'Drunkorexia'...

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/he alth/939348/Health-Drunkorexia-New-US-diet-fa d.html

Swap too many calories from real food for ones from alcohol as a way to control your weight and you could be doing your health more damage than you think.  The Sun coins the term 'drunkorexia' (tabloids - don't you just love 'em) ... and the above article from 2008 is an interesting read. 

very interesting gi jane thanks h x

Another example of people losing sight of the real goal in maintaining a lower weight which should be good health.  Nobody should substitute "special treats" for core nutrition, whether the "special treat" of choice is alcohol, sweets, salty snacks, or fast food.

I confess that I often add a glass of wine to my dinner if I have the calories, but only if I have met my nutritional needs for the day with at least 90% of my calories coming from "real foods".  I would never skip eating in order to drink, and my alcohol calories are never greater than about 10% of my daily total.

Well if there's "drunkorexia"  there must be "chocorexia". 

True about the 'chocorexia' ... but I think the serious point about subbing alcohol for food is that it's a lot more dangerous.  Unlike a lot of other things that get referred to as 'toxic', alcohol really is.... it's a poison.    Liver failure killed someone I know relatively recently.  She wasn't actually an alcoholic ... drank a half bottle to a bottle of wine most nights, didn't eat much... dead at 45

I remember a similar article from a couple of years back, possible in the Times or the Telegraph or Mail or something...if I can dig out the link i'll post it too :) Thanks for sharing gi-jane

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/158207 1/Drunkorexia-slimmers-skip-meals-for-alcohol .html

eta link :)

This must be how Paris Hilton and Linsey Lohan drink all the time and still look so slim.

Original Post by libsterdc:

This must be how Paris Hilton and Linsey Lohan drink all the time and still look so slim.

Showing yet again there are worse fates in the world than being overweight!

Original Post by libsterdc:

This must be how Paris Hilton and Linsey Lohan drink all the time and still look so slim.

nah, they just pop Adderall all day. 

Regarding the drunkorexia, this is really common on college campuses. I've even done this a few times. You skip dinner, get drunk faster and consume less alcohol and less calories. 

But after having a couple nasty hangovers, I learned my lesson. Now I just compensate with exercise...you CAN have your cake and eat it too :)

Isn't a good Irish malt supposed to have sufficient nutrients to prevent this?

Original Post by smwhipple:

Isn't a good Irish malt supposed to have sufficient nutrients to prevent this?

lol :D

What about pomegranate martinis? yummm and full of antioxidants! 

Original Post by gi-jane:

She wasn't actually an alcoholic ... drank a half bottle to a bottle of wine most nights, didn't eat much... dead at 45

 Yikes!    I think some people don't think of wine as being alcohol since in some states you can unfortunately buy it at grocery stores. But it is.

In California you can buy it at grocery stores and it's definitely alcoholic, but most people who drink a glass or two or three a night (it only takes 3 large glasses to finish a bottle) do not consider themselves alcoholics and most others don't think of them that way either.

I think that when alcohol is more appealing to you than nutrition that you do have a problem with alcohol.  If you're not willing to manage it so you get your nutrition and have a bit less to compensate on calories or leave it for an occasional treat you may have a problem.

Original Post by anglej:

Original Post by gi-jane:

She wasn't actually an alcoholic ... drank a half bottle to a bottle of wine most nights, didn't eat much... dead at 45

 Yikes!    I think some people don't think of wine as being alcohol since in some states you can unfortunately buy it at grocery stores. But it is.

All types of alcohol are sold in grocery stores?? Or is that just a Louisiana thing? In every grocery store, there is a huge alcohol section...hard liquor, wine, beer, you name it.

Original Post by jcl76:

All types of alcohol are sold in grocery stores?? Or is that just a Louisiana thing? In every grocery store, there is a huge alcohol section...hard liquor, wine, beer, you name it.

It varies by state. I think LA is one of the more lax ones. In NC, you can buy wine & beer at the grocery store, but you have to go to an ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control, I think?) store to get liquor; these ABC stores close at 9pm, and you can't buy any alcohol after 2am, and not before noon on Sundays. In Florida I believe it's similar, but the liquor stores (not ABC) are open all night.. In Indiana, I don't think you can buy any alcohol at all on Sundays. These are just a few states I've traveled to (and obviously drank in, haha). Like I said, it varies a lot. It can also vary by county, and probably by towns too, depending on their laws.

you can buy liquor at corner stores and grocery stores in new mexico.

Original Post by anglej:

Original Post by gi-jane:

She wasn't actually an alcoholic ... drank a half bottle to a bottle of wine most nights, didn't eat much... dead at 45

 Yikes!    I think some people don't think of wine as being alcohol since in some states you can unfortunately buy it at grocery stores. But it is.

 Why does it matter if you can buy it at a grocery store? I HATE having to go a special store to buy licquor.  It's lame. 

BTW, that's an east coast/maybe southern thing for the most part.  Most of the rest of the country you can buy licquor, beer, AND wine in the grocery store...  I haven't lived in the south before so I'm not sure.  I KNOW it's an east coast thing and I KNOW that in California and pretty much all of the midwest you can buy it all in a grocery store.

Original Post by delaney86:

Original Post by jcl76:

All types of alcohol are sold in grocery stores?? Or is that just a Louisiana thing? In every grocery store, there is a huge alcohol section...hard liquor, wine, beer, you name it.

It varies by state. I think LA is one of the more lax ones. In NC, you can buy wine & beer at the grocery store, but you have to go to an ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control, I think?) store to get liquor; these ABC stores close at 9pm, and you can't buy any alcohol after 2am, and not before noon on Sundays. In Florida I believe it's similar, but the liquor stores (not ABC) are open all night.. In Indiana, I don't think you can buy any alcohol at all on Sundays. These are just a few states I've traveled to (and obviously drank in, haha). Like I said, it varies a lot. It can also vary by county, and probably by towns too, depending on their laws.

okay thanks. It's weird how much the alcohol laws can vary from state to state. I went to college in Washington, DC and was shocked that you had to be 21 to go to a bar! It's 18 in Louisiana. And it's also illegal in DC to have open containers of alcohol outside...which means no alcohol when tailgating. It's pretty lame. 

Dallas and Salt Lake City are both dry cities and certainly not on the east coast.

Original Post by jcl76:

Original Post by anglej:

Original Post by gi-jane:

She wasn't actually an alcoholic ... drank a half bottle to a bottle of wine most nights, didn't eat much... dead at 45

 Yikes!    I think some people don't think of wine as being alcohol since in some states you can unfortunately buy it at grocery stores. But it is.

All types of alcohol are sold in grocery stores?? Or is that just a Louisiana thing? In every grocery store, there is a huge alcohol section...hard liquor, wine, beer, you name it.

 In Virginia only beer and wine in grocery stores.  All hard liquor and beer and wine are sold in ABC stores.

Original Post by michachu:

Original Post by anglej:

Original Post by gi-jane:

She wasn't actually an alcoholic ... drank a half bottle to a bottle of wine most nights, didn't eat much... dead at 45

 Yikes!    I think some people don't think of wine as being alcohol since in some states you can unfortunately buy it at grocery stores. But it is.

 Why does it matter if you can buy it at a grocery store? I HATE having to go a special store to buy licquor.  It's lame. 

 Thats the reason.  It is to convenient. Pick up bacon, eggs, milk, orange juice, oh don't forget the Vodka. For people who buy occasionally no big deal. Drunkorexia, alcohol comsumption in place of food is topic.