What is drunkorexia and how does it affect us?

Drunkorexia: what is it and how does it affect us (JAVIER ARES) Drunkorexia is one of those psychopathological disorders in which it is clearly seen how two different disorders can reinforce each other. That is why, when faced with these kinds of mental health complications, it is essential to act quickly and seek professional help.

In this article we will see what are the main effects of drunkorexia and why it is so harmful.

• Related article: "Keys to understanding eating disorders"

What is drunkorexia?

Drunkorexia is a psychological and psychiatric disorder for which people who develop a psychopathological obsession with losing weight or avoiding eating a lot also develop a dysfunctional relationship with alcoholic beverages. In most cases, this is reflected in people who present the typical symptoms of anorexy Or the bulimia They are also motivated at least in part by the idea of ​​compensating for their propensity to drink too much alcohol (or too often).

In other words, drunkorexia is a pattern of behavior and thinking that is harmful to mental health because an action-reaction logic arises between the excessive intake of alcoholic beverages and the obsessive avoidance of adding calories.

Normally, the second is an "adjustment" that the person makes as a result of the first, so as not to gain too much weight from the calories gained from drinking; However, there are also cases of people who eat too little to reach a state of drunkenness sooner, or even people who, having a problem of alcohol addiction, decide to save as much as possible by cutting expenses in meal.

Now, since it is these other versions of drunkorexia the causes of the problem are very different, and since this or is a concept defined in Diagnostic manuals such as DSM-5, in practice the term is often used to informally describe only the first of the patterns behavior, showing a more symmetrical combination between addiction and common eating disorders (eating disorders), bulimia, and anorexy. Drunkorexia has been seen to occur mainly in young women, which corresponds to the prevalence data for these two EDs. In addition, it is known that people who have developed an eating disorder are at a much higher risk of developing a drug addiction problem as well.

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How does drunkorexia affect us?

As we have seen, drunkorexia is not an "official" clinical entity that appears in the diagnostic manuals used by psychotherapists or psychiatrists. However, it has become a useful concept that is used for pragmatic reasons, since it describes a reality that, although not yet well studied or delineated from theory, is present in the daily practice of mental health professionals.

In this sense, the main characteristics of drunkorexia, the aspects in which its influence on people is noticed, are the following.

1. Dysfunctional dynamics of impulsivity and self-control

In drunkorexia there is a pattern of behavior characterized by the imbalance between moments of iron self-control and moments of disinhibition, something that also occurs in bulimia. Thus, the person is "lurching" with her behavior in relation to their health and calorie intake.

• Related article: "How to control impulsivity? 8 tips that help "

2. Guilty feeling

As we have seen, in drunkorexia there are two apparently antagonistic components: the desire to control everything that is done, and, on the other hand, the Dependence on alcohol, a drug that, like all those that generate addiction, drags the person towards short-termism and the urgent consumption of substances. This makes the person feel very guilty just after realizing that he has indulged in excesses, and this source of discomfort, in turn, acts as a fuel for this psychological disturbance, generating a vicious circle.

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3. Deepening in addiction and eating disorders

Whatever the origin of drunkorexia in each person, this alteration causes that as time passes they go increasingly taking root in both addiction and eating disorder, as both are reinforced mutually.

4. Tendency to hide what happens

Usually, people with drunkorexia tend to assume that others do not understand them and that they must hide their problems with alcohol and food so as not to have to overcome the obstacles of friends and family trying to make him stop behaving like this (without forgetting that they feel guilty and ashamed of what happens to them, so they try to maintain a low profile in this area of ​​their lives).

Do you want to have psychotherapeutic support?

If you are interested in having professional psychological support, I invite you to contact me.

My name is Javier Ares and I am a General Health Psychologist specialized in emotional, anxiety and relationship problems in adults and adolescents. I offer face-to-face sessions and also online by video call.