Michael Levin: COVID lockdowns – substance abuse spikes will hurt us for decades. Don't politicians get that?

We’ve all seen news reports indicating how hard it is these days to get a bed in an Intensive Care Unit, given the spiking numbers of cases of COVID-19. But if you think finding a spot in an ICU is tough, try getting a bed in an alcohol or drug rehab.

A new study finds that Americans locked away in their homes due to COVID-19 are turning to alcohol and drugs in greater numbers than ever, to cope with pandemic-related stress.  One in three Americans has engaged in binge drinking since the pandemic began. The study defines binge drinking as taking as many as seven drinks in a single session.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health, was based on interviews with almost 2,000 Americans in the first month of the pandemic.

Why are Americans drinking so much? The reasons are endless.

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Human beings are creatures of habit, and we have seen most, if not all, of our routines kicked to the curb by COVID-19 lockdown regulations.  Unfortunately, unintended consequences from the lockdowns have created even more societal ills than government officials ever imagined.

People are drinking too much and too often because they have lost their jobs or businesses, or fear they will soon be out of work.

They are under stress because they are spending far more time than usual with loved ones, and not everyone’s marriage or relationship was all that solid before the pandemic began.  

Their finances are upside down and they fear that things won’t turn around anytime soon.

People are also suffering because their children are suffering. Therapists report that depression among children is off the charts, as they are missing their classrooms, their sports, their extracurricular activities, their friends, and their own routines.

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Since no parent is happier than his or her least happy child, parents are suffering, too. Parents of school-age children may be binging slightly less than everyone else, but even they are drinking far too much.

Binge drinking has enormous social and economic costs. In the short term, it’s hard to get your work done, if you still have work, when you’re drunk. Moreover, the social cost of broken relationships due to alcohol and drug abuse will spiral in years to come, as a result of the binge drinking that’s going on right now. Children will pay the price for their parents’ divorces, fueled by COVID-related alcohol and substance abuse, for decades to come.

Binge drinking can also lead to tragedy, when intoxicated individuals get behind the wheel. As lockdown-related alcohol abuse increases, so does the likelihood that more innocent people will die.  Will they be counted as COVID victims?  No, but they should be.

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Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs responded to the pandemic by moving most of their meetings online. Those who think they may have a problem with alcohol or other substances can search for the local Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous website in their communities and find both Zoom and face-to-face meetings.

There’s no shame in admitting the possibility of a problem with alcohol and drugs; the real shame is recognizing that one may have a problem and doing nothing about it.

Ironically, sober members of Alcoholics Anonymous may be among the mentally healthiest in our society these days, as they enjoy socialization through meetings and daily contact and support from other members. Twelve-step meetings combat the isolation that drinkers experienced when they were drinking and using drugs to excess.

The challenge is that most newcomers to 12-step programs can’t get the full experience of being in AA by participating in a Zoom call. What’s missing is the opportunity to meet seasoned members of those groups and have face-to-face conversations. Those discussions create a sense of trust and hope and inspire newcomers to return to additional meetings and move toward abstinence from drugs and alcohol.

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In many regions of the country, face-to-face AA meetings are still taking place, so Zoom is not the only choice for the problem drinker who wants to find help. Again, a quick call to the local Central Office for Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Marijuana Anonymous or any of the other Anonymous fellowships can get locations and times for face-to-face meetings as well as Zoom meetings.

Where face-to-face meetings still exist, members report a higher influx of newcomers than ever. The anecdotal experience of people in 12-step programs confirms what the new study on binge drinking during the pandemic reveals—that more and more people are seeking to drown their sorrows, but in doing so, are simply multiplying their problems. Which makes it harder than ever to find a bed in an alcohol or drug rehab, just when they are needed the most.

One day, we will look back on the shutdowns of our vital institutions—our schools, our churches and synagogues, our gyms, our libraries—and we will have to determine whether the suffering in terms of depression, alcoholism and drug addiction, failed marriages, and suicide was really worth the cost.

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Perhaps government officials will explain, one day, why marijuana dispensaries and liquor stores were deemed “essential” and remained open from day one…while churches and synagogues were shuttered until they were only reopened the U.S. Supreme Court.

By focusing primarily on the desire to arrest the pandemic, we may have caused far more human suffering than the novel coronavirus ever could have. And I won’t drink to that.

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