Drunkorexia is an increasingly widespread disorder among young people, and experts warn of the many dangers it entails for health, both physically and mentally. Also known as drunkorexia or alcohorexia, the term drunkorexia comes from the words “drunk” (drunk) and “orexia” (appetite), which can give us an idea of what it consists of.
What is drunkorexia?
According to ‘ccadicciones’, it is a very dangerous mixture of anorexia and alcoholism . Those who suffer from this disorder substitute calories from food for those from drink. Therefore, they do not eat for hours, and even days, but simply drink alcohol.
They believe that if they cut calories from meals through alcohol consumption , they will not gain weight.
Experts point out that it is a practice that mainly affects young people , highly influenced by the beauty canons of society and who are not willing to give up alcohol.
Although drunkorexia occurs in both men and women, the latter are the most affected for a very simple reason: their blood absorbs between 30% and 50% more alcohol than that of men . Also, your liver and heart are much more vulnerable to drinking alcoholic beverages for a long period of time.
What are the consequences?
The list of consequences on a physical and psychological level is very broad, taking into account that those who suffer from drunkorexia consume large amounts of alcohol with hardly any food . This could lead to dental, gastrointestinal and liver problems, as well as hair loss.
The head of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the Manresa campus of the University of Vic , Abert Espelt, has spoken with the ‘Efe agency’ about this disorder. Although at the moment it is not considered a clinical phenomenon as such, it is a behavior that is being observed more and more in young people, especially in women between 16 and 24 years old.
The expert points out that it is a dual pathology, that is, typical of people who have different psychological disorders . In the vast majority of cases, drunkorexia is accompanied by symptoms of anorexia that are worsened by excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages.
