Coupons and "Drunkorexia"

There were two interesting articles recently regarding alcohol abuse here in Massachusetts. It’s a hodgepodge, looking at the problem and the solutions from different angles.

First of all, there was an article stating that the company “Groupon” had apologized to those who had purchased a Groupon coupon for a particular restaurant. The coupon had stated that it was good for the purchase of food and alcohol. Subsequently, they were informed by the State of Massachusetts that the coupons cannot be used for alcohol. Groupon suggested that people use it for purchasing food, but also agreed to refund people’s money if necessary.

One supposes that the rule against using coupons this way is an aid towards limiting alcoholic beverage consumption.

Secondly, an article in the Partnership at drugfree.org told of a new concern on college campuses here: “Drunkorexia.” The article cited a study from the Harvard School of Public Health from a couple of years ago that showed that two out of five college students get involved in binge drinking. That was followed with a study from the Journal of Drug and Alcohol Education that showed that 14 percent of the student drinkers surveyed said that they skip meals before they drink. This meanst that there could be over 800,000 people, the majority of whom are female, engaging in drunkorexia. Most do it to cut down on calories, although others do it so that they will feel the effects of the liquor faster.

Drunkorexia: restricting calories by day so that they can drink alcohol by night. One article quoted Jay Pedelty, a Prevention Speciialist with Prairie Ridge-Addictions as saying this isn’t a medical term but it is becoming a serious concern. “The idea of skipping meals to drink might seem like a good way to avoid the extra pounds, but the consequences can be extremely dangerous. Two thirds of deaths associated with alcohol are from impairment problems. So this, starving myself so I'll become profoundly and significantly intoxicated, carries a significant risk for death or other health problems."

"You know, stop and think of our culture, what two things are promoted the most? Being thin and substance usage, and Drunkorexia is just the nexus of those two conditions coming together, it really shouldn't be unforeseen unfortunately,” Pedelty said.

Sad to say, people don’t think first about their health before consuming.