Falling into the deep hole of Anorexia

I think that one of the scariest things about anorexia is that you really can't see it coming. You can't feel yourself developing it and once you realise you have it,  it is far too late. The damage is already done and this damage is extremely hard to undo. Just like a hole in the ground that is hidden by leaves and undergrowth, often a person doesn't even know that it is there until they fall right to the bottom of the hole. It happens so fast that the person falling only realises that something terrible has happened when they hit the ground at the bottom of the hole. For me, it only took about 6 months to go from being a perfectly healthy and bubbly 17 year old girl to being a miserable and very sick girl suffering from Anorexia.

Some people can never get out of the hole as they have simply fallen too far in. Others may be able to eventually climb out of the hole but it takes a lot of time and a lot of strength to do so. Initially I thought that the hole I had fallen into was impossible to climb out of but now I realise It is possible, it will just take a long time and a lot of strength to do it. So far it has taken me 3 years to get to where I am in my recovery and I know I still have a long way to go before I reach the top and recover completely.

The point I am trying to get at is that if you suspect you could be developing an unhealthy relationship with food, try to get help before you develop this awful illness and fall deep into the hole of anorexia. Also, if you suspect someone you care about may be developing anorexia, don't wait until they have developed the illness entirely before getting help for them. The longer a person Is sick, the more powerful their anorexic voice becomes and the harder it is for them to recover. It is a known fact that early intervention is very important and can often determine the recovery outcomes of a patient.

I can not stress enough just how serious Anorexia is. More people die from anorexia than any other mental illness because it is so hard to fight. It has a higher mortality rate then some cancers and also has very few treatment options as very little is understood about it. Dont risk developing this awful disease as it WILL ruin your life (well at least a significant part of it anyway). Please, trust me when I say that there is nothing good about having anorexia.

I wish that I could somehow show everyone just how awful it it to have anorexia because then I think they would take extra precautions to avoid developing the disease. If only someone had been able to explain to me how awful Anorexia is when I was becoming obsessed with food and weight, perhaps I would have been able to stop myself from falling down the hole. I may have been able to see the hole coming and stepped over the top of it, instead of falling into it.

I never imagined just how terrible anorexia could possibely be until I was going through it. It wasn't until I suddenly had no control and was unable to eat anything at all that I new something was wrong.  By then, the damage had allready been done. I had developed anorexia and had no choice but to start fighting for my life to get out of the hole and survive.