Schools Worry about Student 'Drunkorexia'

(CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) - Schools and universities are dealing with a new student issue: drunkorexia.

Drunkorexia is the term used to describe a mixture of alcoholism, bulimia and anorexia. The blog The Med Guru reported it is especially a problem among young college women who skip meals so they can get drunk at night and not worry about the calories.

The condition is an offshoot of the growing problem of binge drinking, which ABC News reported is increasing among young men and women.

The Med Guru said it is spurred by women who want to maintain a thin body but do not want to give up drinking, which leads them to combine eating disorders and alcohol abuse.

It is also a problem among men. A 20-year-old public relations major at the University of Texas told ABC News said it starts with men trying to quicken the time it takes them to get drunk.

"When you consume on an empty stomach, you feel the effect quicker," he said.

Health workers warn drunkorexia is a serious medical condition that can harm the body. It is also often coupled with other psychological disorders.

Felicia Greher, a psychologist in Counseling and Psychological Services at the University of Colorado at Boulder, told The Denver Post she works with clients to get to the underlying issues. She said drinking is often used to alleviate social anxiety.

"We look at the caloric restriction, the binge drinking and ask how is it serving them," she said. "then we identify other, healthier ways to get these needs met."

ABC News said problems include students skipping meals altogether and purging, or binge eating after binge drinking then throwing the food back up after.

Dr. Kenneth Weiner, medical director of the Eating Recovering Center in Denver, told The Denver Post that the term drunorexia "is not my favorite, but as it brings awareness to the problem, it's probably fine."