The two vices of the college population have joined to form a super-villain of sorts. Binge drinking and body image issues have forced students, especially females, to compensate for calorie intake by starving themselves before drinking.
Called “drunkorexia,” this troubling habit has existed long before it garnered a coined name. Drinkers refrain from eating to compensate for high calorie alcoholic drinks they plan on consuming later. This phenomenon not only reflects the growing alcohol abuse among college students in the form of binge drinking, but also addresses the issue of eating disorders affecting body-conscious students.
At first blush, the system seems to make sense to partying students: refrain from eating, drink without worrying about calories, get drunk faster on an empty stomach and try to avoid throwing up.
But these individuals have neglected to consider another important dimension to the cycle: their health.
Alcohol has little nutritional value. Thus, drinking empty calories and not compensating with regularly eating healthy foods only adds to the malnutrition. And drinking on an empty stomach to “get drunk faster” only furthers the plague of binge drinking and reflects the dependency on alcohol consumption during social events.
But it doesn’t even address the root of the problem: The vicious cycle of drinking at the core of college social life and the intense issue of body image on the college level.
Aside from the fact that many students feel the pressure to drink, or rather, get drunk at college parties, these drinkers deal with societal demands of “looking good.” Starving oneself in such an unhealthy fashion is an eating disorder in itself and even doing it only once in a while can have major health consequences.
Binge drinking is unhealthy and doing so on an empty stomach can only increase your chances of serious alcohol poisoning.
And the subsequent forced or voluntary vomiting acts as a bulimic purge agent to rid the body of alcoholic toxins, instead of food.
With this vomiting ““ and many students do end their party nights with vomiting ““ come the consequences of acid wear on the mouth, teeth and throat, not to mention the traumatic and unpleasant experience of throwing up.
This is easily a problem that students are quick to shrug off, thinking that engaging in this behavior once in a while, or just once a week, will not lead to harm. But this type of behavior can easily become a habit.
Students who already consciously and regularly reduce their calorie intake need to re-evaluate their priorities; staying safe and healthy should be on top of their list.
Eat before you drink ““ if you absolutely must drink ““ and don’t drink so much that you face alcohol poisoning. If you’re worried about calories, prioritize food over alcohol. That way you won’t face malnutrition, alcohol poisoning or a hangover in the morning.
We understand the pressures that students face in their daily lives; we have faced these issues as well. And we too have engaged in unhealthy behavior at times. But this is a problem that could too easily spin out of control, and could too easily become the norm for some, if it hasn’t already.