Isolation, boredom, anxiety - they're all leading to more alcohol abuse by 'problem-drinkers' in the UK, a new study shows.
Nina Dos Santos talks to the team behind the study and checks in on a sober alcoholic, currently having to resort to zoom support meetings to keep his recovery on track.
EARLY TEENS AND I REMEMBERTHE FEELING OF THAT.
"THIS 21-YEAR-OLD STUDENT WHOM WEARE CALLING 'DAVID' DOESN'TWANT YOU TO KNOW HIS REALNAME...OR SEE HIS FACE.LIKE AN ESTIMATED HALF A MILLIONBRITONS.HE ISBATTLING AN ADDICTION TOALCOHOL.WHAT HE DOES WANT YOU TO KNOW ISIT'S A FIGHT THAT ISGETTING TOUGHER.THE LONGER THEUK'S LOCKDOWNLASTS."DAVID", RECOVERING ALCOHOLIC:"THE LIFE OF AN ACTIVEALCOHOLIC, AN ALCOHOLIC WHO ISSTILL DRINKING RIGHT NOW INLOCKDOWN, IS GOING TO BE A VERYVERY DIFFICULT ONE."WITH HIS AA MEETINGS HAVINGMOVED ONLINE, DAVID'S MISSINGTHE EMOTIONAL SUPPORT OF THOSEWHO HAVE KEPT HIM DRY."DAVID", RECOVERING ALCOHOLIC:"ONE OF THE REALLYIMPORTANT THINGS FOR ME IN TERMSOF GETTING SOBERWAS ACTUALLY HAVING A ROOM FULLOF PEOPLE THAT TREATED MELIKE I WAS A HUMAN BEING AND NOWTHAT ROOM FULL OF PEOPLEIS NOT THERE ANYMORE."IT TOOK DAVID YEARS TO ADMIT HEHAD A PROBLEM.BUT EXPERTS ARE ALREADY WARNINGMILLIONS OFBRITONS COULD BE HEADING DOWNTHE SAME PATH, USINGALCOHOL AS A DISTRACTION FROMBOREDOM AND ISOLATIONAND DEVELOPING A DEPENDENCY.DR RICHARD PIPER, CHIEFEXECUTIVE OF ALCOHOL CHANGEUK: "ONCE WE'RE DRINKING MORE,IT'S A BIT LIKE A RATCHET, ITCANGO UP QUITE EASILY, BUT IT CANBE VERY HARD TO BRING DOWN."THE CHARITY ALCOHOL CHANGECOMMISSIONED A SURVEY OFPOST-LOCKDOWN DRINKING HABITSAFTER SEEING A FIVE-FOLDINCREASE IN APPEALS FOR HELPTHROUGH ITS SITE.IT FOUND ABOUT 1 IN 5 BRITS AREDRINKING MORE AND MORE OFTEN.BUT THEY ARE DRINKINGDIFFERENTLY... NINA DOS SANTOS,CNN: JUST BECAUSE PUBS LIKETHESE ARECLOSED, THAT DOESN'T MEAN PEOPLEAREN'T DRINKING.
IT'SJUST YOU CAN'T ALWAYS SEE IT.FOR INSTANCE, SALES OFALCOHOL IN UK LIQUOR STORES WERE30 PER CENT HIGHERTHAN USUAL FOR THE MONTH OFMARCH, AS PEOPLE RUSHEDTO STOCKPILE BEFORE THE LOCKDOWNWAS IMPOSED.AMONG THOSE MOST AT RISK, SAYSTHIS LONDON DOCTOR,ARE SENIOR CITIZENS, WHO AREALSO MORE VULNERABLE TOCORONAVIRUS.DR TONY RAO, CONSULTANTPSYCHIATRIST AT THE SOUTHLONDON MAUDSLEY HOSPITAL GROUP:"I'M PARTICULARLYCONCERNED ABOUT ONE POPULATIONAND THAT'S THE BABYBOOMER POPULATION."ABOUT TO GRADUATE, DAVID HAS HISWHOLE LIFE TO LOOKFORWARD TO."DAVID", RECOVERING ALCOHOLIC:"I'M TAKING EACH DAYAT A TIME..."BY THE END OF THIS MONTH, HE'LLHAVE BEEN SOBER FOR TWO YEARS.THE FEAR IS WHEN LOCKDOWN ISLIFTED OTHERS WILL BE LEFTWITH MORE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES.NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN LONDONSOME ALARMING NEW PREDICTIONSABOUT DEATHS OF DESPAIR.