First there was diabulimia. Now there is drunkorexia--another new and buzzworthy term for some not-so-new behavior. According to this report on The Morning Show (featuring our friend Sondra Kronberg, an eating disorders specialist from the National Eating Disorders Association of Long Island), 30% of women ages 18-23 restrict food calories so they can drink more and not gain weight from their alcohol consumption.All of the women interviewed for the piece (as well as the studio audience) fell into the "Well, duh. Of course I've done that before!" category, which makes us think that "drunkorexia" isn't always just a college phase that girls grow out of. Millions of women are willing to subject themselves to dangerous fad diets, plastic surgery, and speed-laced weight loss pills; we can't say we were surprised to learn that the health consequences of letting large amounts of alcohol absorb directly into the bloodstream seem to be of little concern when compared to the calorie-saving "benefits." As one aspiring model and self-identified drunkorexic put it, "You want to stay skinny but you want to go out and look good and have fun." And what about the known health risks? "You just try to block it out," she says. Actually, black out is probably more accurate.
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Drunkorexia sounds like a mixture of an eating disorder and drinking problem. Starving yourself to reserve calories is one thing, but drinking while doing so can lead to serious problems. Do these women know the harm they are doing to there bodies? Or is it that they try not to think about it and live for the moment? I work for A&E and we air a television show entitled A&E Intervention that deals with people and all types of issues. Most of the people that come on this show have a drug addiciton, drinking problem, or eating disorder. The program shows the daily lives of people with these issues, and gets them help in the process. Of course when they agree to do the show they are unaware that they are about to have an interventuion, but it for their own good. New episodes air every Monday at
9PM/8C on A&E, so be sure not to miss it. Clips can also be seen on http://www.aetv.com/intervention.
This is only new if you've never been a college student... or met one. On the other hand there are some dangerous underground illnesses out there: http://www.236.com/blog/w/chez_pazienza/touch_me_im_sick_5119.php
Beware.
Hi, I am writing an feature about drunkorexia for a women's magazine in Dubai and am looking for a women aged between 18-35 who would be interested in talking about her experience with the problem. You can of course remain completely anonymous, so please just contact me if you would be interested. I can be contacted on madeleine.collins@itp.com. Thanks.
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