Between 12 and 18 percent of individuals with anorexia and between 30 and 70 percent of those with bulimia abuse tobacco, alcohol, pills or over the counter substances.1
The adolescent years are when women are at greatest risk of eating disorders. These are precisely the years when they are at greatest risk of substance abuse.1
During substance abuse treatment and early recovery, it is not unusual for an individual to turn to binge eating.1
In two surveys of 208 female collegiate athletes, 32% and 62% practiced at least one of the following unhealthy weight-control behaviors: self-induced vomiting, binge eating more than twice weekly, and using laxatives, diet pills, and/or diuretics.2
In a survey of 171 collegiate Indiana wrestlers concerning their behaviors in high school, 16% had used diuretics.2
A recent study found that bulimic adolescents reported having taken each of eight substances in question, with prevalence ranging from a low of 3.4% for tranquilizers to a high of 67.2% for alcohol (29.3% of the bulimic girls used alcohol at least weekly).3
Research Excerpts
"Athletes may engage in unhealthy weight-control practices, particularly in sports in which thinness or "making weight" is judged important to success, such as body building, cheerleading, dancing (especially ballet), distance running, diving, figure skating, gymnastics, horse racing, rowing, swimming, weight-class football, and wrestling. Some athletes may use extreme weight-loss practices that include overexercising; prolonged fasting; vomiting; using laxatives, diuretics, diet pills, other licit or illicit drugs, and/or nicotine; and use of rubber suits, steam baths, and/or saunas."2
Media Quotes
"At some point during John Michels' rookie season with the Green Bay Packers, the days became a blur of cheeseburgers and steaks, pizza and ice cream. The offensive lineman was a first-round draft pick, selected for his quickness and technique, but at 285 pounds he was considered small in the modern, super-sized NFL. His coaches wanted him to reach the industry standard of 300. So he ate."4
"Creatine became a staple of his diet. The over-the-counter supplement, which promises to add bulk, has come under scrutiny by a medical community that suspects it might be linked to kidney damage. Michels shrugs off any mention of risk, saying his coaches needed him to protect Brett Favre from monstrous defensive ends and, if he didn't make weight, 'it could cost me my career.'"4
