Presently, eating disorders are a major concern in the United States. In fact, the ANAD reported that more than 30 million Americans have these disorders. Of course, you’re likely familiar with anorexia and bulimia. However, you might be wondering what is drunkorexia. In short, drunkorexia is a non-medical slang term that describes frequent binge drinking on an empty stomach. To explain, individuals skip meals to drink excessive amounts of alcohol. Often, women and men avoid eating to experience greater effects of beer or liquor. Additionally, many people feel an intense need to stay super slim. As such, they stop eating food because of the high calories in alcohol. Unfortunately, this bad habit has become a trend in high school and college campuses. The following article outlines everything you should know about what is drunkorexia.

Learning to Spot What is Drunkorexia

First, the most noticeable sign of drunkorexia is heavy drinking. Generally, binges are at least four drinks for women and five drinks for men. Yet, body weight and tolerance level can change these amounts. Second, drunkorexia causes people to appear drunk much faster. In detail, he or she will become clumsy and start slurring words. Next, they’ll become relaxed and lose control of their behaviors. Physically, their breathing will slow, and their pupils will get smaller. Further, drunkorexia has other symptoms similar to other eating disorders. For instance, he or she may regularly complain about their body. Likewise, they’ll follow very strict diets and workout more than normal. There are many hints for determining what is drunkorexia, such as:

  • Low confidence and self-worth
  • Extreme body image issues
  • The overwhelming fear of being fat
  • Induced vomiting after meals
  • Regular use of laxatives
  • Depression or guilt after eating
  • Trouble being sociable sober

Dangerous Side Effects of Drunkorexia

Immediately, people who engage in this behavior must get drunkorexia treatment. Learning what is drunkorexia doing to their bodies is essential. For example, heavy drinking on an empty stomach damages the digestive system and liver. Over time, it’s common for a disease called cirrhosis to develop. Meanwhile, drunkorexia comes with a high risk of alcohol dependence and poisoning. In effect, people could black out, faint, and have seizures. Plus, drinking too much harms the brain and heart. Ultimately, drunkorexia leaves individuals very malnourished. In other words, their bodies won’t have sufficient food, water, and vitamins to function. Besides losing weight, they could lose their hair and bone density. Similarly, their skin will become dry and yellowish. Throwing up repeatedly leads to tooth decay and throat irritation too.

Treatment for Drunkorexia at Steps to Recovery

Worried about your or someone else’s binge drinking habits? Then, Steps to Recovery in Levittown is the place to turn. Uniquely, we treat drunkorexia with quality Pennsylvania addiction recovery services. We offer a low 3:1 staff-client ratio for personalized dual diagnosis treatment. Moreover, our outpatient LGBTQ-friendly center has strong partnerships for alcohol detox. Our honest, compassionate clinicians use proven methods, including:

Now, you know what is drunkorexia and how harmful it is. Therefore, it’s vital that you or your loved one enter treatment right away. Notably, Steps to Recovery can treat alcoholism and eating disorders at the same time. Above all, our Levittown center makes individual client needs the priority. Contact 267.719.8528 to get professional help for drunkorexia.