Alcoholism and Nutrition

Alcoholism and nutrition don't go together. This is for a number of reasons. Jane is both borderline anorexic, borderline bullimic and alcoholic. She is also depressed and anxious. She has low self-esteem. Do you think she eats well?

The causes of alcoholism result not only in alcoholism but also (often but not automatically) in poor eating habits and diet. Add to that the fact that alcohol is a food (empty calories) and you are less likely to be hungry. You have a recipe for ill health through poor nutrition as well as the damaging effects through the ingestion of ethanol alcohol (booze).

I think that women who are alcoholics have the added burden of dealing with the image culture of slim women being attractive. There are many arguments for and against the negative effect of skinny models and how that can encourage poor eating and anorexia in the worse case scenario. But poor self image (linked to low self-esteem) is probably once cause of anorexia and also alcoholism. The two are linked by this common cause. Both conditions, of course, result in poor nutrition as mentioned.

Right now Jane is going through a bad time. She is depressed. This comes on for no apparent reason. In fact, I can feel the pressure building towards the next big binge. She is going to AA religiously and taking Antabuse regularly and wrestling with the addiction. She goes running most mornings. But I can see and feel the pressure building for a binge. You can't keep it out. If there is pain in the head (emotional pain) it has to come out. You can keep it locked down for a while but it will come out in some form or other and at the moment it comes out in laxative taking. Jane is going to the loo (toilet) at all hours of the night and she has bad diarrhoea at the moment. She says that it is caused by the Antabuse, but I very much doubt this. She regularly takes laxatives. Maybe I'm wrong and if so it is a sign of my paranoia

In conclusion alcoholics often need supplements to ensure that they maintain a reasonable level of nutrition. When Jane goes to hospital after a binge the doctors do a blood test and invariably prescribe vitamins as her levels are nearly always low in essential vitamins. She often looks anemic too.

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