eating disorders

Examination of Drunkorexia, Excessive Exercising, and Extreme Drinking

Examination of Drunkorexia, Excessive Exercising, and Extreme Drinking

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between extreme drinking, drunkorexia, and excessive exercise output in college students. Drunkorexia, defined as the practice of restricting calories so that alcohol can be consumed without gaining weight (CBS News 2008; Kershaw 2008; Smith 2008; Stoppler 2008), and excessive exercising are on the rise amongst college students. Researchers have found associations between both eating disorders and excessive exercising (Mond et al. 2008) as well as between eating disorders and extreme drinking (Krahn et al. 2004). This previous research has led to further investigation of college students to determine whether significant relationships exist between these three behaviors. This study aims to discover the percentage of college students engaging in extreme drinking, which is defined in this study as the planned or unplanned consumption of alcohol in greater quantity than one normally would on a drinking occasion. It aims to further look at the eating and exercising habits of college students to determine if these two behaviors previously mentioned are affecting this specific population, and to what extent. An online survey was distributed to students (n=254) from a medium sized Midwest university. Results showed a significant correlation between excessive exercising and drunkorexia, r (130) = .37, p < .001. However, the findings of this study did not show a relationship between either of these two behaviors and extreme drinking. Through these results, this study has provided further information on drunkorexia, and given insight into other characteristics of individuals suffering from this rising eating disorder.