Binge Drinking and Body Image

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Contributor: Leigh Bell, BA, writer for Eating Disorder Hope

Alcohol may provide a temporary escape from feelings of poor body image, but when the drinking is done, often low self-esteem, sometimes to a greater degree, remains along with the guilt of overconsumption — maybe even a hangover.

More than 50% of Americans drink, and about 25% binge drink, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Binge drinking, as defined by the NIAAA, is four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men in two hours or less.

Many studies have linked binge drinking to low self-esteem, but it’s also related to poor body image.

Binge Drinkers Aren’t Just College Students

College students, with keg parties and beer pong, are the stereotypical binge drinkers, but these budding adults don’t account for the majority of those who binge drink. In fact, 70% of binge-drinking episodes involve adults age 26 years and older1. Though it may seem incongruous, most people who binge drink are not alcoholics, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Those vulnerable to binge drinking are young men and women who base their self-worth on outside appearances, rather than spirituality, academic success, or virtue2.

cocktail at sunsetGirls who diet in the sixth grade are more likely to use and/or misuse alcohol in the ninth grade; and the more frequently these sixth-grade girls diet, the heavier they drink or do drugs as ninth-graders3. The study expounds this data to surmise girls who cave to cultural pressures to be thin, may also buckle when friends push drinking or drugs.

Males Struggle with This Combination Too

The relationship between binge drinking and body image isn’t limited to females.

A study of more than 5,527 males, age 12 to 18, found young men who are highly concerned with their own muscularity and thinness were more likely than their peers to use drugs; and males with high concerns about muscularity who used supplements and other products to enhance physique were more likely to start binge drinking frequently4.

Community Discussion – Share your thoughts here!

What has been your experience with poor body image and binge drinking? How can we improve these statistics and bring awareness to our youth?

 
About the Author:

Leigh Bell holds a Bachelor of Arts in English with minors in Creative Writing and French from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. She is a published author, journalist with 15 years of experience, and a recipient of the Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism. Leigh is recovered from a near-fatal, decade-long battle with anorexia and the mother of three young, rambunctious children.

 
References:

  1. Naimi, T., Brewer, R., Mokdad, A., Clark, D., Serdula, M., Marks, J. (2003). Binge drinking among U.S. adults. Journal of the American Medical Association, 289(1), 70-75.
  2. Luhtanen, R., Crocker, J. (2005). Alcohol use in college students: Effects of level of self-esteem, narcissism, and contingencies of self-worth. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 19(1), 99-103.
  3. Krahn, D., Piper, D., King, M., Olson, L., Kurth, C., Moberg, D.P. (1996). Dieting in sixth grade predicts alcohol use in ninth grade. Journal of Substance Abuse, 8(3), 293-301.
  4. Field, A., Sonneville, K., Crosby, R., Swanson, S., Eddy, K., Camargo, C., Horton, N., Micali, N. (2014). Prospective associations of concerns about physique and the development of obesity, binge drinking, and drug use among adolescent boys and young adult men. Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics, 168(1), 34-39.

Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on June 19th, 2015
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com