What is
Recovery Writes?
Recovery Writes is a creative community for anyone and everyone who struggles or has struggled with disordered eating and body image.
In this safe and supportive space, we’ll explore the conversations we have with ourselves, with our eating disorders, and with those around us, and build a community of love for ourselves and for others.
Who is it for?
Recovery Writes is for anyone who:
has engaged or thinks they have engaged in disordered eating
is considering recovery
is currently in recovery
is living a recovered life
isn’t sure where they are, but simply wants to explore their relationships with self-image, body, food, and exercise
What will I do?
As part of this FREE community, you’ll get writing prompts that will help you put your thoughts and feelings on paper.
These writing prompts are intended to help you discover the roles food, exercise, and body image play in your life, and help you work your way through these challenges at your own pace.
What if I’m not a ‘writer’?
Never written before? Don’t worry!
The writing prompts are simply guides to help you start exploring thoughts and feelings surrounding your self-image.
Anything you feel like (or don’t feel like) writing will be for your eyes only. Open a blank page and express yourself however you feel the creativity comes to you, whether through writing, doodling, list-making, bullet journaling, or painting.
Who’s behind Recovery Writes?
Hi, I’m Allie.
Welcome to Recovery Writes!
By age 21, my fixation on fitness and health had crossed the line into dangerous behaviors. I was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa and, like most people with eating disorders, I eventually cycled through bulimia nervosa, orthorexia nervosa, and exercise bulimia. The thought of recovery, which meant letting go of control, was too terrifying to ever consider a reality.
By sitting myself in front of an open notebook or open doc, I’ve been writing my way through my recovery, finding the ability to put into words the thoughts and feelings that I wasn’t able to articulate in sessions with my treatment team.
Through writing, I can be unabashedly honest, free of self-consciously stumbling over my words, and able to express myself at times when my mind and my mouth couldn’t quite connect.
I’ve created Recovery Writes to encourage others who are struggling with food and body image to find hope and solace on the page and to feel less alone while embroiled in the isolation of an eating disorder.
When I’m not writing, I’m fawning over every dog I see, going for walks in nature, attempting crossword puzzles, or digging into a good memoir.
Eating disorders awareness & advocacy
In 2010, I was asked to share my story at a congressional briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
In front of a room of Eating Disorders Coalition (EDC) members and members of the U.S. Congress—including Representative Patrick J. Kennedy—I spoke about the injustices I faced in tseeking qualified and affordable treatment for my eating disorder. I explained how legislation could help the millions of people with eating disorders access the care they need to survive the second-deadliest mental illness in the United States.