Jun 6, 2008 10:14 pm US/Central
"Drunkorexia": A New Eating Disorder?
(CBS)
Young women face a lot of pressure to be thin and to be popular among peers. Mix the two stresses and experts say they're seeing destructive behavior that every parent needs to know about.
Could your daughter be wining, but not dining at all? Suzanne Le Mignot reports on a phenomenon called "drunkorexia."
It might sound harmless; exchange a meal for a martini or two every once in a while. But experts say for many young women, it's a dangerous habit.
"There's a tremendous weight consciousness out there. At the same time, you have people drinking and sort of encouraged to drink," said Dr. Douglas Bunnell an eating disorder specialist. He said more and more young women are giving up food calories for alcohol.
Although it's not an actual medical condition, some have called it drunkorexia, a comparison to anorexia.
"With extreme drunkorexia we end up with people so badly nourished that their ability to function cognitively and emotionally is impaired," Bunnell said.
Lynn Grefe, CEO of the National Eating Disorders Association, said "The drunkorexic is really adding on to the problem of anorexia and they truly need counseling before the problem goes too far."
"Piper" is a 21-year-old student. She's had food issues for years and says things got much worse when she went away to college.
"I think it was just there was more social interaction with other people and we were going out more so I had to watch what I was eating when I was going out," she said.
While some young women are diagnosed anorexics, many others went to school as healthy eaters but started panicking about those extra college pounds.
"Beer was like 'you don't drink beer unless, like, you haven't eaten all day.' You know, sometimes people, they'll replace some of their drinks with things they think are more nutritious like Bloody Mary's because it has tomato juice in it. They think that that can replace a meal," Piper said.
So how do you know if you have a problem?
"If you are doing mental algebra to compensate or manage your drinking in response to your eating, simply that sign is worrisome," Bunnell said.
"I would recommend that everybody encourage people to go for treatment. There's nothing to be ashamed of," Grefe said.
Piper did just that. She's also changed schools and with help from her family and counselors, she's on her way back to a healthy weight and outlook.
If you know someone who may be struggling with an eating disorder, contact the
National Eating Disorders Association.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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