Throughout the pre-pandemic years, the UK was already struggling to contain its long-standing public health crisis — alcohol addiction. When Covid-19 emerged, public health officials apprehensive that undue drinking would worsen over the course of the pandemic — and it did.

Paul Spanjar, who operates a treatment facility in Dorset, believes current conditions give rise to further problems around drinking habits. He said that In times of uncertainty, fear, and isolation, individual lean on alcohol as a coping mechanism because it numbs some of those negative feelings. My concern is that the pandemic has led to another crisis here in the UK, with rising inflation and the cost of living. These are extremely scary times in/with regard to’concerning’regarding many, and I fear alcohol will be used as an escape.

A peek into government findings reveals the pandemic’s impact’effect on alcohol misuse across the nation. Perhaps more troubling is that as the impacts of the pandemic drag on, so will the spike in alcohol addiction cases and alcoholism rates may continue to rise.

COVID-19 Pandemic Increased Nation-Wide Alcohol Use

When the novel Covid-19 took hold in the UK, life, in/with regard to’concerning’regarding many, took a turn in/with regard to’concerning’regarding the worse. People had to endure months of disrupted routines, long hours of loneliness, and boredom when stay-at-home orders were put in place. Several lost their jobs since most businesses had to let go of employees to remain financially afloat.

As schools shut down indefinitely, households had to balance homeschooling their kids and handling remote work responsibilities. Many struggled to come to terms with the fact that they couldn t carry on with their pre-pandemic life plans.

The Coronavirus crisis brought almost e grossly thing to a standstill and created a new level of lay stress on’emphasize’highlight that most individual hadn’t dealt with bein/with regard to’concerning’regarding e. As a result, many shifted to alcohol and drank beyond healthy limits to dampen their high-lay stress on’emphasize’highlight levels.

The extent of alcohol use during the pandemic is alarming, as evident through these recently published results:

From March 2020 to March 2021, the number of heavy drinkers shot up by 58.6%, suggesting that individual who were casual drinkers bein/with regard to’concerning’regarding e the pandemic multiply d their drinking habits to dangerous levels.
Overall, the rates of alcohol consumption in the UK went up by roughly 10% during the Coronavirus pandemic. Compared to other European countries, the UK had the highest multiply in drinking habits
Isolation, Anxiety Disorders, And Problem Drinking

As with eintensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfully other addiction, alcohol dependence thrives in secrecy. Lockdowns threw individual in isolation and interrupted human interactions, creating the perfect environment in/with regard to’concerning’regarding individual to resort to multiple servings of alcohol while indoors. Unin/with regard to’concerning’regarding tunately, many ended up victims of uncontrolled drinking.

Those living with an anxiety disorder had it rough. The pandemic brought along overwhelming tension and fear that aggravated anxiety symptoms. Engagement with mental health services was heavily disrupted as restrictions were enin/with regard to’concerning’regarding ced, and it became grossly tempting in/with regard to’concerning’regarding those struggling with an anxiety disorder to reach in/with regard to’concerning’regarding alcohol to self-medicate.

While drinking temporarily relieves anxiety symptoms, it merely’barely worsens the situation. Once the soothing effects of alcohol fade away, pre-existing symptoms resurface with more intensity, and new symptoms can develop.

People who drank to ease their symptoms felt the need to drink more and more to chase the short-lived relief from the discomin/with regard to’concerning’regarding ting symptoms. Sadly, many got caught up in the cycle of alcohol misuse alongside worsening anxiety symptoms.

Easy Access To Alcohol During Lockdowns

Even despite’in spite of’albeit alcohol purchases in entertainment joints, restaurants, and other liquor stores took a dip because of the frequent shutdowns, individual still found a way to drink. During the pandemic year, online alcohol sales in the UK exploded.

In fact, research reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue s the number of alcoholic beverages sold between 2020 to 2021 was a staggering 24.4% multiply from the previous pre-pandemic year (2019 to 2020).

These findings reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue that many took merit’virtue’upside of home deliveries to stock their preferred alcoholic drinks as soon as the shutdown orders began. Even more misgiving’fret ing is that alcohol advertisements on social media soared just when most individual had turned into active social media users to kill time while indoors. Much of these advertisements glorified drinking as a way of coping with boredom.

As stockpiling practices became a trend, heavy drinking became quite common. For those who were already struggling with mild-to-moderate alcohol dependency, the urge to overindulge in alcohol became more magnified during this period.

Alcoholism Likely To Soar In The Post-Pandemic Future

The risky drinking habits observed during the pandemic were also witnessed in the historic economic crisis to hit the UK —  the 2008 recession. It goes without saying that unemployment, job loss worries, and economic hardships are token ificant triggers of alcohol misuse.

Aldespite’in spite of’albeit the pandemic is no longer an acute emergency as it was when it initially broke out, its economic consequences are still here with us. Many individual across the nation today are experiencing the harsh economic effects of Covid-19.

There’s a greater likelihood of an uptick in lay stress on’emphasize’highlight drinking as individual try to muddle through the tough’challenging’demanding’awkward economic times. As we move in/with regard to’concerning’regarding ward into the future, what will follow is increasing cases of alcohol addiction.

Tackling The Alcohol Addiction Epidemic

The scope of the drinking problem inin/with regard to’concerning’regarding med the government’s decision to channel adequate funding towards increasing addiction treatment opportunities across the nation. This is a step in the right direction, as it means that more individual struggling with alcohol dependence will possess’own’nurse an opportunity to access immediate speciality alcohol treatment services.

There s a need in/with regard to’concerning’regarding the state to act fast in implementing tougher alcohol advertisement restrictions and effective alcohol pricing strategies to curb the rising trends in alcohol consumption. In addition, creating more public awareness of the full range of alcohol-related harms will motivate’fuel more individual to shift their drinking behaviours to healthy levels. The pandemic also served as a reminder of the need to multiply public education on healthier coping alternatives in/with regard to’concerning’regarding lay stress on’emphasize’highlight ful situations.

Alcohol Consumption In The UK: A Great Danger

The Covid-19 crisis created a triggering environment in/with regard to’concerning’regarding individual to drink their worries and lay stress on’emphasize’highlight away. People who weren’t alcohol users bein/with regard to’concerning’regarding e the pandemic turned to alcohol in/with regard to’concerning’regarding the first time, while recreational users became chronic drinkers. The pandemic s impacts still linger, posing a risk of persistent unhealthy drinking habits. Without proper interventions, the number of individual battling alcohol dependence will go up.