In our new series “On the Table,” we explore the various ways eating disorders and body image-related issues can impact a person in daily life, through the lens of one young woman who has experienced these struggles firsthand. This month, our Social Media Editor explores the possibility of full recovery from an eating disorder.
Eating disorders affect over 30 million Americans. But despite being treatable illnesses, less than 60 percent of people with eating disorders recover. But what does it mean to fully recover, and is it really possible" It depends on who you ask.
With alcoholism and drug addiction, it’s widely believed that the recovery process is lifelong. I can?t speak to this personally, as I?ve (thankfully) never struggled with substance abuse, but I have battled an eating disorder of varying levels of severity for the past 16 years. And with eating disorders, there’s been an ongoing debate on whether a person can recover fully, or will be in recovery for his or her whole life. How is recovering from an eating disorder different from someone with alcoholism who is thought to be in recovery for their entire life"

I’ve witnessed this idea of full recovery through friends and peers I’ve met in treatment and in the recovery community. Something I’ve always struggled with, though, is that not only does ?full recovery? look different for everyone, but also that even in a case of full recovery, that person must genera...