Did Last Year Turned You into A Drinker?

 We have all been pitched in a whirlwind of stress and anxiety with the appearance of the Covid-19 pandemic.

With authorities advising folks to remain at home to help handle the proliferation of the virus and the prospect of fluctuating amounts of “solitary confinement” for weeks ahead, the majority of us are looking for techniques to help us deal with this “new normal”.

Add to that the tragic death of George Floyd and the ‘Black Lives Matters‘ riots on our streets has created an almost palpable feeling of fear.

There have been reports of a surge in alcohol purchases indicating that many are oiling this weird new reality by drinking more than ever. In the United Kingdom, alcohol sales were up by 23% in March and in the United States, they have increased by nearly 60% compared to the same time in 2019. 

Alcohol is speaking to a lot of us right now!

We are in a time of aggregate stress, and it seems like it may go on forever at this rate. Around the globe men and women are getting ill from this horrid virus, and countless are dying. There is a discernible sensation of dread, irritation, and stress.

Working from home may sound like a beautiful place to be, but we miss the interaction with other humans. So many people are feeling isolated and lonely, not to mention those worrying if they will have a job to go back to. Despite the lurking common sense, individuals may resort to drinking in an endeavour to unwind, an escape the stress of 2020.

The reality is that both from a physical standpoint and emotionally, the calming impact of alcohol, especially when under strain, is very short-lived.

“Using alcohol to ease your anxiety is like using a loan shark to deal with your debt problems. For a while life gets easier, but you will quickly discover that you just found a way to make everything 10x worse in the long run”, Dan Grové 

Why not join our daily FREE Online Session where we discuss how to stop drinking?

The science behind the evil drug

It comes down to a complicated net of neuroscience. Drinking has an effect on several of the human brain’s signal carriers or “neurotransmitters”. When we consume alcohol, the drug reduces the production of glutamate, boosting the creation of feel-good chemicals, which usually decreases the activity of nerve cells.

Simply put, our brains weaken the more we consume alcohol, this is why we say stupid things and commit the crime of sending ‘let’s get back together’ texts to our ex! 

The truth is – alcohol does not help with stress and anxiety; it actually creates stress and anxiety. 

While your brain is being attacked by the drug, it is also interfering with our pleasure and reward centre. This means while you can thoroughly intend to have ‘just one drink’, the drug is going to smash that goal apart just as soon as you take the first sip.

“I always tell my Stop Drinking Online attendees, you only get once choice. You can choose to have the first drink, but every drink after that will be the choice of the drug”, Dan Grové 

Why not join our daily FREE Online Session where we discuss how to stop drinking?

What a f’kin awful year!

The severity of the Covid-19 predicament isn’t the only element at play here. Plenty of men and women use alcohol as a practical social coping technique. Alcohol helps us feel less socially awkward, but it’s doing this by making us more stupid. This is not a life goal we should be aiming for.

Violence, looting and riots on the streets plus a killer virus on the roam. Let’s be honest; it’s a pretty stressful time to be a human being.

Lots of people around the planet remain in solitary confinement in restricted living spaces, and it’s caused a lot of anxiety. This has manifested as panic buying and stockpiling. It’s not just hand sanitiser and toilet roll that we have been hoarding. People have been stocking up on alcohol as well.

The problem is, if your cupboards are full of wine and beer, it’s far too easy to drink it.

One more contributing aspect is that our normal day to day lives have all fallen apart. Many are working from home, no longer driving to work, or sitting in an office cubicle, all the days seem to merge into one another without having the social signals to separate them.

With that, the usual standards that individuals set for themselves when it pertains to drinking moderation have blown up.

Nikki is a government worker in the United Kingdom. “I usually tend to think of myself as a reasonably restrained, savvy woman,” she states. “I try to be good and only have a wine or two at the weekends.”.

But just like a lot of us, she is feeling overwhelmed by all the bad news, despite the fact that she avoids watching the news as much as possible. “After a twelve-hour workday, I find myself grabbing a glass of wine to help me relax, even though it’s a school night,” she says. 

Why not join our daily FREE Online Session where we discuss how to stop drinking?

Rules don’t work

These benchmarks we set are entirely personal. It may be consuming alcohol only on a Saturday and Sunday, not drinking by yourself or in your home. Sometimes our rules are so silly; for example, we believe if you drink every day in the morning, you are an alcoholic. However, if you drink every day in the evening, you are somehow normal.

Social media has a lot to answer for in this respect. Alcohol meme’s and alcohol justifying posts are everywhere.

If all our friends are writing about their virtual ‘happy hours’, it becomes effortless for us to rationalise drinking alcohol at times when we normally wouldn’t. The moment at which you begin wondering about your drinking is the moment to take action. Please don’t put it off; don’t look for social proof to make yourself feel better. 

Alcohol puts you at risk.

While the health and wellness risks of substantial alcohol consumption are relatively well publicised, possibly another pertinent consequence in the middle of a medical disaster is that alcohol use reduces our immune systems’ capability to fight off disease.

And a new analysis from scientists in Italy indicates that even modest alcohol consumption might raise the danger of being infected with Covid-19 and that it can worsen the condition.

In analysis yet to be released, it has been demonstrated that drinking can raise amounts of the ACE-2 protein the coronavirus uses to attack the human body.

Attempting to ‘take your mind off the continuous flow of headlines about Covid-19’ is likely to be put yourself at more serious danger of the impacts of the coronavirus. 

Why not join our daily FREE Online Session where we discuss how to stop drinking?

Doctor’s Are Worried

Worry over the way individuals are resorting to drinking throughout the pandemic, including incorrect assertions flowing that alcohol can even shield you from Covid-19, has led the WHO to release a two-page declaration on the subject.

“Stay away from drinking alcohol entirely to ensure that you do not weaken your immune system and do not endanger the physical health of other people,” it recommends. “Substantial alcohol consumption is a risk variable for severe breathing distress, one of the most serious issues of COVID-19.”.

It’s not just our health that is suffering because of this years drinking increases.

The United Nations has cautioned of an upsurge in domestic violence around the world throughout quarantine, with phone calls to helplines 150% compared to the same time in 2019. All over Europe, people are dying in their homes, not from the virus but their abusive partners who are home more and drinking more. 

Why not join our daily FREE Online Session where we discuss how to stop drinking?

Banning Alcohol

A few nations, like India and Sri Lanka, are so worried about the development of alcohol use disorders throughout lockdown that they have outlawed the sale of alcoholic beverages entirely. This sounds like a perfect solution, but this is not without its complications.

For people with severe alcoholism, withdrawal can cause serious problems. The symptoms vary from uncontrollable shaking, aberrations, fits and even death. We are not even counting the number of people around the world who have died because of alcohol withdrawal or from being poisoned after attempting to make their own alcohol.

However, even where alcohol is freely accessible, the numbers do not always show the full story. A new report has revealed that a 3rd of individuals was drinking less alcohol, and only a 5th was consuming more. This is notably worrying as it would seem that a pretty small percentage of individuals are generating the surge in alcohol sales.

In other words, for people who has a problem with their alcohol use, 2020 and all its stress is making life much worse. There are numerous triggers to drink every day. 

Why not join our daily FREE Online Session where we discuss how to stop drinking?

The good news

However, there is some good news. We are halfway through a terrible year; enough time has passed for a lot of people to wake up to their increased drinking and take action.

If you have noticed that your alcohol use has increased of late and you can’t seem to pull it back to old levels, you are not alone. It would help if you also were reassured that there is no shame in asking for help. Stopping drinking can be a challenge if you do it alone and go cold turkey.

Make sure you get the right advice, help and tools to make the process painless. This is where the Stop Drinking Online Course comes in, we have helped over 100,000 problem drinkers to get their happy sober lives back. Who wants to be next?

This process is unlike anything you have seen before. It requires no willpower, no expensive rehab and no embarrassing group therapy. It’s completed in the comfort of your own home and at your own pace.

Ready to find out more?

Why not join our daily FREE Online Session where we discuss how to stop drinking?

You will even get a free copy of the bestselling book ‘My Life in a Bottle’ as a free gift for turning up.