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Lockdown Driven Woman and Those Furloughed To Drink Excessively More Alcohol

Monday 20 July, 2020

FURLOUGHED workers and those who have lost their jobs have
contributed to a massive spike in drinking during the Covid-19 pandemic.


A survey of 2,000 people, commissioned by Help4Addiction, showed
that 71 per cent of those made redundant were drinking more, with 28
per cent of them drinking 50 per cent more and 18 per cent of them
drinking 51-75 per cent more than prior to Covid-19.


Of those who
are currently furloughed, 54 per cent report that they are drinking
more, while of those, 32 per cent, said their drinking was up to 50 per
cent more than before the pandemic.


“It saddens me to say that
these figures do not surprise me at all,” says Nick Conn, CEO and
founder of Help4Addiction, the UK’s largest advisory clinic for
addictions.



“With little time to take care of themselves
and address their own needs during the coronavirus crisis, many parents
have upped their alcohol intake to cope with these added pressures and
have cited higher anxiety levels.



“For some it has
escalated problems in relationships, and for many, it has created a
crisis point as they realise, they are powerless over their drinking and
their lives have become unmanageable.”



The survey also
reports that a high number of people who have lost a job or a contract –
61 per cent – say they are drinking more, while of those, 19.5 per
cent, say they are drinking between 75 and 100 per cent more.


More
than 40 per cent of respondents reported that they or someone in their
household was drinking more, with 61 per cent saying it was themselves,
and 25 per cent their partners.


More than a quarter of
respondents agreed that they or someone in their household was ‘at risk
of addiction,’ while a further nine per cent ‘strongly agreed’ with that
premise.


During lockdown, those who have lost income from their
businesses have also turned to drink to drown their sorrows, with 47.3
per cent of those surveyed drinking between 24 and 50 per cent more
alcohol.


A high number of women – 53 per cent – are drinking more
than they did with 14.6 per cent drinking between 51 and 75 per cent
more and at least five per cent of them drinking a staggering 100-200
per cent more.


The lockdown has taken its toll in other areas
with 36 per cent reporting weight gain, 23 per cent anxiety and 18 per
cent depression. Those who had been made redundant produced higher
figures in the anxiety (43.9 per cent) and depression (39 per cent)
categories. Drinking more was reckoned to be the major cause of the
increase in instances of anxiety and depression.


Conn added: “We all face the extra pressures of living in an uncertain world, and this has been highlighted by the pandemic.


“Clients
have described the difficulties of being with their children 24/7 and
the pressure to provide, not only financially but emotionally, for their
children, whilst they themselves are struggling.


“The prolonged
period at home has meant daily, endless boundary setting of screen
time, whilst catering for three meals a day, extra housework, alongside
juggling academic support.”



For more information visit help4addiction.co.uk



Distributed by Pressat