Why epidemics motivate so many people to give up alcohol


As states lockdown, bars and restaurants close, everyday people stop toilet paper, clean supplies and booze.

Indeed, at the onset of the epidemic, alcohol sales increased – a 55 percent increase in the week ending March 21, 2020, compared to the previous year in the United States. While some Information indicates While people drank more during epidemics, at least initially, epidemics have also encouraged a reassessment of life, with many Americans rethinking the role of alcohol in their lives.

“Initially, I actually drank more,” said Mike Miller, founder of Wilderness Times, Said Salon. “Just being around the house opened the door for her more often, so I found myself drinking more often.”

For Miller, this means two to three drinks in five to six days. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Heavy drinking for men is when drinking 15 or more drinks a week.

“After a few weeks of epidemics, I calmed down and realized I was definitely doing it,” Miller said. “So, I went cold turkey and stopped completely.”

Miller added that “moderation is difficult,” which is why trying to wrestle with keeping it limited, made it easier to cut it completely. ”

Despite reports that many people have put pressure on unhealthy consumption patterns amid the epidemic, some have seen it as an opportunity to make healthy lifestyle choices other than drinking. No data from the United States yet, while a study by researchers at University College London It has been found that young Austral Australians actually drink less during lockouts, Partly due to lack of social opportunities. Similarly, a July poll Alcohol Change UK It was found that 37 per cent of the UK’s 1,647 residents had tried to manage alcohol consumption by keeping alcohol-free days during the lockdown, reducing the amount of alcohol they bought or attending a virtual support group.

David Beck, a David old man living in Atlanta, told the salon that when the epidemic first made his alcohol intake “a little bit of a pill, basically out of fear.”

“It probably lasted a little over a month, but once I realized that your immune system has a lot to do with fighting the virus, I made the transition and went back to my epidemic level of drinking myself.” . “I’ve simply decided that I want to do as much as possible to limit the chances of getting an infection; if that means partying a little less for the next few months, I’m fine with that.”

There is another reason to worry about alcohol consumption during an epidemic – that is, alcohol can have a negative effect on the immune system. A paper published in a journal Alcohol Research Excessive alcohol consumption “weakens the body’s ability to protect against infection”, which is a matter of concern in the event that someone needs his body to fight the novel coronavirus.

Functional nutritionist and hormone expert Meritza Chassonis-Worthington told Salon that until the epidemic broke out – it was hard for her to imagine drinking. As a “health conscious” person, she decided to abstain from alcohol for a number of reasons. First, she wanted to support her immune system and stay healthy. Second, there was less social pressure to drink.

“Maybe it’s not just the substance that drives the dependency, but the connection and spirit of tradition that it brings to family and friends,” Chassonis-Worthing said. Now she is looking for “innovative ways to connect with others.”

But not everyone is cutting alcohol-cold turkey. According to one Reported in Germa Jemma Network Open, Americans drink 14 percent more often during coronavirus epidemics, although these data come from the onset of the epidemic. The study compared the survey responses of 1,540 participants to their habit of drinking in their self-report in the spring to the previous year. For women, the increase was 17 percent compared to last year. Study participants ranged in age from 30 to 80 years; There was information collected RAND Corporation American Life Panel.

Michael Pollard, a sociologist and co-author of that behavior, had previously told the salon that it was unclear whether this “alcohol use behavior” [will] Continue, “or they” will go back the same way they were before COVID-19. “

Indeed, some say that the onset of the epidemic was accelerated before their drinking habits declined, such as Myth writer Mike Greenberg Said Salon.

“I was very excited, a little excited when the quarantine started,” Greenberg said via email. “Working from home, grabbing a beer around 4 (who knows?), And every excuse not to exercise? It was wonderful … until it wasn’t.”

After the first two weeks, he drank almost daily, Greenberg said.

“The thing that cut me more than my gut was my mental health,” Greenberg said. “It’s been a real battle since then, but I’ve finally reopened the local gym with the other side coming out. I don’t exercise more often, eat healthier, and stick to water, juice and tea.”

“Honestly, I look like Superman in comparison,” he said.