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Drunkenness is an eating disorder that usually appears between the ages of 17 and 24. Find out what it is and what its consequences are.
Drunkenness is an eating disorder (ED) in which food intake is restricted and replaced by calories from alcohol. In addition, there is a realization of excessive physical exercise to compensate for the consumption of alcoholic beverages.
Some define it as the mixture of disorders such as anorexia and alcoholism. So it has two harmful behaviors for the body, since in anorexia there is a rejection of food, while alcoholism is an uncontrolled dependence on alcohol. It is also known as “alcohorexia” or “drunkorexia.”
In short, it is a condition that impacts the quality of life of those who suffer from it, since it causes serious health effects. It usually occurs between 17 and 24 years of age, most of the time in women. In this article we explain more about it.
What are the causes of drunkenness?
The Causes The exact details of these types of disorders are not exactly defined. Most eating disorders (EDs) – which are patterns of not eating properly and healthily – have multiple causes. Some may be the following:
- Overvaluation of socially imposed beauty canons with thinness.
- Family problems.
- Difficulty expressing yourself.
- History of physical and sexual abuse.
Among the characteristics of those who suffer from this condition is insecurity, low self-esteem and rejection of their body image. Their personality is considered to be rigid and perfectionist, or they are emotionally weak.
What are the symptoms of drunkenness?
Symptoms include significant weight loss. In fact, the person may reach a point of malnutrition ranging from mild to severe. Other clinical manifestations of drunkenness include the following:
- Insomnia.
- Anxiety.
- Difficult to focus.
- Memory problems.
- Confusion.
- Irritability..
- Excessive tiredness
- Hallucinations
- Depression.
- Dizziness
- Tachycardias
- Constipation.
- Liver, cardiovascular and kidney problems.
- Lack of appetite
- Cyanosis (bluish discoloration of the skin due to lack of oxygen).
- Amenorrhea (absence of menstrual period).
- Alopecia.
- Gastrointestinal disorders.
It has different stages in which behavior changes and symptoms appear. In the initial phase, alcohol is drunk to suppress hunger and the urge to eat. Later, I know keep drinking alcohol in order to lose weight.
In the third part, vomiting or excessive exercise appear to avoid gaining weight. Combine the problems of anorexia with the toxicity of consuming alcohol excessively. So there is a deterioration by two aggressive behaviors for the organism.
Risks of drunkenness
For obvious reasons, it is a disorder that damages almost every organ in the body. It causes cognitive problems, negative behaviors, mental problems, and chronic diseases. Even in severe cases it leads to coma or death.
Meanwhile, in the life of the person affects the problems at the academic and work level. It can also trigger legal and judicial inconveniences. Other health consequences are gastric and neurological disorders, such as Wernicke encephalopathy.
It is a brain disorder due to vitamin B1 deficiency that usually occurs in people with alcoholism. Symptoms include confusion and loss of mental activity, loss of muscle coordination, trembling legs, abnormal eye movements, double vision, drooping eyelids, and alcohol withdrawal.
Another disease is Korsakoff syndrome, It also involves vitamin B1 deficiency, but it is another phase of the disease. In this they suffer inability to form new memories, memory loss, fabrications or invent stories and hallucinations.
Being a disorder composed of two diseases, there are more risks associated with each, such as dental cavities, heart failure, anemia, osteoporosis and loss of muscle mass. Also, stroke and cancer can occur.
Available treatments
Like any treatment for adolescents with eating disorders (ED), it is recommended that it be with a multidisciplinary team. The patient would need to regain his state of health, so it should be constantly monitored in a hospital.
In particular, the team should include nutrition specialists, mental health professionals (both a psychiatrist and a psychologist) and nurse specialists in the management of eating disorders.
To begin with, you have to work on what is associated with food, so that the person comes out of the state of malnutrition. Of course, you also have to restrict the alcohol consumption. The mental health professional can provide resources for the patient to recognize the problem and want to change their lifestyle.
Patients require constant support
Drunkenness is a harmful behavior for the body with double effects, since it removes healthy nutrients and, instead, gives the toxic effects of excessive alcohol. Therefore, those who suffer from it must access timely treatment and, above all, receive constant support. Both alcoholism and eating disorders can cause you to relapse.
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