Everyone knows that alcohol can cause weight gain, particularly beer, sugary cocktails and creamy liqueurs. But while the most likely action for anyone trying to lose a few pounds would be to cut down on the amount of alcoholic drinks they consume, some people are doing the opposite and are cutting down their food intake in order to increase their “alcohol allowance”. This practice appears to be particularly prevalent among students and young adults.
Two students, Sarah and Aisling, are no strangers to food restricted alcohol consumption (FRAC), and say most of their friends do it as a means of staying slim and “not having to worry about gaining weight by going out a lot”.
“It isn’t seen as a big deal,” says 19-year-old Sarah. “It just means that when you’re going out for the night and are likely to be drinking, you don’t eat much that day or you try to eat things that are very low in calories. It’s not that difficult really and is actually probably better all round because you’re also likely to drink less than if you had eaten a lot of calories that day, because your body can’t handle as much alcohol, so you get drunk quicker.
“Obviously, it’s not something that I’m going to be doing for my whole life, but when I’m young and going out a lot, I don’t want to have to worry about putting on too much weight.”
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Aisling (20) agrees and says she hasn’t had any side-effects and can’t see any negatives to the practice, “unless people are stupid with it”.
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“I’m not a massive eater anyway and don’t like eating huge meals, so although some people swear by having a huge plate of pasta before going out partying, I would prefer to eat a few small meals early on in the day and save myself for the night,” she says. “That way, not only do I not consume loads more calories than I need when I’m drinking, I also feel better in my clothes because I’m not bloated, and the next day when the hangover munchies kick in, I don’t have to feel as guilty as I would do if I’d eaten loads the day before as well.
“But I think you have to be a bit careful, because if you do it all the time, then it could become a problem – and you might even end up with a bit of an eating disorder. I only do it when we’re going on a big night out and try to look after myself properly that day and the day after, but I’ve heard of people who do it a few times a week – and that’s obviously going to cause problems somewhere along the line.”
Ellen Jennings, communications research and policy manager at Bodywhys - the Eating Disorders Association of Ireland - says it is “extremely concerning to learn that some individuals are restricting their food intake to compensate for later in the day. Dietary restriction is one of the major risk factors in the development of an eating disorder, which can significantly affect all aspects of an individual’s life, including overall wellbeing and quality of life. They have one of the highest mortality rates of all mental health conditions, as a result of both psychological and physical health complications.”
Susie Boyle can attest to this. A psychology graduate of the National College of Ireland, she recently published her report on FRAC and its prevalence in Ireland, and says the most common motivators for the practice are to avoid gaining weight and to enhance the effects of alcohol.
She conducted her study in 2023 as her undergraduate dissertation. “I was interested in disordered eating behaviours among the student-age demographic, and was curious about whether the Covid lockdown period influenced young people’s eating behaviours and body image. Skipping meals before going out to drink was definitely something I’d witnessed people at college, or just people my age in general, doing quite regularly. For this reason, I thought FRAC was definitely something worth investigating in an Irish context.
“And for sure, I do believe that it’s becoming more common. As my paper describes, young people in college face drinking norms and strict beauty norms simultaneously, and they feel pressured to meet both. And while this evidently is the case internationally, I think Irish students may be under even more pressure due to the normalised binge-drinking tendencies we have in this country.
“I think this, accompanied by the ever-increasing and changing beauty norms portrayed by social media, makes for a highly demanding environment for any young student wishing to ‘fit in’ at college.
“Also, the use of TikTok and Instagram skyrocketed during lockdown, and I think this is a large factor which is contributing to the increase of young people experiencing body-image issues and increased societal beauty norms which, when met with typical Irish college drinking norms, leads them to engage in FRAC. So yes, I think FRAC is on the increase, and it is largely due to societal pressures.”
Clinical psychologist Peadar Maxwell is alarmed by the rise in this practice and says that, in the short-term, curbing food intake in order to hit the bar “guilt-free” is bad for your health and also has long-term physical and mental health implications.
“Our body and mind needs a varied, healthy diet of nutrients,” he says. “While most people enjoy alcohol in moderation, replacing food calories is not just dangerous, but a grossly false economy. The risks are substantial: not only are we denying our body the fuel and nutrients it needs, we are also creating unhealthy habits which could stick with us throughout life.
“So, drinking on an empty stomach is a risk to our health and our safety. The possibility of making ourselves sick or becoming out of control or vulnerable from a quick alcohol hit are serious. Also, alcohol is high in calories, so from a weight-management point of view it is pointless, as many people report becoming hungry after drinking and bingeing on unhealthy fast food later in the day anyway.
“From an emotional health perspective, restricting food in favour of alcohol is a slippery slope to alcohol dependence, poor dieting and the use of a depressant such as alcohol to manage our feelings and our social anxiety. Besides physical health problems, this habit could become the foundation for further poor mental and physical health.”
Jennings says that if the practice of restricting calories becomes a habit, it can be very difficult to break – but that support is available. “We know that many people affected by eating disorders can be caught in a cycle of restriction, bingeing, and intense feelings of shame and guilt associated with that.
“It can be extremely difficult for a person to find a way out of this cycle, but it is possible, with the appropriate support and treatment. We are here to listen, and Bodywhys’ free support services are available to anyone who may need support – no diagnosis necessary.”
