A Day in the Life, part 2
Continue to read Julie Nuemann’s story…
“This never-ending punishment finally pushed me to seek help. Many people envision a certain romantic purity in eating disorders. But I promise there is no romance in bulimia. It is painful and dangerous and disgusting.
Though I found comfort in the pain, and the dangers seemed justified in my diseased mind, I could never block out the knowledge that I was doing repulsive things. I spent hours each day with my head in a toilet, shoving my hand deep into my throat, gagging on the mix of stomach acid and fermenting food.
My face was swollen, my throat was bloody, my knuckles were raw. There was never beauty, there was never perfection, there was only shame and sorrow.”
In a recent UNC/Self study, 31% of the respondents engaged in purging behavior. The Renfrew Center Foundation estimates that 25% of college aged women and 14% of gay men purge to lose weight. For millions, these extreme dieting measures turn into full-blown eating disorders. But are a couple pounds really worth a life in purgatory?
Eating Disorder Self Test. Take the EAT-26 self test to see if you might have eating disorder symptoms that might require professional evaluation. All answers are confidential.