Alcohol deaths up 16% in 2020

[Borobarmy]

I don’t need to read data about ‘ alcohol consumption in the UK ‘ ( sounds like a good album title ) I can tell just by listening to the bin men collecting the recycle stuff every fortnight In our road . The sound wakes you up of bottles and cans !

 

[Laughing]

Cant really put that increase down to just lockdown though. 100000 people are dead because of this, could this increase not also be due to the misery that loosing a loved one has caused all of these people, who are then turning to drink to cope with their loss?

I would think, JM, that alcohol abuse is very complex, much like drugs. You can have a very successful life and still develop a dependency.

I did read many years ago in New Scientist (I know, I know) that there is very likely a gene that promotes alcoholism and makes us much more likely to become dependent. So it may actually be a combination of genetics and life choices.

 

[Randy]

Cant really put that increase down to just lockdown though. 100000 people are dead because of this, could this increase not also be due to the misery that loosing a loved one has caused all of these people, who are then turning to drink to cope with their loss?

Could play a part in some yes. Lockdown has definitely accelerated the increase and people can't even blame pubs because they've been closed.
Covid trump's all other ailments at the moment.

 

[MolteniArcore]

Cant really put that increase down to just lockdown though. 100000 people are dead because of this, could this increase not also be due to the misery that loosing a loved one has caused all of these people, who are then turning to drink to cope with their loss?

None of this is black and white despite the OP trying to insist it is. It's just something else to try and bolster their anti-lockdown arguments when the majority of people and scientists know they are needed.

On a personal level I have drunk a lot less this 2nd lockdown than the first. I feel a lot better for it.

 

[Borobarmy]

I would think, JM, that alcohol abuse is very complex, much like drugs. You can have a very successful life and still develop a dependency.

I did read many years ago in New Scientist (I know, I know) that there is very likely a gene that promotes alcoholism and makes us much more likely to become dependent. So it may actually be a combination of genetics and life choices.

Functional alcoholics is the big thing . Many people who have demanding careers of some esteem who once getting home have a need to consume 1 or 2 bottles of wine or whatever , totally unbeknown to the outside world .

 

[Laughing]

Functional alcoholics is the big thing . Many people who have demanding careers of some esteem who once getting home have a need to consume 1 or 2 bottles of wine or whatever , totally unbeknown to the outside world .

I have always had a bit of a problem with "functioning alcoholic". There is a big difference between an alcoholic and a heavy drinker. The two tend to get lumped in together, with functioning alcoholic used to describe a heavy drinker.

Most men have gone through periods in our lives where we have drank more than is good for us. If you look at the NHS quiz for alcoholism, a vast majority of people would, at one point or another, have tested positive for alcoholism. Here is a flavour:

Do you sometimes drink more than you planned to? Yep

Do you ever get an urge to drink or a craving for alcohol? Every office christmas party

Does your drinking ever put you in a dangerous situation? Only if you go out in boro town center

Has drink ever negatively impacted your work? I have been hung over at work.

I am not being flipant, just demonstrating that dinking heavily is not the same as addiction or dependency.

For clarity I drink 2 or 3 cans once or twice a week during lockdown. When working away from home I drink too much, mostly due to boredom or missing home. Maybe 5 beers 3 times a week

 

[JM14]

Could play a part in some yes. Lockdown has definitely accelerated the increase and people can't even blame pubs because they've been closed.
Covid trump's all other ailments at the moment.

I don't think that's through choice though more down to the destruction its causing for pretty much every service available.

Most routine operations will be off because of a shortage of ICU staff, its too much of a risk carrying out operations without the correct staff to look after patients, but as well covid is rife in hospitals so taking someone into a hospital that likely has health complications could also be putting them at further risk.

Even down to mental health services mainly having to work from home or loosing staff due to sickness etc, again this isn't just that covid is being prioritised, its just that the disruption this causes means its impossible to run any sort of health service at anywhere near capacity which in turn results in further suffering.

Just another reason why its so essential to control. Covid being widespread doesn't just cause covid deaths, its also responsible for delays in cancer treatments, routine operations etc. This isn't done by choice just to prioritise covid and forget about anything else, its just another impact that the virus has on our healthcare system.