Soon she was eating peaches cooked in brandy, onion rings in beer batter, mussels in sherry. We told her that we didn't approve, and tried to get her counseling, but nothing helped. Her use of food was now daily. She ate in the bathroom. She ate in the car on the way to school.
Experts recommend intravenous feeding as an alternative to food consumption.
Intravenous tubes attached to a plastic bag worn around the waist can supply all necessary calories and vitamins. Nutrition taken in this fashion comes in measured doses, and avoids the sudden rushes when large amounts of sugar cross the brain barrier at once. And since intravenous feeding never allows hunger to develop, it avoids reinforcing consumptive behavior. She straightened out, and since then, she's been food and drug free. She points to stretch marks on her stomach that may never fade.