MORE PEOPLE UNDER 65 DIED AS A RESULT OF ALCOHOL DURING THE PANDEMIC THAN THE ACTUAL COVID-19 VIRUS
While there was a tremendous loss of life in the last couple of years due to to Covid-19 pandemic, data is just coming to light about the number of deaths caused by alcohol which occurred during the two years of lockdown.
A recent article in the New York Times reports that Americans drinking increased dramatically due to the pandemic, a fact that I think most of us knew. However, a new study has concluded that “the number of alcohol-related deaths, including from liver disease and accidents, soared, rising to 99,017 in 2020, up from 78,927 the previous year — an increase of 25 percent in the number of deaths in one year.”
To me this number is shocking, deaths from alcohol was up 25% because of the pandemic. Alcohol related deaths in the US is already the third leading cause of preventable death, second only to tobacco and poor diet. Our bodies were simply NOT designed to drink the way that we do. It is after all, poison!
When I think back to the memes that poked fun about moms drinking while homeschooling their children, or the Tropicana advert where Molly Sims hid in her bathroom drinking a mimosa while her children were looking for her, or the supermarket wine aisles with the sign “Homeschool Supplies, it just makes me so sad.
I get it, I used wine to cope with my children too. I have been there, but at some point we have to wake up and realise that the thing that we are going to for relief and to numb out, is actually, quite literally, killing us.
The New York Times Article reads, “Among adults younger than 65, alcohol-related deaths actually outnumbered deaths from Covid-19 in 2020.” Yes I had to read that again too. Alcohol killed more people (under 65) during the pandemic than the actual virus.
The study which was conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a division of the National Institutes of Health concludes that “Young adults ages 25 to 44 experienced the greatest increases in alcohol-related deaths in 2020, rising nearly 40 percent over the previous year, according to the new report.” I find this so shocking as we generally think of those people who have died to liver cirrhosis at age 70 after binge drinking for years and years. Times are changing, and young people are dying as a result of drinking too much.
The article explains that drinking deaths were up because people were using alcohol to deal with stress and boredom. If we can find better coping mechanisms we can live better, healthier, happier lives.
Are you drinking to deal with stress? You aren’t alone. Stress is one of the main reasons my clients have when I ask them why they drink. But alcohol doesn’t actually relieve any stress, it actually compounds stress and anxiety by releasing the chemicals adrenaline and cortisol. You may feel like you’ve numbed the stress, but that numbing, caused by an artificial dopamine hit, generally lasts about 20 minutes. After that, your body is constantly releasing a depressive chemical, called dynorphin, to combat the high.
You may feel relief, but it’s only temporary. The reason you feel tired, stressed and anxious after drinking is because of the chemical reactions in our brains.
So we drink to combat stress, but it makes us more anxious, and on top of all that, it’s also slowly killing us.
Let me guide you through better ways to cope with stress. I know life can be stressful and overwhelming, but I promise- your wine isn’t helping you. It’s only sabotaging you and making you feel worse.
You can read the full NYT article here.
If you’d like to book a discovery call to speak about coaching, you can click here.
