A little over a year ago I got the genius idea to help speed up my weight loss was to use laxatives. I lived at home at the time though and I never really used them, partly because they scared me and partly because I didn't want the whole house knowing what I was doing. Since I have moved out though the past 8 or 9 months they have been consuming me. Whenever I eat all I can think about is taking my laxi, whenever I go places it's soo hard for me not to pull them out of my bag. I feel gross and disgusting taking them and I think of them as my punishment. Like, I couldn't control my eating so I must take my pills and suffer. I know this is distorted thinking and I have tried a counselor at my school but I felt as though she was not much help. I don't know what to do anymore, I know I need to tell someone who can help me with it but I don't feel they would understand. I don't feel anyone understands or even knows how I truly feel. I just don't know what to do, any advice would be awesome.
Thanks
Answer on I don't know how to stop using laxatives?
Wow sadly I totally get what you mean because I abused laxatives for about two years. I was anorexic for the first year of that and became so dependent on them it was hard to quit. Ok, well first of all the counselor probably doesn't get that question a lot and doesn't know how to help exactly. I think most people don't realize that it's as much of a mental issue as a physical issue. When I was taking them I had convinced myself that I needed them, that I was constipated ( not true and probably tmi sorry), and that I would die of starvation if I didn't take them because I would be to full of s**t to eat. I know it's stupid and very ironic that an anorexic person would be worried about starving to death yet barely eat, it just goes to show it really is a mental illness. Second you should know that laxatives will damage your guts ( damages the lining and muscles) if you take to much so you really are hurting your self. Also they won't make you lose weight, people like to think they will but your food is already mostly digested by the time it hits the large intestine where the laxatives speed it up so it doesn't get digested as much. So in short it may make you absorb a few less calories but really won't help much. As for quitting, the best thing to do is just take less and less over time, kind of wean your self off them and eat lots of fiber. Finally I have to say that that is very disordered behavior and if you think you might have an eating disorder please talk to someone, that sounds bad. Ok I'm done! Sorry this is so long, it just that I can relate to this and you sounded like you really needed some advice. Best wishes!
