Posts Tagged ‘eating disorders’

Lady Gaga On-Stage Bulimia Causes Australian Uproar

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

In her Australian Monster Ball shows the notorious Lady Gaga continues to push the embellished envelope with plenty of grit, grime and a few controversial episodes. To no one’s surprise, of course.

One of the shenanigans causing Aussie parents to cry out has a Gaga dancer depicting bulimia. Now, specific reports are few and far between and (surprisingly) videos of the act haven’t surfaced, but considering the performance artist’s self-

declared penchant for making a statement to create not only controversy, but also conversation, I think this particularly hard to stomach note might be a good thing.

They say no press is bad press, and in the eating disorder arena, this statement couldn’t be more true. Gaga’s audience seems to be the right one for the subject: teens and early 20s, party-loving girls and many in the gay community—all at-risk populations for the pressures of image and the devastation of the disorder.

The act itself is clearly sickening, hence the outrage, but by putting it on display in the fiery routine of the day’s most outlandish superstar, Gaga emphasizes its glamorless reality.

Kudos for the guts to bring it up and out.

Tags: bulimia, eating disorder, eating disorders
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Relative Newcomer Orthorexia Battles Other Eating Disorders To The Death

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

We’ve all heard of anorexia, bulimia and binge eating, but in the battle between image, eating disorders and their victims, the most dangerous of them all may be a new and generally unknown addition to this family.

Hiding behind the guise of health, this sneaky disorder may not only trick its host into collaborating, but also hide well enough to dupe observers into overlooking its existence.

Published last week, a New York Daily News article on Orthorexia brings to light the disorder’s good intentions gone wrong.

A form of OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) and believed by many to be a kind of anorexia, orthorexia sees people refusing to eat food they view as “bad” while skewing their view of what “healthy” really means.

According to the article, warning signs include:

• Compulsive worrying or developing a phobia over eating certain foods
• Continuing to eat the same foods prepared in the same way
• Exorbitantly spending time reading food labels
• Social isolation due to fear of eating out or being forced to consume “bad” foods
• Laboring over what to eat for extended periods of time

One reason Orthorexia seems to be on the rise is its lack of official recognition in the medical sphere. The disorder is not yet included in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), though it will in the manual’s next edition. As a result, schools and universities may also have little knowledge of its existence, and so the disorder flies under the education radar for prevention or recognition.

Another possible reason for the rise might be the increase in new dietary ways of living. With many people translating “living green” into the ways they eat, vegetarianism, veganism and the relatively new raw foods diet are all becoming commonplace.

Combine these factors with the ever-present general fear of obesity and the prevalent thin media images many fight against, the plastic representations of body on page and screen meld with world activism and public persona to create a new breed of disorder—one less obvious to many, but every bit as deadly, and perhaps even more so.

By creating a public fear of fat and foods, we may be feeding the flames of the disorder. Innovations in recognizing the benefits and drawbacks of certain foods may be helping some, but for many, this creates an irrational conception of what is good for you, what is bad for you and what the body needs.

Tags: addictive eating, anorexia, bulimia, eating disorder, eating disorders, orthorexia
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Addiction and Mental Health Parity explained

Monday, February 1st, 2010

With the mental health parity laws going into effect in October of 2009, the levels of health care available to those struggling from addiction or mental health issues have increased. Under the new Wellstone Parity Act, group health policies and employers must provide equal or higher coverage to addiction and mental illness as they would a physical illness, such as cancer. These new rules will make access to treatment much more available to the general public, as insurance companies have often set limits on days for addiction or mental health treatment, but put no limits on other types of hospital care. A government spokesperson said, “…the rules would benefit 111 million people in 446,400 group health plans offered by private employers, and 29 million people in 20,000 plans sponsored by state and local governments.”

The American Psychiatric Association had this to say: “Mental health parity was a major advance for the APA and for our patients living with mental illnesses,” said APA President Alan F. Schatzberg, M.D. “The APA will continue to work hard and submit the important feedback to the Administration that is necessary to make sure our patients receive the care they need.”

So what does that mean for us? Obviously, more access to addiction services bodes well for the general public. With more people gaining access to the resources to get help, one would think more people would get help. But is that the case? Will we see an uptick in treatment admissions? Our bet- probably not. Those who are unable to ask for help for themselves won’t magically be able to get help even when it’s available. That’s why we encourage families to break free from the traps of secrets, and get help for their loved ones. Reaching out and asking for help can provide access to those much-needed treatment options that may not have been available before this act was passed.

If you or someone you love need help with an addiction, call us at 877-320-0247 or visit us on the web at www.a-i-r.com.

You can also follow us on Twitter at @airecovery.

Tags: addiction, addiction intervention, addiction parity, AiR Assistance in recovery, chemical dependency, drug addiction, eating disorders, gentetics of addiction, intervention, mental health, mental health parity, mental illness, parity, recovery, recovery assistance, Recovery Assistance Program, substance abuse, Treatment, wellstone
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A new year, a new start.

Friday, January 8th, 2010

With a new year (and a new decade as well, depending on who you ask) upon us, we in the addiction world often see many people come to us with New Years resolutions, things such as:

“2010 will be the year I get sober.”

“Maybe I should cut down on my drinking.”

“This is the year I talk to my son about his drug use.”

“This is the year of big changes in my family.”

We at AiR encourage these resolutions- they can be a big catalyst for change, and help people get on the path to recovery. However, what’s important to remember here is how many times one has made these said resolutions. If you find yourself saying for the fifth year in a row that it’s time to quit drinking, it’s probably time to seek outside help. If you’re a family member and you’re hearing the same resolution year after year- we can help with that too.

Since the holiday season seems so volatile (as we’ve covered here), now is the time to act. A new year can bring about new changes. If you’re a family member and your loved one is hurting from a compulsive behavior, reach out. Ask for help. If you can’t make the phone call yet, then check out our book, It’s Not Okay To Be A Cannibal (available here); some good advice is available there, but be sure to get outside assistance when you decide to move forward.

If you or a loved one are in crisis, please call us at 877-320-0247 for immediate assistance, or visit us on the web at www.a-i-r.com.

Tags: addiction, addiction intervention, AiR Assistance in recovery, assistance in recovery, chemical dependency, drug addiction, drugs, eating disorders, gentetics of addiction, heroin addiction, intervention, mental health, methamphetamine, pain addiction, pain medication, prescription drug abuse, recovery assistance, Recovery Assistance Program, substance abuse, Treatment
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Binge eating encourages behavior

Friday, October 30th, 2009

An article in the New York Daily News today talked about a recent study showing that binge eating on junk food created a need for additional junk food. The study, conducted by Dr. Paul Kenny, a neuroscientist, showed that a diet of fast food (i.e. burgers, fries, and other high-salt, high-sugar foods) can create the phenomenon of craving for additional unhealthy food. This study seems to show, as the article states, the first link that junk food and drugs create similar reactions in brain chemistry. “This is the most complete evidence to date that suggests obesity and drug addiction have common neuro-biological foundations,”  Paul Johnson,  Kenny’s colleague, told the Daily Telegraph. An interesting study, and one we can hope will work towards improving brain work around addiction and overeating collectively.

Another interesting piece out of New York today; a Long Island town is requiring parents of high-school seniors to attend an educational seminar around the dangers and warning signs of heroin abuse. The 90 minute meeting in Smithtown provides a number of different ideas around how to prevent and recognize heroin use and abuse. As a mandatory meeting for parents of seniors, one can only hope the school district will replicate the program for younger students as well. We can only hope other communities will learn from this- education around addiction and abuse is one of the few was towards getting people the help that they need. After all, in the words of Robert Rossi, president of the Smithtown school board: “The job of a school district is not just to educate kids, it’s to educate parents.”

For help for yourself or someone you love, contact us directly at 877-320-0247 or visit www.a-i-r.com.

Tags: addiction intervention, addictive eating, AiR Assistance in recovery, alcohol, alcoholism, binge eating, DUI, eating disorder, eating disorders, overeating
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September is Recovery Month

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

AiR is focused on bringing you the most information on addiction, alcoholism, gambling, eating disorders and mental health related illnesses. In addition to being your leading resource, our national team is focused on celebrating recovery.

September is National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month – a time for everyone touched by these diseases to celebrate recovery – be it one day or a decade.

Recoverymonth.gov offers a site with community events, newsletters, special topics and more. The Recovery Month Web site aims to promote the societal benefits of alcohol and drug use disorder treatment, laud the contributions of treatment providers, and promote the message that recovery from alcohol and drug disorders in all its forms is possible.

We hope you take time in September to celebrate Recovery with us!

Tags: addiction, alcoholism, eating disorders, gambling, intervention, Recovery Month
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AiR's COO, Jim Geckler, on 107.1 July 31 from 9am-11

Friday, July 31st, 2009

Jim will be talking with radio show host Kevyn Burger about intervention, addiction and alcoholism on The Kevyn Burger Show in the Twin Cities market. Listen to it live or subscribe to it on iTunes.

James P. Geckler has been actively involved in the recovery community for the past 9 years. Jim has been a key member of the AIR team for the past 5 years, working with families, clinicians and treatment centers to develop solutions for people struggling with Addiction, Eating Disorders and Mental Health Issues.

Jim is a certified HIV/AIDS Educator with the American Red Cross and acts as a lead facilitator with Alternatives to Violence, a non-profit program which addresses anger and violence issues with at risk adolescents and incarcerated adults and has managed transitional sober housing for people leaving a treatment environment.

Tags: addiction, alcoholism, eating disorders, FM 107, intervention, jim geckler, kevyn burger, mental health
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AiR is now on Facebook

Monday, July 13th, 2009

Assistance in Recovery just launched our new Facebook page. Become a fan today and stay updated on AiR news, services as well as alcohol, drugs, eating disorder, behavioral health and mental illness related news.

Tags: AiR Assistance in recovery, alcohol, drugs, eating disorders, facebook, mental illness
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The face of substance abuse today

Friday, July 3rd, 2009

As posted July 3, 2009 on CNN’s American Morning

From my desk on the front lines of addiction treatment, the view is staggering. Prescription drugs are prevalent, proliferating and have introduced a new generation to the wonderful world of drug addiction.

These are people who otherwise might never have experienced addiction. The previous barriers to entry of stigma and circumstance were too high. Dangerous neighborhoods and unsavory characters, untrustworthy chemicals to be taken in unspecific amounts and the fear of becoming addicted kept most amateurs on the sidelines. But in 1996 that all changed.

In January of 1996, Purdue Pharma, a privately-held pharmaceutical company, launched the marketing campaign for their new pain relief product OxyContin. OxyContin was supposed to be nonabusable thanks to a special time-release ingredient. Unfortunately, this proved not to be true.

This might not have been such a big deal had Purdue not launched a multi-million dollar national advertising campaign, targeting both doctors and consumers alike. This campaign had a two-pronged approach. First Purdue incented doctors to prescribe their products then they encouraged consumers to request them by promising legitimacy, safety and lack of consequences.

From a purely business standpoint it was the right thing to do ““ if you can drive demand you can sell more product. From a “What are the long term effects on our society?” standpoint ““ it was devastating.

Today, three percent of our population is abusing prescription drugs. Prescription drug abuse accounts for forty percent of all treatment center admissions. Prescription drug abuse is growing fastest among teenagers and young adults.

These are the worst stats we could hope for.

Now, 13 years later, we are beginning to understand what happened. The question that haunts us all is “What are we going to do about it?”

Long-term solutions are indeed challenging, but here are three ideas you can adopt right now that will foster immediate positive change.

1. Restrict readily available supply. One of the easiest ways prescription drugs get diverted to the street or abused is through unmanaged access or theft from American homes. If you have leftover, unused portions of prescription pain medication in the medicine cabinet at home ““ get rid of them.

2. Talk to your doctor. The more information you give your health care professional(s) about medications you are on and the more questions you ask about medications the better for both of you. Avoid becoming an “accidental addict” due to lack of communication.

3. Don’t accept the status quo. Just because someone tells you, “it’s okay, I’ve got a prescription,” doesn’t necessarily make it okay. Trust your gut. Be willing to take risks to keep others safe. Be willing to be the bad guy. Be willing to be wrong.

4. Make help available to those that are struggling. If someone you know is struggling with an addiction to prescription drugs get him or her help as soon as possible. Treatment works.

Substance abuse is one of our nation’s largest health issues and prescription drug abuse is its face today. There are no easy solutions but there are solutions if we are all willing to do the work.

I also found this blog on  addictiontomorrow.blogspot.com’s in-depth look into the federal advisory panel’s decisions to recommend a ban on Percocet and Vicodin because of their effects on the liver. Addiction Tomorrow talks about the  growing concern about over prescribing, long-term effects, and information from the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Andrew Wainwright.

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Andrew T. Wainwright is a national expert on addictions and intervention. He is co-author of the book “It’s Not Okay to Be a Cannibal ““ How to Stop Addiction from Eating Your Family Alive” and CEO for AiR, which provides behavioral health case management services that are a beneficial addition to the treatment of chemical dependency, mental health and eating disorders.

Tags: air, american morning, andrew wainwright, assistance in recovery, chemical dependency, cnn, eating disorders, mental health, substance abuse, Treatment
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