Addiction glossary
Drunkorexia
Drunkorexia is the informal name for restricting food — skipping meals, counting calories, even purging — to "save room" for alcohol, offset the calories, or get drunk faster on an empty stomach. It quietly stacks disordered eating on top of a drinking problem.
Why it's dangerous
Two serious problems feed each other. Drinking on an empty stomach pushes blood-alcohol higher and faster, raising the risk of blackouts, accidents and alcohol poisoning, while the food restriction carries all the harms of an eating disorder. It's most common among young people under image and social pressure, and it often hides in plain sight as "being good before a night out."
This is two problems, not a diet trick. Tangling food and alcohol together is worth taking seriously and getting support for.
Getting help
Because both an eating issue and a drinking issue are in play, it helps to address them together rather than one at a time — a dual approach. If this is you, please talk to your GP or an eating-disorder support service, and consider an honest look at the drinking too. Reaching out early is far easier than it feels.
Frequently asked questions
What is drunkorexia?
It's restricting food — skipping meals, intense calorie-counting, sometimes purging — to compensate for alcohol or to get drunk faster. It combines features of an eating disorder with risky drinking.
Why is drinking on an empty stomach dangerous?
With no food to slow absorption, blood-alcohol rises faster and higher, increasing the risk of blackouts, injuries and alcohol poisoning — on top of the harm from under-eating.
Where can I get help for drunkorexia?
Start with your GP or an eating-disorder support service, and look honestly at the drinking alongside it. Because two issues interact, treating them together tends to work best.
More from the glossary: binge drinking · grey-area drinking · blackout · or browse the full glossary.
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