Drunk? And starving yourself too?
Published January 28, 2010 Musings 4 CommentsTags: alcohol problem, alcoholics, alcoholism, anorexia and alcohol, eating disorder, women and alcohol
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Many of these women are also suffering from the influence and emotional intimidation both of general society as well as their husbands or partners. They tragically try to conform to the distorted “photoshopped” images of waif-like girls that dominate female images in our social media, often because a male partner taunts them with jibes about being overweight.
Thank you, Dr. Nickens, for encouraging those who are suffering from starvation states and excessive alcohol to seek appropriate treatment. However, to clarify, the Eating Disorder Center of Denver did not identify “Drunkorexia.” This term has been used within social media for quite a while. We at EDC-D, have simply seen a surge of this eating disordered presentation recently.
Anita Kumar-Gill, MD
Medical Director
Board Certified Psychiatrist
Thank you Dr. Kumar-Gill. I had never heard the term and your article was startling and informative. I hope more practitioners will take notice of your work.
Dr. John Nickens
Dr. Nickens,
Thank you for referencing Eating Disorder Center of Denver (EDC-D) and our experience with “drunkorexia.”
This past summer, EDC-D noticed an increase of eating disorder patients who also had binge drinking problems. Of all the college-aged females enrolled in the program at that time, 75 percent met the criteria for alcohol abuse. With an increase in the prevalence of both eating disorders and binge drinking, EDC-D tailored its treatment program to offer a dual focus on substance abuse and eating disorders. For more information, please visit http://tiny.cc/EgMMR.
Thank you again, Dr. Nickens, for bringing more attention to this troubling phenomenon.
–Eating Disorder Center of Denver
Thank you. I’ve updated my post to include the link you provided. I hope others will follow the link and learn more about your work.
Dr. John Nickens