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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CMU chapter.

We have all heard girls say that they will eat smaller meals so they can drink their calories for that night, or say they are eating less so the vodka shots will hit them faster.  This idea has been dubbed “Drunkorexia.”  Drunkorexia is not an official medical term, but it is becoming a problem among college girls.

In the past few years, dangerous variations of the eating disorders anorexia and bulimia have appeared. Severe instances of Drunkorexia are associated with both.  While some anorexics do not consume alcohol because of the severe calorie intake restrictions they maintain, others will drink alcohol to calm themselves. Drunkorexia is even more associated with bulimia because of the binging and purging affects of the disorder.

According to Dr. Douglas Bunnell, the past president of the National Eating Disorders Association, binge drinking is considered to be cool and hip:  being thin is something most women worry about, and combining fasting and drinking is a dangerous, but glorified behavior.

As college women, we need to be especially aware of what we are doing to our bodies. Making the right choices now can affect the rest of our lives. Drunkorexia is not something to take lightly, nor should it be viewed as simply a diet fad. Substituting alcohol for food is not a healthy way to manage calories. You are more likely to get sick on an empty stomach while consuming alcohol, and mixing alcohol and eating disorders can even lead to deadly results.

Psychologists believe that the main cause of Drunkorexia is addiction:  it becomes a problem once people start obsessing over food and alcohol and it starts to control them. However, there are healthy ways to maintain a normal diet and still be able to go out and drink.  If you or a friend may be suffering from Drunkorexia or another eating disorder, know where to look for help. Talking to a doctor, dietician, or some other health professional is a great first step to figuring out a treatment plan. Taking an active role in your life and making healthy decisions is important, and one of the most effective ways to get better.

Photo credits:
http://weheartit.com/entry/603…

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Soniya Shah is an undergraduate at Carnegie Mellon University studying technical writing and pre-med.
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Laura Stiles is a Creative Writing, Professional Writing double major at Carnegie Mellon University who will be graduating in May 2014. In addition to being Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Carnegie Mellon chapter of HerCampus.com, she is Co-Prose Editor of The Oakland Review, Carnegie Mellon’s literary-arts journal, a manuscript reader for Carnegie Mellon University Press, and has copy-edited for Carnegie Mellon’s newspaper, The Tartan. She was also Communications and Arts Management Intern at The Hillman Center for Performing Arts in summer 2012, and is ecstatic to be studying abroad in Sheffield, England in spring 2013. In her free time, she enjoys singing along to music on long car rides, spontaneously kicking off her shoes to explore lakes and creeks, and curling up with a soft blanket and a captivating book. She was also recently pleasantly surprised to discover that she has a taste for sushi.