For students looking to keep thin, calorie counting and cocktails make for a dangerous, unhealthy mix
Robin Carol
Issue date: 3/27/08 Section: Features
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These types of calculations are becoming increasingly common due to the growth of a trend that a New York Times article recently dubbed "drunkorexia" - the altering of eating habits for the purpose of consuming alcohol.
Because of a concern with weight or calorie consumption, students, particularly women, are watching what they eat before they head out to a bar or a party.
"I've noticed that girlfriends will compensate calorie-wise. They know the calories in what they're drinking, so they eat less food, so they don't have to feel guilty," senior Eve Young said.
Young also has noticed that males generally eat more in order to consume as much alcohol as possible later in the night.
"With guy friends, they want to make sure they eat so they can hold their liquor, and they don't look silly," she said. "For guys, it's to be able to compete in terms of being able to hold alcohol."
Whether it is eating more or less, students generally alter their eating habits to some extent when they plan to drink.
"I've noticed some people will say 'I have to eat a big meal,' so they don't get sick, but others say, 'I am not eating tonight so I can get drunk quicker and not have to drink as much but still be drunk," freshman Becky Achey said. "I would say that the majority of students do one or the other."
"I have definitely heard of people, especially females, eating less because of the calories, but for me, I try to eat more, so I'll try to have a full stomach and try not to get sick," senior Vanessa Weekly said.
Young felt that avoiding sickness is typically a secondary concern.
"I think they probably know that it's not healthy, but the number one concern for girls is to watch their calories and their weight," she said.
Director of Health Education Ian Wong pointed out that these habits are potentially very dangerous.
"If someone says, 'I'll lower my calorie count today because I'm going to make it up on the back end,' alcohol is not the way to make up calories," Wong said. "If you take the food away, especially with taking shots or funneling a lot of alcohol in a short period of time, it will be absorbed faster. You're already putting your body under stress if you're not eating, and then you're also putting stress on your liver."
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