While on my way to the office this morning I heard a radio discussion about how the intake of alcohol has gone up across the country some 14%. They were quoting statistics produced by the U.S. Department of Health so their information seemed pretty reliable.
Neither the program host nor the guest were alcoholics, though the host was on some sort of medication for depression - and had been for about ten years.
They said drinking increased about the time people started working from home because they were quarantined. They reported that some of them said they were drinking out of boredom. Others reported that because they were without supervision that they took advantage of the lack of supervision they would have normally had while at work. The interesting thing is that the rate of drinking has decreased little since workers returned to the workplace, though most reportedly weren't drinking on the job.
Another interesting statistic was that 12-step meeting attendance had also decreased during the pandemic. That's something that's easy to understand because many people were staying at home and observing social distancing and mask guidelines. While the hosts didn't identify as alcoholics, they seemed to have done their research, as I've seen other studies that corroborate their reporting.
As a recovering person myself, sober for 31 years, I wasn't tempted to relapse nor even think about it. I was one of those abusers who didn't need an excuse to drink or use drugs. If the sun came up that was reason enough for me. But I can certainly understand those who grasp any reason at all to lower their anxiety level, having spent so many years as a practicing addict.
I wonder what the statistics would look like if we had a more serious plague or even a civil uprising?
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