Eating under the influence: Go big... or go hungry

Drunkorexia:
It's 11 p.m. on a Thursday night, and Molly is standing in her apartment kitchen in stiletto heels, tight black faux leather pants and a glittering rhinestone top. It's "Thirsty Thursday" as it's jokingly referred to by weekend partiers.

Molly pours a Red Bull into a glass with one hand and tips the slim nose of a Smirnoff vodka bottle with the other. "I like to watch my weight," she says, pouring.
"

I go to the gym like anybody else, but I'd say anyone deserves a drink at the end of the week, wouldn't you?"

Molly will pass out approximately one hour and 10 shots of vodka later, specifically because she has not eaten in over 12 hours.

Drunkorexia is the slang term for a new trend that is sweeping campuses across the country. It is defined as an unofficial eating disorder in which a person will starve themselves of food and drink all day to offset the calories gained in binge-drinking later that night.

Statistics suggest that 30 percent of 18-24 year olds show signs of this behavior.  Women, like Molly, are the most susceptible to this eating disorder behavior.

Suzanne Sonneborn, nutrition educator at the Office of Health Education and Promotion in Health Services, professes to counseling young women who display such behaviors here on the UNH campus.

"Drunkorexia is dangerous because for alcohol to metabolize you need water and food," Sonneborn said. "Drinking on an empty stomach is a dangerous, potentially life-threatening dietary habit."

Without food, alcohol can be absorbed into the liver in as little as 15 minutes. The risks to drunkorexia include dehydration, seizures, and even sudden death. These concerns are greater in female cases as women are more susceptible to the detrimental effects of alcohol having less body weight and cannot metabolize alcohol as quickly as men.

According to a comprehensive report released in 2003 by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's (NIAAA's) Task Force on College Drinking, more than 150,000 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 develop an alcohol-related health problem such as an eating disorder each year.

In light of such statistics, experts like Sonneborn say societal pressures, insecurities about body image, and the ever-glorified party scene image to blame.
"I think young women falling into this trend need to know the risks," Sonneborn warned. "If they have any concerns, they should get the help they need."

Drunken Binge-Eating:
Its midnight on a Thursday night and somewhere across campus from Molly's apartment, Jon huddles side-by-side with his friends at Curtz's Lunchbox parked in Lot C. They crowd the dimly-lit window of the truck-turned fast food vendor  waiting their turn for Curtz's popular $2 cheesy fries deal.

Jon and his friends are weekend regulars of Curtz's. He admits to having a few beers and, upon finding himself pleasantly buzzed, usually stumbles down to Curtz's Lunchbox for a midnight snack.

"The cheesy fries are a great deal! It beats the line at D-Hop." he said.

Jon and his friends are just a small percentage of many UNH students who gorge themselves on junk food after binge drinking.

On any given weekend night, crowds of drunken students will crowd Main Street's Durham House of Pizza, Scorpion's Bar and Grill, Wildcatessen, and Curtz's Lunchbox for a fast fix of carbohydrates at a student-friendly price.

"I'd like to think I can control myself," Christa McConnell said, a senior hospitality management major who frequents the downtown bars on weekends. "But I can't help it. Sometimes I get the urge to eat after a few drinks."

Sonneborn says it's a natural metabolic response to eat after a night of drinking.

"Alcohol is an appetite stimulant," Sonneborn said. "That's why people drink wine with their dinners. It amplifies the taste and it makes you hungry to eat more on your plate."

However natural the response is, that high calorie intake combined with a slower night-time metabolism can lead to unnatural weight gain, Sonneborn says.

Before a night of drinking, Sonneborn suggests eating a healthy, filling meal high in carbohydrates and keeping hydrated. A meal high in carbohydrates stabilizes blood sugar level and is less likely to leave you craving for a plate of greasy, cheese-doused fries from Curtz's Lunchbox later.

Follow Alexandra Churchill on Twitter at twitter.com/aleechurchill