TimmyHDrunkorexia
June 26th 2008 04:12
Drunkorexia is the latest in the buzzwords to begin popping up on blogs, Websites and in the print media. The term refers to the dangerous cocktail of behaviours including self-imposed starvation, bingeing and purging combined with alcohol abuse.
Although not an official medical term, it indicates a troubling link between the addiction and eating disorder phenomena. The most common “Drunkorexics” are high school and university aged binge drinkers, usually women, who starve themselves all day before binge drinking.
Some do it to offset the calories they consume in alcohol, some because it means they don’t have to drink as much in order to achieve the same level of inebriation. The term has also been associated with serious eating disorders like bulimia, which often involves bingeing on food and alcohol before purging. More simply, it can be a matter of cost for some women. They drink less and hence don’t need to spend as much money on alcohol.
Anorexia is often associated with drugs taking and sporadic alcohol consumption. Some Anorexics severely restrict their calorie intake and hence some try to avoid alcohol. However, others use alcohol to calm themselves before eating or after food consumption because of the associated guilt.
Some women are afraid to eat anything, even a grape, but can happily throw down a schooner or two. That’s why most rehabilitation centres now demand that patients with eating disorders are also treated for their drug and alcohol consumption.
Dr. Bunnell, former president of the American Eating Disorders Association, says that the obsession with being thin and the social acceptance of binge drinking and drug abuse are partly to blame. So to, is the media’s portrayal of celebrities and drug rehabilitation.
Bunnell says that eating disorders and drug abuse are glorified in the media, “Binge drinking is almost cool and hip, and losing weight and being thin is a cultural imperative for young women in the Western World. Mixing both is not surprising, and it has reached a tipping point in terms of public awareness.”
Eating disorders and drug and alcohol abuse are often problems rooted in a person’s childhood. They commonly develop as a result of neglect, sexual abuse or forms of mental anguish. There are many versions of the conditions including Manorexia, Orthorexia, Diabulimia and Binge Eating Disorder. The later refers to obsessive overeating and can be just as dangerous as purging.
Many bulimics who drink alcohol use it to assist in purging. Liquids are easier to bring up than solid foods. So many bulimics will drink on an empty stomach and then purge everything.
Binge drinking and alcohol abuse are on the rise amongst young women, who are also more likely than men to develop eating disorders. Around a third of bulimics struggle with alcohol and drugs and about a quarter have substance abuse problems.
A growing number of studies are examining the link between eating disorders and substance abuse. There is a suggestion that the two practices stimulate the same pleasure centres in the brain. Suzette M. Evans, a professor of clinical neuroscience at Columbia, recently began a study of the connection between bulimia and substance abuse.
“People are finally beginning to realize that food can function in the same way as drugs and alcohol,” she said.
The problem is that treatments are very different. While treating an addict involves abstaining from the practice, this is impossible with food. As Dr. Kevin Wandler, the vice president for medical services at Remuda Ranch explains, “Eating normally would be an effective behaviour, but it’s easier to give up alcohol and drugs because you never need it again. If your drug is food, that’s a challenge.”
Although not an official medical term, it indicates a troubling link between the addiction and eating disorder phenomena. The most common “Drunkorexics” are high school and university aged binge drinkers, usually women, who starve themselves all day before binge drinking.
Some do it to offset the calories they consume in alcohol, some because it means they don’t have to drink as much in order to achieve the same level of inebriation. The term has also been associated with serious eating disorders like bulimia, which often involves bingeing on food and alcohol before purging. More simply, it can be a matter of cost for some women. They drink less and hence don’t need to spend as much money on alcohol.
Anorexia is often associated with drugs taking and sporadic alcohol consumption. Some Anorexics severely restrict their calorie intake and hence some try to avoid alcohol. However, others use alcohol to calm themselves before eating or after food consumption because of the associated guilt.
Some women are afraid to eat anything, even a grape, but can happily throw down a schooner or two. That’s why most rehabilitation centres now demand that patients with eating disorders are also treated for their drug and alcohol consumption.
Dr. Bunnell, former president of the American Eating Disorders Association, says that the obsession with being thin and the social acceptance of binge drinking and drug abuse are partly to blame. So to, is the media’s portrayal of celebrities and drug rehabilitation.
Bunnell says that eating disorders and drug abuse are glorified in the media, “Binge drinking is almost cool and hip, and losing weight and being thin is a cultural imperative for young women in the Western World. Mixing both is not surprising, and it has reached a tipping point in terms of public awareness.”
Eating disorders and drug and alcohol abuse are often problems rooted in a person’s childhood. They commonly develop as a result of neglect, sexual abuse or forms of mental anguish. There are many versions of the conditions including Manorexia, Orthorexia, Diabulimia and Binge Eating Disorder. The later refers to obsessive overeating and can be just as dangerous as purging.
Many bulimics who drink alcohol use it to assist in purging. Liquids are easier to bring up than solid foods. So many bulimics will drink on an empty stomach and then purge everything.
Binge drinking and alcohol abuse are on the rise amongst young women, who are also more likely than men to develop eating disorders. Around a third of bulimics struggle with alcohol and drugs and about a quarter have substance abuse problems.
A growing number of studies are examining the link between eating disorders and substance abuse. There is a suggestion that the two practices stimulate the same pleasure centres in the brain. Suzette M. Evans, a professor of clinical neuroscience at Columbia, recently began a study of the connection between bulimia and substance abuse.
“People are finally beginning to realize that food can function in the same way as drugs and alcohol,” she said.
The problem is that treatments are very different. While treating an addict involves abstaining from the practice, this is impossible with food. As Dr. Kevin Wandler, the vice president for medical services at Remuda Ranch explains, “Eating normally would be an effective behaviour, but it’s easier to give up alcohol and drugs because you never need it again. If your drug is food, that’s a challenge.”
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