Drunkorexia

On a campus composed of students obsessed with perfection, where binge drinking is an accepted form of release, an unpleasant reality exists: Many students face eating disorders and alcohol abuse – and even worse are those who have developed a combination of the two.

‘Drunkorexia‘ is a new slang term used to describe the behavior of women who skip meals in order to save calories for alcoholic beverages, as well as women who abuse the overconsumption of alcohol to purge food.

At a university ranked among the nation’s top private schools for academic achievement and for its party reputation, at what point are women crossing the line in their hopes to achieve academic and social perfection?

‘Effortless perfection’ is an expression developed by an undergraduate student at Duke University, used to describe the university’s social climate.

In 2006 Duke began the Baldwin Scholars Program, developed to study the progressive decline of women’s self-confidence after entering the undergraduate program, and the consequential rise of self-confidence issues, stress-related illnesses and eating disorders by the time of graduation.

Some see this case from Duke as applicable to Lehigh’s campus.

“I imagine that to be very relatable to the Lehigh phenomenon,” Michelle Issadore, assistant director of the Women’s Center, said.

“Work hard, play hard” is an expression often heard on campus, but when lack of free time to exercise and eat healthfully leads to weight gain, and an over-packed social schedule weighs on students’ minds, the desire to overachieve can become overwhelming.

“You get the dual diagnoses coming in,” Aaron M. Sterba, a staff psychologist in the Counseling Center said. “Students with eating disorders often have some other type of use or dependence.”

Sterba is a body image and eating disorder specialist who works closely with Lehigh students facing these issues.

“I can understand how drunkorexia develops in women at Lehigh and with college women in general,” Lauren Harte, ‘10, president of the Panhellenic Council, said. “It combines the two biggest pressures that we feel – being skinny and being ‘that fun girl’ out at parties.”

The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism confirms on its Web site that even after differences in weight are factored in, women become more impaired than men when drinking the same amount of alcohol.

This happens because women’s bodies hold less water than men’s. When alcohol mixes with body water upon consumption, women become drunk more quickly.

“Women often choose various forms of alcohol over beer in order to save calories,” Issadore said. “Hard alcohol can lead to overconsumption, certainly if women haven’t eaten beforehand.”

Students, faculty and staff members alike have seen the effects of this risky routine among female Lehigh students, even with their own friends.

“I know a lot of girls try to stick with shots because they don’t want the calories that are in mixers,” Katie Hyer,’11, said. “And with the combination of not eating that much during the day and drinking a lot of alcohol, blacking out is becoming more and more common.”

Sterba described the drunkorexia tendency, which tells girls to skip meals in order to save calories for drinking, as a highly dangerous and hazardous habit.

“Alcohol has empty calories,” Sterba said. “Food has nutritional calories. Replacing meals with alcohol can lead to a serious lack of nutrients.”

In 1995 The National Eating Disorder Association produced studies that showed 40 percent of newly identified cases of anorexia are in girls 15-19 years old.

The studies also found that incidences of bulimia in women ages 10-39 tripled between 1988 and 1993. According to the study, only one-third of people with anorexia and 6 percent of people with bulimia receive mental health care.

“I think that most women in college feel pressure to look a certain way,” Sterba said. “It’s unfortunate, but I think that’s what happens.”

“I don’t think that pressure will ever go away, which is sad,” Harte said. “I would encourage sorority women, and all women on campus, to speak up when their friend doesn’t show up at dinner on a Thursday or Friday night.”

In a 2002 study done by the Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 31 percent of college students met criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol abuse and 6 percent for a diagnosis of alcohol dependence in the past 12 months. These results were based on questionnaires that students answered.

Lehigh does offer many outlets for students with eating disorders, alcohol abuse and the combination of the two. The Women’s Center focuses on positive body image and prevention of sexual assault with programs like Break the Silence, while the Counseling Center works directly with students in need of support.

Drunkorexia is not a scientific term and there is currently no study that directly relates alcohol abuse and eating disorders.