Thursday, November 27th 2008

By Bahram Dideban

     Sally says, “Hey Amanda, you going to Billy’s party tonight?” Amanda answers, “I can’t wait! I have been planning what I am going to wear all day! Plus I’m not eating dinner.” Sally replies, “I have to figure out what I’m going to wear still. And What do you mean you are not having dinner?” Amanda responds, “Well I have been working out hard and I know the beer will cause me to gain weight, so if I don’t eat I can just replace dinner with alcohol!” Sally says, “Wow that’s a great idea! My brother used to not eat before he went out so he could drink more too!”

     If you find this concept is unbelievable, don’t be fooled. Drunkorexia is not a laughing matter. This situation happens to 30 per cent of young adults between 18 to 24 years old. They miss meals to be able to drink more, or to avoid gaining weight if they know they will be drinking later. The actual definition of Drunkorexia is the practice of restricting food intake to drink more alcohol.

     Amanda is wrong. This is a self-imposed starvation that’s common in Hollywood—but Hollywood is not reality, and this is a serious form of anorexia. If you are trying to lose weight, limit your alcohol because beer and coolers have more calories than a healthy meal. When you drink alcohol your appetite actually increases, which makes you more likely to eat a larger or more unhealthy meal afterwards.

     In an interview Wednesday on The Early Show, Carrie Wilkens, co-founder and clinical director of the Center for Motivation and Change, said, “Food slows the absorption and acts as a buffer from becoming intoxicated too quickly. That first drink after not having eaten all day—and in some cases these girls do not eat for many days in a row—that first drink has a big effect. They’re at risk [of] passing out, [and other] really terrible consequences.”

     It may not be clear to individuals that alcohol contains many calories. Let me break it down for you over several drinks. There are 120 calories in a single gin and tonic, 119 calories in a 175 ml glass of red wine, 76 in a vodka and soda, 116 in white wine dry, and 140 in wine spritzers. Beer contains from 99 to 210 calories! This includes a single light beer as well.

     If you eat a healthy meal you are actually in taking less calories than having a single drink. And let’s face it, you are not going to have only one drink or one beer. If Amanda has five beers that night, she just consumed 1000 calories. Women have more fat on their body and thus absorb more alcohol, which creates lower quantities of enzymes that in turn help metabolize alcohol. This puts them at risk for blackouts and cirrhosis.

     So the next time you are going to a party and trying to look fabulous, don’t cut down on the meals that give your body nutrients; be healthy and cut down on the amount of alcohol you drink during the night.

Tags: ANOREXIA, BEER, DISORDER, DRUNKOREXIA