Many young women start using cocaine as a way to suppress appetite and feel good about them self. This can be at the core of an eating disorder. It has been our experience that the food issues come up even more after sobriety because they are not being suppressed with the substance. It is wonderful that your daughter is sober. This is the first step. She can have a normal life, especially because she is addressing both of these issues now. This is the time for her to focus on recovery so she can have a normal life. I would suggest the following to your daughter:

1. Attend 12-step support meeting and find a sponsor she can also talk to about the food issues also. It is dependent on the person to continue sobriety and every college has 12-step meeting close.

2. Depending on the severity of the eating disorder it may be advisable for a visit with a medical doctor, therapist, and/or registered dietitian who specializes in eating disorders, or an outpatient eating disorder program.

This can be a hard time for a mother. It is hard to make a 20-year-old do the things she needs to do to be healthy. It must come from her. You can love and support her, but this is the time to let professionals and sponsors lead your daughter to recovery. Al-anon can be a great place to see how other families are coping and what really helps our love ones. You can find meetings at www.al-anon.alateen.org and you can find more information about treatment for eating disorders at www.rebeccashouse.org.