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Co-Occurring Addiction with an Eating Disorder
Often the woman who arrives in California to stay with us at the Victorian is struggling with more than just an eating disorder. The woman may also be suffering from chemical dependency as well. Our staff understands that there are many women who struggle simultaneously with an eating disorder and an addiction. We will make sure the woman feels safe and nurtured in our comfortable and serene home setting and then we will caringly work with the woman to address the both behaviors.
It is actually quite common for a woman who needs treatment for anorexia, bulimia, or compulsive overeating to also cope with the underlying issue by abusing alcohol or drugs (the most rapidly growing area of drug abuse is prescription medication). When a woman suffers from an eating disorder and also has other destructive behaviors they are called co-occurring or co-morbid disorders, and the individual is known as having a dual diagnosis. Relapses, mood swings, and patterns of replacing one addiction with another (including sexual addiction or a shopping addiction) could indicate the existence of a dual diagnosis.
The Victorian is different than other eating disorder facilities because it is licensed and approved by the state of California to treat addiction as well as eating disorders. One of the benefits of the Victorian's affiliation with Sober Living by the Sea is that Sober Living by the Sea has been treating chemical dependency for over twenty three years in Newport Beach, CA. Sober Living by the Sea started gender specific programs almost 10 years ago, so the Victorian staff benefits greatly in being able to address issues of addiction has great knowledge about how women deal with alcoholism and drug addiction differently than men.
The Victorian's Approach to Co-Occurring Disorders
It won't be long after the woman arrives at the Victorian in Orange County, CA that our staff of caring experts will perform an initial assessment of the problem behaviors and begin addressing the client as a whole person. Not only will the eating disorder and the chemical dependency be addressed, but also the woman's experience in life which is what makes her special and unique. The Victorian staff looks at many factors that brought the woman to this point in her life including her:
- cultural background
- influence of society
- family
- value systems
- religious/spiritual traditions
After the initial assessment, the woman will balance her time between working with her counselor in one on one and group therapy sessions, and interacting with her housemates by doing positive, constructive, esteem building activities. There will also be 12-Step based recovery meetings which are hosted on site at the Victorian and the women also attend "outside" neighborhood meetings to strengthen their fellowship with other successfully recovering women in the area.
From the very beginning of the woman's stay our entire clinical staff will analyze the woman's initial assessment and history to create a specialized treatment program for the woman that addresses her specific needs.
The recommended minimum stay at the Victorian is 60 days. This is because for many women the first couple of weeks after they abstain from their addictive behaviors and eating disorders are spent adjusting to sobriety and abstinence. Some women describe thsi period as being somewhat "in a fog." Starting around the third week of treatment and continuing through the end of the second month there is usually remarkable healing and progress. The likelihood of long term abstinence is also greatly increased by a longer stay at the Victorian.
Continuing Care
Every woman works with her case manager to plan a responsible continuing care program that she can adhere to when she is ready to advance to the next stage of care. Our staff will always be a phone call away and our alumni and continuing care departments will closely monitor the woman's progress throughout the first year. We host a weekly Continuing Care Meeting on site in Orange County California which the woman is entitled to attend at any point in the future. Many women travel back to California to attend this meeting and celebrate a sobriety or abstinence milestone with us at our Newport Beach Continuing Care Meeting.
