| There is a great debate going on in Hollywood and | | | | overboard.Many times people who suffer from an |
| everywhere else U.S.A. | | | | addiction of some kind - alcohol, drugs, |
| Celebrities are being scrutinized more than ever. Make | | | | overeating, gambling etc., will substitute that vice for |
| that female celebrities:) And | | | | another intense activity, |
| in this ever growing fish bowl is the new celebrity | | | | addiction, or obsession. That is why it is not |
| target - Nicole Richie.In every celebrity magazine, | | | | recommended for people who are in a |
| every week, is a picture of Richie - looking quite thin - | | | | 12-step program to begin dating each other. Instead of |
| and bouncing about town in a new designer outfit and | | | | dealing with themselves, |
| handbag that seems to be a | | | | they just substitute the energy spent on getting drunk |
| bit bigger than she is:)It was even rumored that her | | | | or high on the new |
| dramatic weight loss and refusal to get help for it was | | | | relationship. Then the relationship becomes too intense, |
| the source of the tragic:) break-up between her and | | | | too fast, and fizzles out |
| her longtime friend Paris HIlton.But to be fair - Nicole | | | | quickly because there was no real foundation.Nicole |
| Richie has seriously transformed her life. She is the | | | | Richie may have simply substituted years of addiction |
| adopted | | | | with the compulsion to |
| daughter of a very public and tumultuous divorced | | | | control her life and feelings in other ways, and |
| couple - Lionel and Brenda | | | | controlling her intake of food is one |
| Richie. Probably the initial source of many of her | | | | way she may have chosen to take charge of her |
| emotional troubles.She battled her way back from a | | | | life.Of course this behavior can easily manifest itself |
| very tough alcohol and drug addiction through | | | | into a full-blown eating disorder, |
| rehab and lots of family and individual therapy.She | | | | because it is based on the principle of "control" where |
| landed a great reality television gig as Paris Hilton's | | | | these disorders usually begin.The Bottom Line?Well, the |
| partner in crime on The | | | | bottom line is that although she may have her reasons |
| Simple Life, and is the author of a fiction title: The | | | | - Nicole Richie is |
| Truth About Diamonds. She also | | | | way too thin - too skinny - much too petite. Hopefully, |
| is getting married to fiance DJ AM, and appears to be | | | | in spite of all the media |
| very happy in that | | | | attention to her weight - she will get the "real" kind of |
| relationship.Okay that sounds great - but isn't she just | | | | help and attention she needs |
| too skinny?While it is true that Nicole Richie looked | | | | from her friends and family, as well as direction from |
| unhealthy early on in The Simple LIfe and in | | | | a mental health professional |
| other celebrity pictures around that time - I wouldn't | | | | who can help her redirect her energy into more |
| necessarily have called her | | | | positive avenues.Good luck Nicole!Lisa Angelettie, |
| chubby. Instead I would say, she looked bloated. | | | | M.S.W., is a psychotherapist, author, and an online |
| Unhealthy from all of the poisons | | | | advice |
| she was ingesting, Richie has said in the past (such as | | | | authority. She has been helping people make smarter |
| on the Oprah show) that she | | | | life choices since 1998. |
| had been on an escalating path of alcohol and drug | | | | Visit her for Advice & Counseling, or take a free |
| abuse since the age of 13.When coming clean - it is | | | | Depression Screening today |
| very possible that Richie began an extremely | | | | at You can also Subscribe to the site's popular |
| disciplined | | | | self-help |
| exercise and diet regime to reclaim her health and | | | | ezine: "Better Choices". |
| control her life. And then went - | | | | |