Alcohol abuse and anorexia: a potentially fatal mix
Mia Pozzanghera
Issue date: 3/14/08 Section: News
According to the National Eating Disorder Awareness Web site, a new trend among those suffering from anorexia nervosa is the tendency to complement imposed starvation with alcohol abuse.
Jaehee Jung, assistant professor of fashion and apparel studies at the university and a specialist in eating disorders, said those afflicted with the disorder, known as "drunkorexia," reduce their food intake to almost nothing and fill their empty stomachs with excessive amounts of alcohol.
Jung said it is strange that a person who panics at the thought of ingesting calories has no problem binging on high calorie beers and shots of liquor. Drunkorexia appeals to some people because consuming numerous amounts of alcoholic beverages on an empty stomach leads to rapid intoxication and makes it easier to purge later, she said.
Jung said the disorder affects mainly college-aged girls. Studies show the preoccupation with weight and appearance in today's society has led to children as young as seven and eight years old admitting to having a poor self-body image, she said.
Girls' resentment of their own body increases as puberty hits, Jung said. Most girls gain weight as they progress through adolescence and the desire to stay thin, along with peer pressure, often launches girls into the development of an eating disorder.
According to the National Eating Disorders Association Web site, "anorexia nervosa is one of the most common psychiatric diagnoses in young women."
Angela Seguin, coordinator at the university's Wellspring Student Wellness Program, said that although the term drunkorexia is relatively new, the practice of drinking instead of eating has been used for years.
"An eating disorder is an unhealthy coping mechanism," Seguin said. "Alcohol is another unhealthy coping mechanism. It is not uncommon to find that if someone has one unhealthy coping mechanism, they will have another."
Drunkorexia is more dangerous for women than it is for men, Jung said. Women are naturally less tolerant of alcohol than men and can become intoxicated after fewer drinks.
Jaehee Jung, assistant professor of fashion and apparel studies at the university and a specialist in eating disorders, said those afflicted with the disorder, known as "drunkorexia," reduce their food intake to almost nothing and fill their empty stomachs with excessive amounts of alcohol.
Jung said it is strange that a person who panics at the thought of ingesting calories has no problem binging on high calorie beers and shots of liquor. Drunkorexia appeals to some people because consuming numerous amounts of alcoholic beverages on an empty stomach leads to rapid intoxication and makes it easier to purge later, she said.
Jung said the disorder affects mainly college-aged girls. Studies show the preoccupation with weight and appearance in today's society has led to children as young as seven and eight years old admitting to having a poor self-body image, she said.
Girls' resentment of their own body increases as puberty hits, Jung said. Most girls gain weight as they progress through adolescence and the desire to stay thin, along with peer pressure, often launches girls into the development of an eating disorder.
According to the National Eating Disorders Association Web site, "anorexia nervosa is one of the most common psychiatric diagnoses in young women."
Angela Seguin, coordinator at the university's Wellspring Student Wellness Program, said that although the term drunkorexia is relatively new, the practice of drinking instead of eating has been used for years.
"An eating disorder is an unhealthy coping mechanism," Seguin said. "Alcohol is another unhealthy coping mechanism. It is not uncommon to find that if someone has one unhealthy coping mechanism, they will have another."
Drunkorexia is more dangerous for women than it is for men, Jung said. Women are naturally less tolerant of alcohol than men and can become intoxicated after fewer drinks.
Be the first to comment on this story