Month: February 2015

The life of a professional model can be a stressful one, and professional models are known to struggle mentally with the pressures that fall on them. Addiction is not an uncommon thing among professional models, and many of them get caught up in substance abuse and addiction in an attempt to cope. However, most responsible adults know that addiction is not a sustainable way of coping with life stress because it ultimately ends up putting more strain on a person than it does provide them with relief. Some of the more commonly abused substances in the world of professional modeling are prescription medication, street drugs and food.

Prescription medications become addictive to models for several reasons. One reason is because some of them have the ability to manage a person’s weight, which is very desirable in the eyes of a model. Another reason is because they can have anxiety reducing effects or sleep inducing effects. A model’s career can be stressful, and mood controlling medications often become a weakness of theirs.

Street drugs off the black market can also have a tempting lure to professional models. Drugs like cocaine and opiates have weight loss effects on many people and are abused for that purpose. Some professional models have a taste for the party lifestyle, which cocaine and ecstasy become a favorite for. Cocaine also gives a burst of energy that an overworked model will tend to abuse.

And lastly, it may not seem logical that models would develop a food addiction because weight management is so critical to their careers, but food addictions are more complicated than many people believe. A person can have a food addiction without being overweight. Obsessive behavior toward food, regardless of what type of food or the size of the portions, can be considered an addiction.

If you or someone you know is a professional model struggling with substance abuse, it is important to receive help before the habit takes a heavy toll. Contact an addiction and substance abuse specialist today to learn about your treatment options.

Professional models have a great deal of pressure and expectations on their shoulders, and not all of them cope in healthy ways. Some give in to addictions and substance abuse, while others develop eating disorders due to low self image. Eating disorders are perhaps the most commonly known mental condition that professional models struggle with because the weight requirements in their profession are so stringent. Some of the more common eating disorders that professional models struggle with are anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder.

Anorexia is a condition that involves withholding food. A person with anorexia denies themselves essential calories in order to avoid weight gain. Anorexia develops for a number of reasons that result in the individual always feeling too overweight. It is not hard to imagine why professional models are prone to this condition. Designers, managers, agents and photographers can be very critical of a professional model’s figure to the point that they are struggling mentally because of it.

Bulimia is another type of eating disorder in which the individual purges what they eat. Anything more than a few bites of light food will send them straight to the bathroom to throw up. A person with bulimia will often try to keep up the appearance of being healthy by eating large quantities and portions, but as soon as no one is around they will take the first opportunity they can to vomit the food back up. This disorder is also caused by a low perception of one’s weight.

Binge eating disorder is a condition that is characterized by periods of compulsive overeating. Unlike bulimia, binge eating disorder does not involve purging. Instead, a person may go for long periods eating small amounts, but when something triggers their condition, such as a stressful life event, they attempt to cope with maniacal overeating. Their binge habit is like a security blanket and when they cannot deal with the world, they gorge themselves with food to hide from it. Binge eating disorders occur in many people who had food withheld from them as children.