I’d never heard of a “Sober Coach” until watching VH1’s “Sober House.” In the last episode (I think), Will, who is Seth’s Sober Coach, accompanies him to his first concert and make sure that nothing happens to jeopardize his sobriety. While watching this I thought, “Well that’s convenient — I could use someone protecting me from anything eating disordered.”

Upon thinking about it a little more, though, I wasn’t sure what this Anti-ED Coach would protect me from. Would he make sure no one served me diet coke? Or that we only went to public places with healthy-weight people? Or would he stand outside the bathroom (any bathroom) and make me count? Okay, so maybe the idea was silly.

However, then I went and Googled “Sober Coach,” and found a website that explains what a sober coach does. Wow, they do a lot… they really seem like “life coaches” to me. If I had to adapt the list from this website for eating disorders, it would look something like this:

1. 24 Hour Crisis Support
   1. Phone support available 24 hours a day, 5 days a week.
   2. Education on how to ask for help.
2. Daily, Weekly, & Weekend Planning
   1. Creating an hour by hour schedule when necessary.
   2. Learning to deal with free time and/or unstructured time.
   3. Establishing weekly goals.
3. Physical Well-Being
   1. Nutritional consulting.
   2. Support with eating disorder issues.
   3. Support for anxiety and depression.
   4. Creating a personalized self-care plan (acupuncture, yoga, body coach, personal trainers, etc.)
4. Career / Academic Guidance
   1. Finding a job / volunteer work / internship.
   2. Support with changing careers.
5. Fun / Passion / Purpose
   1. Learning how to have fun & explore different hobbies.
   2. How to build fun into weekly schedule.
   3. Finding one’s own aspirations and dreams.
6. Recovery Support
   1. Help in finding appropriate treatment.
   2. Daily relapse prevention plan.
   3. Support in establishing healthy friendships and relationships.
7. Team Approach
   1. Works with psychiatrists, therapists, dietitians, and outpatient programs to provide a team approach.
   2. Referrals to various professionals as needed.

If you look at the original website, you’ll see that I didn’t have to add much. If Sober Coaches really do all of the above, that’s pretty amazing. I need someone to educate me on “how to ask for help” and “how to deal with free time and/or unstructured time” ! I also like the idea of someone coordinating things with a treatment team. I think that often professionals don’t work well as a team or they don’t necessarily consider the input of the patient (when appropriate). It’s a nice thought to think you could have someone advocating on your behalf in those meetings…

I realize that this is probably realistic, but it’s an interesting thought. An Anti-ED Coach could play a role that I don’t think really exists right now in treatment. Many of these responsibilities don’t fall under the job description of your doctor, therapist, or dietitian. It’s tricky relying on your spouse / family members to serve all of these functions, too, because they all don’t necessarily mess with the nature of the relationship. For instance, if I’m having a bad night and freaking out about something food-related, I don’t really want to make my fiance listen to my possibly irrational rant about calories. At the same time, though, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to call or email my dietitian about this, either.

I am fortunate enough to have ED friends in recovery who can support me and give me advice during tough times, but that’s still a different relationship that with a Sober or Anti-ED Coach. You always have to consider if you are hurting or triggering the friend with your ED thoughts and behaviors.