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Drunkorexia (alcoholorexia) manifests itself in situations where a person, instead of consuming food while drinking alcohol, does the opposite - when he is to drink alcohol, he significantly reduces or omits meals at all. Drunkorexia is an eating disorder - read about its characteristics and find out about the he alth risks.

Drunkorexiais a much less known eating disorder than anorexia, bulimia or orthorexia. The fact that the term drunkorexia may be foreign to many people should not come as a surprise to anyone - it appeared in medical language relatively recently - it was first used in 2008. In the current medical classifications, which also include mental disorders (i.e. in the ICD and DSM), we will not come across drunkorexia yet. However, this situation may soon change due to the fact that, firstly - alcoholorexia affects young people, and secondly - it can lead to very serious consequences.

What is drunkorexia?

Drunkorexia is essentially an amalgamation of two different disorders, namely excessive alcohol consumption and inappropriate eating behavior that resemble the problems of anorexia. The trouble with drunkorexia is that it can be confused with both anorexia and alcoholism itself. This is due to the fact that people suffering from anorexia often use alcohol excessively, while in the case of alcoholism, many addicts suffer from eating disorders. So what are the features of drunkorexia and how does it differ from the aforementioned units?

Drunkorexia can be described most simply as a problem in which patients limit their food intake so that the alcohol consumed by them (excess) does not lead to weight gain.Patients may avoid meals or reduce their volume in order to replace the calories taken with food with those that will be supplied to the body with the alcohol they consume. Problems such as a high degree of fear of weight gain, negative perception of one's own appearance, and weight loss below are also associated with alcoholorexia.age norms.

It is the above-mentioned elements that distinguish drunkorexia from anorexia and alcoholism-related eating disorders. In the course of anorexia, dietary restriction is to lead to a reduction in body weight - too high according to the patient -. On the other hand, in the case of alcoholism (especially its advanced stages), patients may lose interest in food, as well as neglect the quality of meals, which is why they may suffer from malnutrition.

Due to the fact that drunkorexia is a fairly new concept, so far no broader studies have been prepared regarding, for example, its incidence. However, it has already been possible to draw the first conclusions about the groups in which this problem occurs most often. Drunkorexia is considered a problem of young people, incl. students. It has also been observed that this type of eating disorder is more common in young women.

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Drunkorexia: causes

In the light of the knowledge available so far, it is suspected that the potential causes of drunkorexia may be:

  • individual predisposition to both eating disorders and excessive alcohol consumption;
  • low self-esteem;
  • past experience of some traumatic events (e.g. sexual abuse in childhood);
  • the existence of a belief in the patient that his body looks bad.

Due to the fact that drunkorexia has been observed so far mainly among students, various life changes related to the beginning of functioning in the academic environment are taken into account as the causes of this disorder. For example, entering a new peer group and the related fears could favor the emergence of drunkorexia in this case. In addition, leaving the family home (a phenomenon not uncommon in young people entering college) and the associated loss of parental control could also be a potential factor contributing to this eating disorder.

Drunkorexia: he alth impact

Complications of drunkorexia may be problems that arise in the case of alcohol abuse and in the course of anorexia. Both malnutrition and the toxic effects of alcohol can lead to many serious consequences, affecting virtually every organ of the body. Patients may experience, for example, disorders of the hematopoietic and cardiovascular systems (e.g. anemia or lower blood pressure), as well as suffer from symptoms such as digestive tract and nervous system. In people withdrunkorexia can also lead to a weakened immune system and endocrine disorders.

Why drinking alcohol in the course of alcoholorexia is so harmful can be convinced by one of the advice given to people who go to parties. Usually in such situations it is said that "do not drink on an empty stomach". When a starving person consumes alcohol, this substance is absorbed into the blood much faster, and thus - a high concentration of alcohol appears in the blood quickly. In such a situation, the risk that various tissues of the body will be damaged, including nervous tissue - it is much greater than when the absorption of alcohol (related to the presence of food in the stomach) is slower.

Worth knowing

Drunkorexia treatment

At the moment, treatment regimens for drunkorexia have not yet been developed. However, patients with this problem can be offered several different interventions that will focus on their specific problems. It is important (in the event of their occurrence) to treat somatic complications of drunkorexia, such as damage to the gastrointestinal tract or water and electrolyte disturbances. In the treatment of alcoholorexia, one should also take into account the need to control alcohol addiction, as well as therapy aimed at eliminating inadequate body image and related eating habits.

About the authorBow. Tomasz NęckiA graduate of medicine at the Medical University of Poznań. An admirer of the Polish sea (most willingly strolling along its shores with headphones in his ears), cats and books. In working with patients, he focuses on always listening to them and spending as much time as they need.

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Category:

Psychology