'Drunkorexia' Eating Disorder rising on college campuses

An eating disorder dubbed drunkorexia - the limiting of one's food intake to offset the calories of binge drinking - has reportedly been rising on college campuses, according to Colorado Daily. The non-medical name, drunkorexia is a newly coined term that combines the two afflictions of the disorders anorexia and alcoholism.

The journal "Biological Psychiatry" published a study estimating 20 to 25 percent of anorexic individuals have a substance abuse problem. The disorder is not just a physical affliction, but also a psychological disorder. John Watson, the assistant director of Counseling at Drexel University said, "This is growing with both males and females for a more diverse set of students who experience disordered eating and corresponding distorted body imagine."

Drunkorexia, in a fashion similar to other eating disorders, affects both men and women. Medically, however, it affects women in ways more severe than those experienced by men, according to CBS. Becky Flood, an addiction expert and director of New Directions for Women, estimated that two years of binge drinking for a woman will bear the same effect on the body that 10 years of binge drinking does on a man's body.

Sondra Kronberg, an eating disorder specialist, estimated one third of females ages 18 to 23 cut their caloric intake because they wanted to binge drink.
Large amounts of alcohol are often available on college campuses where students are in the exact age bracket that Kronberg estimates is most affected by drunkorexia.

"An epidemic like this is really bad. As RAs we're trained to deal with people who have eating disorders as well as how to help people who drink to an excess. This is a detriment since it would be nearly impossible to help someone who significantly suffered from both of these illnesses. This is a serious problem," Madison Shelton, second-year RA and a senior majoring in anthropology, said. Binge drinking on an empty stomach magnifies the ease with which a person becomes intoxicated.

"Food slows the absorption and acts as a buffer from becoming intoxicated too quickly," Carrie Wilkens, a clinical psychologist, said.
"It sounds really dangerous and I do know that people practice it, though I can't say I've ever seen it," Addison Davis, a pre-junior majoring in English, said. Contrary to popular belief, being a drunkorexic may cause weight gain.

Media Credit: Tara Giancaspro