Following doctor's orders
By Dawn Basham
My childhood dream was to become an actress and a singer, so when I was accepted to a prestigious performing arts school in New York City, I was ecstatic. I could hardly wait to start making my dreams come true. During my first year, I had a single dorm room and I thought I had lucked out. But I soon learned that being on my own made it harder to make friends, and after a few weeks, I felt lonely and depressed. I started drinking, smoking and eating to make myself feel better, and although it perked me up for a while, in the end I felt worse. I gained weight and felt helpless as the pounds piled on. The following year I had roommates, and although it helped alleviate my loneliness, I continued to overeat. By the time I finished my two-year drama course, I had gained 30 pounds.
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