College students beware – there is a new eating disorder trend making its way across campuses – drunkorexia. Officially, this is not a medical term, just slang, but it appears to me an amalgam of anorexia nervosa, bulimia and alcohol abuse.
What is drunkorexia? Generally women, usually college-aged, and often binge drinkers, who starve all day to offset any of the calories in the alcohol they consume. Failing that, they just purge the alcohol afterwards to avoid absorbing the calories.
Nice, huh? Especially when you consider that, for some women, alcohol is the only thing they consume all day. Others add cocaine or amphetamines to decrease the feelings of hunger.
The potential consequences are frightening. Women are more likely to become dependent on alcohol and to suffer from physical and sexual abuse while intoxicated. Studies also have linked drinking to higher incidences of breast cancer.
After all, drinking alcohol is still relatively hip at most college campuses, and once you combine that with the cultural obsession with being skinny, you’ve got a dangerous combination. If someone you know is struggling with drunkorexia, then help them find treatment at a clinic that not only specializes in eating disorders, but offers a dual diagnosis substance abuse program as well.
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