[scar12346]

So lately it's been kind of hard for me. I've been trying to follow a normal diet and I've been trying to not make myself sick buuut every time I walk into my toilet or I smell my finger I get this urge. And honestly I am fighting so damn much to not do it but in the same time.. it's there. How do I beat this?

[eskielover]

Hmmmm I wonder if putting that horrible tasting stuff or cayenne pepper on your finger would discourage that urge ( hopefully not make it worse). It takes time & not doing something for a longer period on time to program a behavior out of the mind & reprogram it with positive behavior.

I would find something good/positive to distract myself with every time the thought popped into my mind....watch a dVD you really like....good distraction for several hours....or get involved with a craft like knitting or painting that uses your hands in a positive way....just some thoughts

[pinkflower17]

It sounds kind of crazy and I don't know your living situation or if it would be practical for you, but for greater than a year, I had signs in my bathroom over the toilet that said things like "walk away", "you don't want to do this" etc.

I also agree with the poster who suggested keeping your hands busy. I personally took up knitting and DIY decorating crafts I found on Pinterest. For me, when the urges are really strong, I just have to leave the situation - go for a walk, go to a bookstore, the library, a friend's house, even just a drive, something to get me out of the situation.

They say urges are like waves and studies show they last approx. 20 minutes. So if you can tell yourself to ride it out for 20 minutes, the urge will likely dissipate or at least lesson.

for a while, I also had a list of "alternative things to do" posted in a prominent place in my house- read a book for fifteen minutes, watch a movies for 15 minutes, knit for 15, work on e-mail, work stuff, a project, cleaning, going for a walk, for 15 minutes. Whatever distraction techniques work for you. I had an agreement with my therapist once I was out patient that if I did three of the things on my list and still wanted to purge, I had the green light. This may not work for everyone, but for me, it gave me some control back, I didn't feel like I was losing so much of myself and probably 90-95% of the time, by the end of the three activities, I no longer wanted to purge, it had passed.

I don't know if any of this helps, but I hope something does. I know how hard it is to beat those urges.

Hang in there.

[LaDauphine]

Look at pictures of rotten teeth! The long term harm caused to your teeth from purging isn't pretty!

The desire to purge is all about control and wanting to be RID of something so substitute it with something positive you can control and something unnecessary you can throw away! For example, clean something very meticulous. I grab a cotton ball and nail polish remover and I go over my apartment tile by tile or board by board because it gets out all of the flecked paint and serious stains in the cracks. I also do it around the trim because I HATE having paint on the floor. Getting control over every square inch gives you a sense of control that's euphoric! Also, throw out some old papers, makeup, whatever. Just to compensate for that desire to purge. All of these are more productive and beneficial options.

Hang in there, X0.