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 The following testimonial is from a former patient who would like to share her message of recovery with others who are suffering from an eating disorder. I would like to share with you my process of recovery. Before I entered Avalon I knew that I wanted to survive my eating disorder and to live an abundant life. I just didn't know what it would take for me to be able to do that. I first became aware of Avalon at least one year before I seriously contemplated entering the program. While I was subject to stress from my job and my relationship, I realized that my ways of dealing with these stressors were perhaps not the healthiest ways. You see I was becoming more and more bulimic interspersed with times of not eating at all. I weighed a mere 135 pounds and at 5 feet 9 inches I was unaware of how thin and unhealthy I truly was. (Not just physically but also mentally and emotionally.) It took a lot of courage for me to call and obtain the information regarding the program. I tried to figure out how I could go to the program, work and still be a mother and wife all at the same time. At that point I wasn't ready to put myself first and to commit to a healthy lifestyle because you see, I saw no other way. My view of what was important and possible was not broad enough for me to know any better. What transpired between the time of that first phone call and my actual admission to Avalon was complicated. When all other attempts to change my situation failed I decided to change myself in a way that I deemed necessary. I called Avalon and was admitted in a very short period of time. I needed help and I realized that I had to make decisions for myself because I, after all, knew myself better than anyone else. Enough of having others tell me how to "solve" my problems. I needed to find the solutions that would work for me. I needed to find myself and to get a real life. During my stay at Avalon I learned that it's safe to open up my heart, my mind and my soul and to take the time that I need to be healthy and strong. That it's okay to have feelings and that sitting with the discomfort is not always a bad thing. That I can tell others how I feel without falling apart and most importantly that I have choices to make about my life. In closing I must say that eating disorders are real. And while many of us have spent many years ignoring the signs and symptoms of the disorder, there comes a time when we must make a choice by reaching out (or having someone reach out for you) and entering into recovery. Avalon is just that place. A place where healing and connecting to yourself and others can begin to occur. I am living proof of the successes accomplished at Avalon as are many other patients who received treatment. Mary Jo | ||
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