Why According To Experts You Shouldn't Drink Alcohol During The Pandemic | The State
Start the year with the purpose of a month without alcohol, what is known as “Dry January” it may be more difficult to achieve this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
What is “dry january” or “dry January”
Some people take dry January as a way to give the body a break. But objective real dry January is a conversation about alcohol. Dry January is about inspire a change in behavior after a month of positive sobriety.
“It is not about giving up something, but about getting something back. Your time, your energy, your fun, your freedom, ”says Alcohol Change.
Participants can experience the many benefits of a month without alcohol; among them is sleep better, have more energy, some lose weight, notice improvements in skin and hair.
Noticing reactions to quitting alcohol can even give you signs of how dependent you have become, if you are irritated or anxious. what motivates your consumption, be it boredom, loneliness or frustration and explore other ways to face them.
The challenge is aimed at people who drink heavily and frequently. But it is not a detox or for those with dependency issues, notes an article published in the British Journal of General Practice.
Most vulnerable to alcohol in the pandemic
Alcohol can be the way many people cope with stressful events.
The adults americans, particularly women, drink more amid the pandemic of COVID-19, according to a report published in September in the JAMA Network Open.
“It’s not really that we want to have a drink, we want to not feel what we feel… The more it becomes our choice, the less we address the source of the problem,” psychotherapist Nancy Colier told USA Today.
Colier said he has never seen so many people self-medicate in his practice before.
You may think that alcoholic drinks help you cope with stress, but actually symptoms of anxiety and distress, depression and other mental disorders increase.
Important reasons not to drink alcohol during the pandemic
Alcohol has both short-term and long-term effects on virtually every organ in the body. Its consumption is not recommended at any time and particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.
The World Health Organization notes that Drinking alcoholic beverages can make a person more vulnerable to COVID-19.
The alcohol weakens the immune system and thus the ability to deal with infectious diseases is reduced.
Excessive alcohol consumption increases the risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome, one of the more serious complications of COVID-19.
With the confinement, alcohol is more dangerous, considering that increases the risk, frequency and severity of victimization and all types of violence interpersonal, such as intimate partner violence, sexual violence, youth violence, elder abuse, and violence against boys and girls.
Both isolation and drinking can increase the risk of suicide.
How not to give up dry January
In the face of cravings of alcohol from the first days, enjoy a chocolate or other treat (in moderation).
Don’t have alcohol at home.
Take care of your general mental health. In times of stress, you are more tempted to consume alcohol. Eat healthy, take breaks from the news every now and then, and go out once a day if possible.
Alternative drinks. If you associate alcohol as a reward or gift when you need to relax, find other after things to indulge yourself like non-alcoholic beers or fancy teas.
Don’t focus on what you are missing When you stop drinking alcohol, you think that you actually you’re winning, in benefits. Add new things to enjoy, like hikes, a hobby, new routines and new foods.
Be nice to yourself and don’t be discouraged, change may not come so easy and if you stumble, go back to the plan, don’t abandon it
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