How has the pandemic affected the number of alcohol addicts?

The pandemic has not only done harm to the physical health of the population but also depression has become more frequent; a lot of people started having problems with increased anxiety. Uncertainty, fear for one's health and the well-being of your loved ones, bad news, limited social activity, and death of your family members, all inevitably affects the psychoemotional state of people. And this also affected the alcohol use disorder: many started to use alcohol since the outburst of the pandemic, while those who already had problems with alcohol use could relapse more often.

Alcohol addiction is so insidious; while almost everyone is aware of the risks of drug use, then most of the adult population drinks alcohol once in a while. In most cases, doctors had to deal with severe addiction when an addict’s relatives start to sound the alarm. Please keep in mind that the sooner you visit the specialist, the higher your chances of successful recovery.

If you ask an addict who has come to a doctor at 2-3 stages of alcohol addiction why he did not reach out for help earlier, you will most likely hear “I was ashamed”. Indeed, drunkenness is a socially condemned disease, and the attitude towards it is twofold even in developed countries. However, one should understand that:

●      not confessing your problem can cause even a more rapid progression of the disease.
●      you are not the one with this problem, and you can receive help absolutely anonymously and confidentially.
●      a good addiction specialist or a psychotherapist will never judge you: their main job is to help people with addiction and not to blame them.

Contact the Fund that helps addicts and their relatives!