Sarah Kershaw in her article, “Starving Themselves, Cocktail in Hand,” informs her readers about a new term, Drunkorexia which is a blend of different disturbing behaviors. Though it’s a made-up term, it still is a major problem in addiction and eating disorders. This term is also associated with other serious eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia.
The term “Drunkorexia” itself gives a hint as to what it applies to: alcohol abuse. This involves bingeing food and alcohol and then purging it out. The author provides various statements by female victims of drunkorexia. Even Dr. Bunnell, the past president of the National Eating Disorders Association, said that obsession with being skinny and celebrity rehabs are — partially to blame for this. Psychologists have proven that eating disorders occur due to various reasons like childhood trauma, abuse or neglect. Some women do it to ease emotional pain or distress. Victims, mostly first eat while drinking, then purge and drink more for the sake of remaining drunk. Three other eating disorders are Manorexia, Orthorexia and Diabulimia. Manorexia, a term used for male anorexic, Orthorexia includes “eliminating fats and preservatives” and Diabulimia “refers to diabetics who avoid taking insulin.”
One example is Judy Van De Veen, 36, who became anorexic at 24. She went into treatment several times for her eating disorder. At first she used to starve her self, eating full meals a day, bingeing and purging. As time passed by she also took up alcohol which rather made it easier for her to purge because it’s stated that liquids are easier to vomit than food.
Many studies say that about 25 to 33 percent of bulimics struggle with alcohol or drugs whereas 25 and 25 percent of anorexics have substance abuse problems. Moreover, Dr Evans has said that food can serve as a drug or alcohol because food is addiction to us for survival and most people think of drugs and alcohol the same way too. One living example is Trish who said that before she checked into Renfrew she didn’t even have the energy to laugh but now she has recovered. This leads us to what Dr. Kevin said about finding effective behaviors and life skills for patients who struggle to sustain from eating disorders.
We can clearly see that many people have been suffering from this dilemma and most are finding their way back into the society. If we think about it, it surely leads to delinquent acts. Alcohol is the first known drug to be widely used in United States. We call it a drug because it’s an addiction to the society and people. Those who aren’t engaged in such activities end up trying or experimenting. Moreover, our early teenagers are the biggest attraction towards such drugs and eating disorders. Girls who struggle with weight or who feel inferior may involve in bingeing or purging. There has been an increase in women eating disorder but for men it’s not to that extent. Nevertheless, we can see through Sarah Kershaw article that many people have been the victims and many have gone into treatment and that it’s not a lost hope but doctors and psychologists are finding ways to make it better.
Check out this video on Anorexia Nervosa:
