Eating Disorders are serious emotional and physical problems that can have life-threatening consequences for both males and females.

Often our society overlooks the reality that there are so many individuals suffering silently with an eating disorder. Eating Disorders -- such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder -- include extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding weight and food issues. The most common are bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. Compulsive overeating/binge eating is also an eating disorder that is very common.

A Bridge to Recovery and psychiatrist /author Dr. Deborah Gross are pleased to announce a new program!

Food and Feelings IOP for Women™

Food and Feelings IOP for women is scientifically sound, gender responsive, multidisciplinary care for women with eating disorders.

Q: Women who can benefit from “Food and Feelings IOP for Women” are those with:

•  Eating disorders or compulsive overeating
•  Bariatric surgery who  abuse alcohol or drugs
•  Eating disorder and addictive disorder
•  Need for step-down after residential treatment for these problems
•  Eating disorder and relationship/sex addiction/trauma issues who need gender specific treatment

Q:  How does the program work?

•  Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights 5:45-8:45
•  Comfortable, inviting treatment rooms
•  Individual therapy once weekly, scheduled by client
•  Weekly individual meetings with Registered Dietitian
•  Psychiatry/Addictionology evaluation, with follow-up as needed
•  Family groups every Tuesday night
•  Aftercare and monitoring available
•  Assessment, intervention, and residential/inpatient referral service available
•  Serene, recovery-oriented housing available for out of town referrals

Q:  How involved is the referring doctor or therapist?

•  Input from the referent is both encouraged and respected
•  Level of involvement determined by the referent and the client

The eating disorder intensive outpatient program meets on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:45 - 8:45. Groups take place in our comfortable, inviting treatment rooms. Clients have individual meetings with the Registered Dietician. Family Group meets every Tuesday night. Clients have access to Dr. Gross, our Psychiatrist/Addictionologist with follow ups if needed. A Bridge to Recovery also offers an aftercare group on Mondays.

What is Sexual Addiction?

The National Council on Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity has defined sexual addiction as: “engaging in persistent and escalating patterns of sexual behavior acted out despite increasing negative consequences to self and others.” In other words, a sex addict will continue to engage in certain sexual behaviors despite facing potential health risks, financial problems, shattered relationships or even arrests. Sexual addiction is defined as any sexually-related, compulsive behavior which interferes with normal living and causes severe stress on family, friends, loved ones, and one's work environment.

Sexual addiction is a progressive intimacy disorder characterized by compulsive sexual thoughts and acts. Like all addictions, its negative impact on the addict and on family members increases as the disorder progresses.

Characteristics of a sex addict:

•  Loss of control over the activity
•  The behavior has become compulsive and the person has lost the ability to stop when he or she wishes, although they may not admit this to themselves or others. They may have tried to stop over time but cannot do so.
•  Continuation despite negative consequences, including relationship problems, job loss, health or legal concerns.

Preoccupation or obsession

The addict spends large, often increasing amounts of time thinking about, planning, or actually doing the behavior to the detriment of relationships, family life, or work.

Sex Addiction is a Process Addiction

Sexual addiction is known as a process addiction, as opposed to a substance addiction like alcohol or drugs. In a process addiction, the euphoric feeling (or high) comes from chemicals released into the brain, rather than from an external source. As the mind becomes accustomed to the release of these chemicals, it searches out the continued sources of that high.

Codependency - What is it?

Codependency is when a person has a strong desire to control people around them, including their spouse, children or co-workers.

They feel compassion for people who may be hurting and feel they should be the one to help them. Codependent people give of their time, emotions, finances, and other resources. They have a very difficult time saying "no" to any requests made of them.

Codependency - A Matter of Control

Codependency, for others, doesn't express itself in a desire to control, but instead, in the need to be controlled by others. Because it is nearly impossible for Codependents to say "no" to people, they may find themselves the victims in physically and emotionally abusive relationships. They believe that if they can be good enough, or loving enough, they can change the other person's behavior. They sometimes blame themselves for the abusive behavior: "If only I had not forgotten to do the dishes, he would not have had to hit me.

A treatment plan is not complete until the Family is involved and that is why A Bridge to Recovery places such a strong emphasis on this vital dynamic. Since addiction is a family disease the healing that takes place in recovery permeates the family system too. Unfortunately many family members never join the recovery process and become lost when the healing changes take place.

We at A Bridge to Recovery are invested in the family program as a pivotal part of the treatment and recovery process. It is our belief that families must be given the opportunity to heal and develop the tools necessary to successfully negotiate the tenuous dynamic changes that take place during recovery. We believe that addiction is a family disease and recovery is a process of family healing.