Drunkorexia (or alcoholorexia ) is a neologism derived from the words drunk and anorexia. It first appeared about fifteen years ago in a New York Times article, "Depriving Yourself of Food, Cocktail in Hand." While noting that the term had nothing to do with medicine, journalist Sarah Kershaw used it to describe how some people adopted voluntary fasting behaviors to limit the weight gain associated with their alcohol consumption.
Since then, the phenomenon has been the subject of more in-depth research. It raises major mental health issues and questions the role of aesthetic standards and social pressure. Here are some explanations.
What are the risks associated with drunkorexia?
Drunkorexia is defined as a set of risky eating behaviors , including forms of restriction (fasting, skipping meals), purging behaviors (such as self-induced vomiting), or excessive physical activity.
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These behaviors pursue two main objectives: to avoid weight gain linked to alcohol consumption or to reach a state of drunkenness more quickly. They can be adopted at different times, whether before consumption (in anticipation), during it (particularly during festive evenings) or after, in a logic of compensation a posteriori .
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While drunkorexia can be seen as a one-off or strategic behavior, its consequences are far from trivial. It is primarily associated with more frequent and intensealcohol consumption , as well as more severe episodes of drunkenness , exposing young people to increased risk-taking, both physically and socially.
Furthermore, the effects of drunkorexia are not limited to alcohol. Several studies show that it is often part of a broader picture of eating disorders, present even outside of festive contexts. In the long term, these behaviors could contribute to the long-term development of eating disordersin some young adults .
Psychologically, this type of behavior also appears to reflect deeper emotional fragility. Depression, anxiety, psychological distress, difficulties regulating emotions, a history of abuse, or insecurity in close relationships are frequently reported among affected young people .
Finally, the cognitive consequences of drunkorexia remain poorly documented, but certain hypotheses deserve to be explored: what impact can this behavior have on memory, on reasoning abilities or on academic success, when alcohol is consumed repeatedly in a context of dietary restriction?
A worrying trend among young people
Although recent, this phenomenon is nonetheless common. Several studies indicate that between 6% and 39% of adolescents and young adults report cutting back on their food intake before consuming alcohol. More than half also report engaging in behaviors characteristic of drunkorexia.
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To date, there is no national epidemiological data that would allow us to precisely estimate how many people are affected by drunkorexia. Available studies generally focus on targeted populations (high school students, students, young adults) and indicate comparable prevalence rates, around half of people who consume alcohol .
There are currently no data to accurately describe the long-term development of drunkorexia. Longitudinal studies are difficult to implement: they are time-consuming, expensive, and subject to significant loss of participants over time. In France, a five-year cohort study , following students recruited in their first year at university and reassessed after two and four years, is currently underway and should provide new insights into the dynamics of drunkorexia in young adults.
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Social media likely plays a key role in the spread and normalization of drunkorexia. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat expose young people to a constant stream of images promoting thinness, bodybuilding, and certain party practices, creating a dual imperative: displaying a body that conforms to aesthetic standards while also participating in the social codes of partying and drinking.
In this environment, drunkorexia can appear as a compromise to reconcile these two injunctions, reinforced by the sharing of experiences, advice or challenges online.
These behaviors most often appear in festive contexts, where alcohol consumption is normalized, even encouraged. Among young people, they are rarely perceived as problematic. On the contrary, they are often integrated into a routine associated with evenings , reinforced by the feeling of " doing like everyone else " , which contributes to their trivialization.
Drunkorexia is thus described as a common, sometimes automatic, practice in situations of heavy alcohol consumption. It can also respond to a desire to conform to group norms, to obtain a form of social approval or to strengthen the sense of belonging.
Several studies also suggest that young women are more prone to drunkorexia, linked to a disturbance in self-image and greater body dissatisfaction. Other studies, however, show that young men may also adopt these practices, particularly in order to intensify the desired effects of alcohol.
Why are young people more vulnerable?
Adolescents and young adults live in contexts where social norms around the body and alcohol consumption are particularly pronounced. The idea that one must be thin or muscular to be socially valued often coexists with pressure to participate in parties and consume alcohol excessively .
If a loved one appears to be developing eating disorders before or after drinking alcohol and is showing signs of drunkorexia, there are various support options available.
Beyond individual care, limiting the progression of drunkorexia requires collective and public health actions, particularly aimed at strengthening prevention among young people, starting in middle and high school, by integrating both education on the risks associated with alcohol and awareness of eating disorders. Early detection of drunkorexia requires training health professionals and those involved in the educational sector to better identify these behaviors.
Targeted prevention campaigns, designed to address the realities of the target audiences, taking into account age, gender, and psychosocial contexts, could help reduce the adoption of these practices. Finally, a stricter policy response, aimed at better regulating messages conveyed on social networks, particularly those associating thinness and drunkenness, could reduce the attractiveness of drunkorexia among young people.
Ludivine Ritz, lecturer in Psychology specializing in Neuropsychology of Addictions, University of Caen Normandy
This article is an op-ed, written by an author outside the newspaper and whose point of view does not reflect the editorial staff's views.
