A recent study has put a name to a condition that could be causing drunk driving among college students and underage drinkers. Drunkorexia is a condition that researchers say young people are experiencing when they replace food consumption with alcohol.
The research and survey was conducted at the University of Missouri-Columbia recently and showed one in every six students restricted his or her food intake while drinking alcohol within the past year. Officials who conducted the survey stated that when food calories are replaced with alcohol, the drinker becomes drunk at a faster rate. Saving food money for alcohol and not gaining weight were other reasons given for the food restrictions.
Once the young adults begin a practice of drunkorexia, or restricting their diet, conditions such as impaired judgment could become evident, causing the drinker to be more likely to decide to drive drunk and possibly be involved in a car accident.
In addition to the obvious problems that drunkorexia can cause, people who replace food with alcohol face other potential health problems as well. Alcohol poisoning is a real risk, as is a lowering of the body's blood sugar level, which can drop dangerously low when alcohol is consumed on an empty stomach. Passing out from too much alcohol is also possible and puts the person at risk for injury, or of becoming a victim of sexual assault or other predatory acts.
According to the research, If drunkorexia becomes a frequent occurrence, the drinker could experience malnutrition, heart problems, alcoholism, seizures, organ damage and gastrointestinal failure.
Source: Marquette Tribune, "Drunkorexia: No eating, more drinking" Oct. 25, 2011
