yr just swopping one for the other... lots of people with an ed self harm too..or used to..or maybe turn to drink sometimes in place of not eating or purging..

You're trading one addiction for another hun. It's like, with me, if I cut, my anorexia gets better, but if I stop cutting, my anorexia gets worse.

You have to learn to deal with both of them at the same time, so that you stop just switching back and forth.

Yep, I recently went without bingeing for a month and I started picking my skin. I had scabs all over my arms - gross! It's like whatever the underlying issue is needs it's little outlet - bingeing, restricting, drugs, cutting, drinking, shopping, whatever. They're all the same; forms of self-medication or ways to escape negative emotions. Supposedly, the answer is to fix the underlying issue.

I have not done that yet; I haven't even completely identified it. It's hard.

yes like everyone said its just one coping mechanism traded for another... its all the same thing....

Yah ... I'm right there with GiselleSylphide, if I eat, I punish myself by cutting. Fortunately I've worked with my therapist to get myself up 1200 calories a day (up from a limit of 800 before that), but it's really hard and I feel so bad about eating that much.

I guess for me it's either restricting or cutting, just trading one addition for the other like others have mentioned. Good luck to you and hugs :)