Alcohol and Binge Eating: Why These Two Struggles Often Go Together.

So many of us make rules for drinking: only a certain amount, only certain types of alcohol, only at certain times. We do the same thing with food: planning to eat only a certain amount, only certain foods, or only at certain times. And then, in both cases, those plans fall apart and we feel awful. We are racked with shame, anxiety, confusion, and self-loathing.

Many people assume these experiences are separate problems: difficulty controlling food and difficulty controlling alcohol. But for a surprising number of people, the two are deeply connected.

When people talk about binge eating, it is often connected to deprivation or restriction. When a food is labeled “off-limits,” the brain interprets it as scarce and important. As a result, it pushes you to eat more of it whenever you have access. How?

Severely limiting the foods you allow yourself can increase:

• Dopamine response – making those foods feel even more pleasurable when you finally eat them

• Ghrelin (the hunger hormone) – leaving you feeling hungry more often

• Reactive eating – because stronger hunger signals and weaker fullness cues make it easier to eat large amounts

• Obsessive thoughts about food – constantly thinking about the foods you're trying to avoid

In addition to the connection between restriction and binge eating, food restriction and drinking can also fuel each other. For example, when we restrict our food intake, our bodies become stressed. One common way people try to relieve that stress is by drinking—sometimes more than they intended.

And when alcohol lowers our inhibitions, we may finally allow ourselves to eat in ways we’ve been trying to control. But once we sober up, shame can rush in, and we may respond by doubling down on dieting or restriction. Then our shame about our inability to manage our food consumption may lead us to drink again for relief. From any angle, it can become a vicious cycle.

With food, our bodies will always be fighting for us to eat when we are depriving ourselves – it’s a built-in survival mechanism. And the effect of alcohol peaks in the body about 20–30 minutes after drinking, so we keep drinking to maintain that feeling. And let’s not forget that it’s an addictive substance, to which any human can become addicted once enough is consumed.

In both cases, we often believe we are lacking in willpower and are filled with shame about it – and when combined, that shame can feel exponential.

It is incredibly common for people to get caught in cycles where drinking and binge eating become intertwined.

If this sounds familiar, you are not alone—and you are not broken.