The COVID-19 pandemic has increased everyone’s stress levels, but these are especially hard times for people fighting alcohol abuse. Drinking weakens your body’s ability to fight infections, increases the risk of health complications and makes your body take longer to recover when something goes wrong.
It’s important to take action if you or someone you care about is reaching toward the bottle to deal with these uncertainties. For someone struggling with alcohol abuse, a COVID-19 infection could complicate long-term health problems such as liver and heart disease, cancer, stroke, high blood pressure and birth defects. Alcohol use can also increase the risk of respiratory distress and pneumonia in patients.
Watch for these early warning signs to know if someone is having difficulty dealing with stress:
- Eating or sleeping too little or too much
- Pulling away from people and usual activities
- Feeling numb or like nothing matters
- Feeling helpless or hopeless
- Feeling unusually confused or forgetful
- Experiencing severe mood swings
- Thinking of harming self or others
- Inability to perform normal, daily tasks
Keep an eye out for these signs that someone may be abusing alcohol due to stress:
- Experiencing temporary blackouts or memory loss
- Exhibiting signs of irritability or mood swings
- Making excuses for drinking
- Choosing drinking over other responsibilities
- Becoming isolated and distant from friends or family membersem
- Drinking alone or in secrecy
If you or someone you know is displaying some of the above behaviors, it is important to be a beacon of hope while social distancing guidelines or stay-at-home orders are in place.
The American Heart Association suggests the following:
- Seek alcohol-free activities for dealing with stress
- Take care of your physical health to improve your mental health
- Make a list of your current worries to help identify sources of stress
If positive coping strategies aren’t helpful, know that help and treatment during the pandemic is still readily available. Seeking professional help is not looked down upon but encouraged. Contacting your healthcare provider can give you unique tools and resources specific to your situation. Many providers continue to offer both in-person and telemedicine options.
The COVID-19 pandemic is not only a battle with the health effects of the disease but also how it impacts your mental and physical well-being. We can fight it together.
