Success stories?

There will never be any success stories.

There is no end to it.

Just learning to deal with it,

learning to ignore it better.

I'm sorry you feel that way. Hope this message finds you well.

I'm sorry you feel that way too. I had severe anorexia for years and I have RECOVERED. I cannot take full credit--I had good therapy along the way, meds, and a mentor... It IS possible!

It can be unbelievably frustrating, many many people know that (myself included). But there ARE success stories. There is help. Don't let your ED control you! Because you CAN do this!

not to be negative- but I think it's kind of depressing how the success stories sub-forum has only like 10 threads, where the others each have like 3 pages of posts...I might feel more hopeful if there were a few more success stories :/

In response to coolbeans: i think more people visit forums who need support than people who are successfully recovered, that's all.

Maybe it is because everyone's idea of success is different. I feel because I have made it 13 days bulimic free(with no desire at all to purge)that I am successful in this moment. What does recovery look like to you? I am going to have to take the idea of recovery in small successful pieces.

It's a long, hard road but it is possible to be successful, just like a previous poster had said, it may be about how you define your own success. I was hospitalized when I was 12 for anorexia. It wasn't until I was in my early 20s that I began to feel more comfortable with confronting my issues and stopped waging an endless battle with my body. I'm 25 now and have no more intrusive, obsessive thoughts about food/body. Counseling and finding healthy outlets for my anxiety (including writing). It may have also been my personal/cultural circumstances as well since in my family (first generation Asian Americans & my mom became a single parent with 4 kids), stability became dependent on me getting better. And so I felt a deep sense of obligation to work on my recovery for my family. So I accomplished my recovery in steps. First success was getting out of the hospital. Then success was eating meat again. Then it was putting away the scale...and on and on. I do hope that you find your measures and motivations for success because its possible, not easy, but possible.

to the op who says there can be no success story, in a way, I agree with her side too. I mean -- who the hell is an official success story? We as humans are success stories if we are ALIVE (and especially after all the crap we live through, at least some of us, me for sure.) I guess recovery is possible, and living with it is possible -- not being incredibly sick is possible. Sure starting over is NOT possible and remaining completely untouched is unlikely so with that, I agree. The abuse and bullying and eating disorder stuff that I have been through, just surviving is a success in a way.

oh and by the way, the years of not throwing up I absolutely take credit for. I quit completely on my own, without even a medicine. So if a shrink or therapist out there who I have paid in the thousands by now were ever to claim credit I would get furious -- they did NO good, EVER. I have relapsed pretty badly recently, and I AM currently seeing a shrink. Is it helping? HECK NO. I think most doctors are utter bs and I just wish, one time, they would honestly admit how pathetic they are.

haha good point. Also good point from those who commented how success is all relative. I suppose that if I don't throw up tomorrow I should congratulate myself so that's the goal I set. Check in tomorrow someone?