Is all purging bad?

I don't know if this is what you want to hear but yes, it is bad. Like you say it is addictive. One minute you are doing it once a week then before you know it ten times a day. It's a downward sprial.

In addition to this it is very dangerous. I have nearly died and spent time in general hospital as well as psych wards and a specialist eating disorder ward as a result.

I really really hope you are able to stop this before you get in even deeper, but as part of damage limitation, please see your doctor. Purging can kill. Probably the most dangerous thing about it is that it messes with your electrolytes (e.g. potassium) which can cause sudden death from heart problems. I have to take potassium supplements three times a day to counteract this and even still I am in danger. I was about to say that I am not saying this to scare you, but actually I AM. I wish I could go back and stop this earlier before it was such a stubborn addiction to get out of.

Oh and it doesn't really even work either. If you do it then you tend to start to "allow" yourself to binge, knowing that you can get it all out afterwards. You can only get like 50% out even if you try really hard. So a lot of people who binge and purge actually gain weight.

PLEASE take care xx

@Ellen01109698 - As others have said, no, purging really isn't ever a good idea. In additional to the harm that it does your body, it also starts a cycle. In general, if you respond to binges with purging or restricting, it trains your body to binge again. If instead after a binge you take the time to understand why it happened / what the triggers were, then forgive yourself and move forward focusing on eating healthy but full meals the next day, you're more likely to prevent a repeat.

If you want to talk at all, feel free to PM me. And either way, take care and stay strong - you can beat this.