsewhere in my life, but that the control wasn't real.

Developing my sport further, and choosing to respect my body to gain the results in the sport, rather than my body, and choosing accomplishment over vanity.

Excepting that it is vanity. It is a disease, it is hard, it provides a false fulfillment, but it was vanity regardless. Realising that I have more to offer, and learning to be proud of other things than my looks/decreasing weight.

Accepting that all things with form can change, and that there are healthy methods to doing so.

Understanding that even if I free myself from the illness, and develop a healthy attitude towards food I won't suddenly gain lots of weight or be humiliated. Accepting that I can stilll take pride in my body, and be concerned about my nutrition/weight without it being an obsession without reason.

Great statements Sivaarar! Sounds like you are doing well.

~Dance

Things that helped me with anorexia:

- Trying to find a new identity. Instead of the sick one, the "one who beats this"!!!

- Thinking about life and that it must have a purpose and that time goes by and what a waste anorexia is!!!!!!

- Finding a new purpose in life. (Hard to even imagine while you're in the throngs of an ED, I know, but it IS POSSIBLE!!! Can't be forced maybe though. Maybe have to be ready first).

Kathrin