The co-occurrence of eating disorders and substance use is high — by some studies up to 50% of clients with eating disorders also have a substance use disorder, and vice versa. The conditions share underlying mechanisms (control, regulation, shame, identity), and treating one without the other rarely produces sustained recovery. RECO Intensive's eating-disorder track is medically aware and clinically integrated.
What eating disorders we treat
- Anorexia Nervosa — restrictive food intake with significant medical risk
- Bulimia Nervosa — binge-purge cycles
- Binge Eating Disorder (BED) — recurrent binges without purging
- OSFED (Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder) — clinical patterns that don't fit a single diagnosis but cause significant impairment
- Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) — when present and co-occurring
- Sub-threshold disordered eating — that contributes meaningfully to the addiction picture
How RECO treats eating disorders + addiction together
Medical safety first
Eating disorders carry significant medical risk — cardiac, electrolyte, renal, dental, GI. Our medical team conducts thorough screening at intake and continues monitoring through treatment. For clients with acute medical instability, we coordinate higher-level eating-disorder care before transitioning into integrated addiction work; safety is non-negotiable.
Coordinated clinical team
Our nutritionist works alongside the primary therapist, psychiatric provider, and (when appropriate) outside eating-disorder specialists. The treatment plan integrates food, body, substance, and the underlying drivers as one coordinated picture.
Evidence-based therapy modalities
CBT is well-supported for binge eating and bulimia. DBT for the emotional dysregulation that drives both eating-disorder and substance-use patterns. EMDR when trauma is layered. Family-systems work when family dynamics around food or body are part of the picture.
Nutrition recovery as clinical work
Our Nutrition group and Food Assistance Program are structured for clients with disordered relationships to food. The goal is sustainable nourishment, not perfection — and the work includes the deeper relational and identity material around food and body.
Who this track serves
Clients with active eating-disorder behaviors alongside substance use. Clients whose eating disorder predated their substance use and remained unaddressed in prior treatment. Clients whose substance use emerged as a substitute for restrictive or compensatory eating behaviors. Anyone whose food-related struggles are entangled with their addiction.
Why RECO's approach is different
Many addiction programs decline eating-disorder clients or treat the eating disorder as out of scope. Many eating-disorder programs aren't equipped for active addiction. We offer integrated care for the population that has historically fallen between the two — with medical infrastructure, clinical training, and coordination to do it safely. Where acute eating-disorder care is needed first, we facilitate that and integrate the addiction work as soon as it's safe.