Alcoholic Bulimia and the Girls Who Pull the Trigger
I remember those naive high school days when puking during a rager meant that a) you couldn’t control your liquor and b) the party was over, for you. That’s why I was shocked one night during my freshman year of college, when my friend came back from the bathroom and proudly announced, “Oh, man, I just puked my brains out!”
I immediately switched to babysitter-mode. “Are you okay? Do we need to leave?” I asked, fully concerned.
“Nope!” My friend replied. “Got more room for beer now!”
At the time, this was an unprecedented occurrence to me. I’d never considered the theory of “puke and rally.”
A few years later, I’ve totally become acquainted with this practice. One summer, after a coworker tried unsuccessfully to light three consecutive shots of Sambuca on fire in mouth, I knew that that much booze so quickly was not going to be good. After the third shot went down, I booked it for the bathroom and barfed. A friend was worriedly knocking on the bathroom door, concerned as I had once been for my own friend. I opened the door, and she asked if I was okay. My response?
“Let’s rage!”
It wasn’t until the next day that I’d admitted to vomiting. The funny thing is that, at the time, this seemed logical. But as I’m writing this, I am already imagining the scathing comments this article will receive from disgusted CC readers.
The truth is, there are thousands of college girls across the country who have taken to this procedure. Not only is it easy to think you’re sobering up by sticking your finger down your throat midway through the night (newsflash, you really aren’t), but, in today’s media-crazed, looks-obsessed society, there’s a lot of pressure for women to keep the freshman (or sophomore, or junior, or senior) fifteen off. And a lot of the time, getting rid of the empty alcohol calories seems like the way to go.
It’s a lot easier to induce vomiting when you’re already close to naturally letting go, or when you’re buzzed enough not to feel your index finger scraping your tonsils. And then there’s the midnight munchies. You know, when that chicken parm calzone, side of curly fries, and half order of mozzarella sticks sobers you up enough to know that you’re going to want to throw up in the morning just thinking about all those calories. So, ladies, what do many of us do? We throw up.
Vomiting due to drinking doesn’t have the stigma that true bulimia has. Bulimia is a disease. Binge drinking in college is merely a social problem. Besides, there’s always the “that hit me way too hard” excuse. If you’ve thrown up from drinking, chances are, people will assume it was a freak incident, but if your friends suspect you of having an eating disorder, they will call for intervention. So making yourself throw up with the “well I was drunk” excuse doesn’t seem so bad.
The truth? Purging is purging. You can’t make excuses to your esophagus when it is being eaten away by the stomach acid you just conjured up. And if you’re drinking to excess every night and consistently blowing chunks before hitting the hay, you better write an apology letter to your liver as well.
So, ladies, let’s make a pact – let’s not over-do the binging, and let’s not rely on purging as a quick solution to our bad decisions. Besides, what happens when you run into a hot guy at the end of the night, and your breath smells (and tastes) like stale beer, vomit, and the lingering aromas of cheese fries?
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Lucy says:
Thu, 16th Apr 20099:40 am
Yeah, I've done this a couple times. It makes you feel better, but it definetely doesn't sober you up (I don't think so, anyway!)
Anyway, I don't think of it as bulimia. Actually, I think it's an insult to people with an actual eating disorder to say that purposely making yourself throw up while getting trashed is bulimia. The only reason I've done it is because I knew I was going to be sick, and it was best to get it over with so I could feel better..not because of calories or sugar content.
Nina says:
Thu, 16th Apr 200910:08 am
I don't drink too often but when I do I make myself throw up. I just don't want a hangover next morning.
jo says:
Thu, 16th Apr 20091:37 pm
my college roomate did this all 4 years i lived with her, i didn't know how to help her and i wish i had known that this phenom was going on across the country. its truly terrible and depressing how society has shaped the minds of today's college women.
thestorysofar says:
Thu, 16th Apr 20093:15 pm
Lets get this straight. Anorexia is a fear of gaining weight and a refusal to maintain a normal weight- either by food restriction OR by binging and purging.
Bulimia involves binging and purging and or over-exercising etc as a way to achieve some perceived control over their lives.
There are other types of eating disorders being established, like binging without purging.
Making yourself vomit after or while drinking, intentionally and especially continually, especially if its not to just relieve nausea from alcohol poisoning… I would say that that is a problem. Its physically unhealthy and like typically presenting bulimia, involves trying to control your body.
excessive vomiting can cause electrolyte imbalances, hypocalcemia, and of course damage to the throat and teeth.
in my opinion, it is NOT an insult to call this a disorder or a form of bulimia.
J says:
Thu, 16th Apr 20094:25 pm
I’m taking a drug use and abuse class right now and i read something the other day that really stuck with me. It’s really dangerous to vomit and keep drinking because once you reach a certain BAC, your vomit reflex is inhibited, so your body can’t reject it if it gets to the point of alcohol poisoning. Scary.
Tori says:
Thu, 16th Apr 20096:38 pm
Ditto thestorysofar. I totally agree.
amy says:
Fri, 17th Apr 200912:38 am
Just to give another perspective on this-
I'm from England, London and the whole 'Alcohol Bulimia' is not limited to just America, even more so the practice isn't even covered up or frowned upon. In London we call it a 'TC' which stands for 'Tactical Chunder' which I'm sure most of you will figure out. I've been to many a party where someone 'Where's X gone?' and the reply comes,
'In the toilet, gotta TC'
'O safe' .
I think one of the most interesting things about it here is that it's not even just girls that do it, in fact it's mostly guys. Is that true for anyone else?
Janet says:
Fri, 17th Apr 20095:29 am
This is truthful, and also to discourage you from this horrible habit if nothing else can convience you. I learned in my health class that vomiting does not remove the food you ate, it actually only gets rid of 10% of the calories you consumed. Therefore bulemia is not even an effective way to lose weight, aside from how bad it is from you anyways.
Jenna says:
Fri, 17th Apr 20095:36 am
I'm the same as Lucy. I'll only puke when drinking if I feel really nauseous and want to get it over with. I never puke intentionally as a way of reducing the calories I've consumed or trying to sober up.
thestorysofar says:
Fri, 17th Apr 200911:20 am
I believe that guys do it too, absolutely.. Also, I agree with Janet. I didnt know the calorie facts, but I’ve been taught (and witnessed) that people with bulimia tend to be of normal weight and perhaps overweight. It’s not effective for weight loss, and as I said before often has more to do with the need to have control over your body (aka, SOMETHING in your life).
Ducker says:
Fri, 17th Apr 200912:22 pm
If im paying for the drinks theyre staying inside…if someone invites to the drinks theyre staying inside because I dont want to be rude,,,,then again once they come out as urin all bets are off.
BabyBear says:
Tue, 12th May 20093:28 am
I don’t understand what the point is…why drink if you’re going to throw up later? Just DON’T drink the damn thing. When I drink, I keep it in…I guess I don’t like to waste
Davis says:
Tue, 15th Dec 200912:02 pm
Somehow, I'm not really concerned about an epidemic of alcoholic bulimics running around. If you're bulimic, you're going to be bulimic – just because your drunk doesn't really change anything. there's a difference between puking and rallying and being bulimic. Personally, if you're down for the count after throwing up, i don't want to drink with you. I've taken care of too many drunk people to NOT puke and rally. I HATE it when people now that I've puked because of drinking. Just because I'm conscientious and don't make a huge scene whenever I puke doesn't make me bulimic.
Mike says:
Wed, 12th May 201010:39 am
Seriously? I think you're just trying to justify this to yourself. It's not really bulimia? Sure you're not an all-out bulimic but you should still see a counselor.
#1 Biatch says:
Fri, 17th Sep 20107:27 am
I'm from England to and like Amy said we call it TC for Tactial Chunder and it has nothing whatsoever to do with being Bulimic.
I grew up doing this is Senior School (High-School) & College & Now in Uni too. As have almost everyone I know.
You have a night out planned, a hot new dress you wanna pull some hot guy but you spent to much time pre-lashing and downing shots and you start to feel sick, its an awesome night you wanna keep on drinking and don't want to go home early…you skip to the bathroom, give the toilet a hug and leave it with a pukey present.
Gurgle some water in the sink, chew a mint and head back to the bar. SIMPLES.
Its not to get rid of that doner kebab, its not because some girl looks skinner than you…its because its an awesome night and you don't want to chunder on your potential hook up.
If your bulimic that sucks, and you need help. But 'TC' is not to loose weight, its the make room for more vodka and a portion of cheesy chips and mayo on the way home! YUM!