Dr. Jaynee Cadrez
Recent highly-publicized events surrounding well-known supermodels and
public drug usage has confirmed what every fashion insider already knows:
cocaine abuse exists in the fashion industry at every level, from the glamorous
catwalks to exotic photo shoots.
It's no secret that many models use cocaine. However, this is not necessarily just
recreational drug use. It is drug use with end-game in mind - to stay thin,
whatever the costs. Essentially they are using narcotics in order to compete
within their profession - much like a truck driver might do in order to stay
up all night and thereby make more deliveries. Worse yet, the usage
parallels even the performance-enhancing drug usage aspect of professional
athletes in scandal-ridden Major League Baseball.
There is enormous pressure within the fashion/modeling industry to stay
thin. These pressures then can quite clearly lend themselves to suggesting -
or even requiring - participants take a substance well-known for suppressing
appetite as a side-effect. In this way, the harmful medical side-effects of
a recreational drug are seen as the benefit. This change of focus results
then in a somewhat new phenomenon: the eating disorder as a creation of drug
use.
At Cirque Lodge, we treat individuals that are dealing with dual-diagnosis and need the privacy of the mountains and the confidentiality that we are known for world-wide. The professional staff, both at the Lodge and Studio, working directly with women's issues have experience in both chemical addiction and the treatment of eating disorders. We accommodate the individualized needs of those dealing with these deadly addictions allowing for a recovery model that addresses both the primary and secondary disease concurrently.
We understand that the women in image conscious professions work incredibly hard, and may feel that the drugs they take are a requisite for success in the fashion industry. Cirque Lodge addresses the after-care needs of those that will be challenged to abuse cocaine to stay thin or continue their eating disorder behavior long after they stop abusing drugs.
Unfortunately, there are many people who, for the sake of business and
image, will stop at nothing to exploit beautiful young women. Worse still is
the connection these young women then have with the everyday women and girls
who read the magazines and see the commercials. Cocaine becomes methodology
- cocaine becomes a tool.
While models may strut down the catwalk with confidence, some are insecure
backstage. Cocaine is yet another device to help control self-doubt and
boost self-esteem. Are young women readers any different? Will they not see
cocaine as way to improve their own negative self-image? It not only raises
their ego by virtue of the narcotic effect, but the resultant weight loss is
then viewed as an added bonus. In truth, the lack of sleep and proper
nutrition that comes with an addiction creates lifelong problems - not to
mention the social and financial burden that comes with being an addict.
Time at the top of the fashion industry is not a long one. Many models rely
on cocaine to keep weight off in a brutal trade that will not forgive aging
or natural weight progression. Understanding this motivation can help us see
why younger and younger women are turning to the drug as a weapon against
pressure - from peers, from the opposite sex and from the media. The most
beautiful women in the world are susceptible to this pressure. It's our mission
to understand and counter that pressure to help free all women from its grip.
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