Paulina Pinsky, 21, has admitted her battle with bulimia and anorexia. Paulina is the daughter of Celebrity Rehab host, Dr. Drew, who specializes in addictions. The news broke out just in time for National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

The revelation was done in an essay posted on the Columbia Daily Spectator website wherein Paulina wrote about her 7-year struggle with eating disorders. She said that she felt pressured by many people around her – even by her own mother – to be a perfect girl. Indeed, Paulina seemed to be the perfect girl from the outside. She was a competitive ice skater, a cheerleader, and got good grades in school. Inside, however, she was suffering from the pressure of being perfect.

Paulina also said that she told her mother that she has been throwing up since seventh grade. After a long silence, her mother finally responded with “Well, get your teeth checked.”

It came to a point when Paulina would throw up eight times in a day just to handle the stress of living at home during spring break. She said that her mother’s perfectionism was one of the causes of her low self-esteem and purging. It was then that she got scared and finally took action to recover.

Paulina is currently in her junior year at Barnard College. Just this month, she hosted the Body Positivity Week in school, which consisted of different activities, such as photo shoots, yoga sessions, and talks about eating disorders. She is a year and a half into recovery from her eating disorders and has been learning how to have a functional relationship with her mother.

According to Dr. Drew’s statement, he is proud of his daughter for having the courage to recognize that she needed help with her condition. He also recognized and praised his daughter’s actions to help others and empower women who are suffering from eating disorders.

Paulina Pinsky talks about her struggle

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