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Alcohol-related deaths spiked during the pandemic, a study shows

nytimes.com

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Re: Alcohol-related deaths spiked during the pandemic, a study shows

#171

Post by loceng »

kaishiro wrote: post #44

My older brother is an alcoholic. I suspect it's somewhat cliche to say, but when he's sober he's the nicest guy I know - almost nobody else I'd rather spend time with - and when he's drunk, he's chaos. The past few years he's been really struggling with sobriety - on and off like a roller coaster. The pandemic was an absolute nightmare for someone like him - in between jobs, trying to stay sober, trying to find the…

Has he looked into, researched Ayahuasca yet? Legal in many places now including Canada, and plenty of anecdotal evidence that it helps break addictions/dependancies.

Re: Alcohol-related deaths spiked during the pandemic, a study shows

#172

Post by nautilius »

emerged wrote: post #143
psychlops wrote: post #130

I notice that "the pandemic" is quickly found as the root cause and no analysis at all is done to identify if the response to the pandemic is to be implicated as well. I'd wager that waking up one day and discovering that one's job is not essential might be stressful. Being forbidden from going to the beaches and parks might have contributed. The stress of learned helplessness from countless bureaucratic decisions la…

Well you clearly didn’t read the article because the entire thing is talking about all of the sorts of causes you listed.

I think psychlops suggests seeing the pandemic as a catalyst rather than the cause.

Re: Alcohol-related deaths spiked during the pandemic, a study shows

#173

Post by tzs »

hdesh wrote: post #147
tzs wrote: post #145

Maybe next time we get a pandemic that needs people to stay at home a lot we should issue everyone vouchers good for a free decent beginner's musical instrument and enough free lessons with an instructor over video chat to teach them enough of the basics to get them to where they can continue learning from books and YouTube without an instructor. That might give people something to both distract them from the pandemi…

Good point about music. I have used the pandemic as an opportunity to get back at playing the keyboard. I have put it right next to my desk, so if I have to take a break from work, I can play it.

From what I've read, a fair number of people had the same idea. E.g.,

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/23/a-new-obsessio...

https://www.aarp.org/home-family/friends-family/info-2020/le...

https://www.wpr.org/more-people-are-playing-instruments-duri...

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58556770

https://www.surrey.ac.uk/news/five-tips-learning-play-musica...

Studies have shown that taking up an instrument does have excellent mental health benefits:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6368928/

https://consequence.net/2020/07/musical-instrument-mental-he...

Re: Alcohol-related deaths spiked during the pandemic, a study shows

#174

Post by rags2riches »

after_care wrote: post #157
hackeraccount wrote: post #104

I am so glad I got married and had a kid. My wife doesn't drink - and honestly it's way less fun to drink - even have a glass of wine with a meal - when someone else isn't. Plus with my daughter I don't drink when my wife isn't around because I'm always worried something is going to come up and I'll have to drive her some place on short notice. I think if it were just me on my own I might drink more ... and I always…

Always having meals with the same people, being consistently worried you’ll be responsible to drop what you’re doing on short notice to drive someone. I’m glad I did not marry or have kids.

For some, it's the worst thing imaginable to have to put something other than themselves first.

For others, finding something more important than themselves is what gives their life meaning.

Re: Alcohol-related deaths spiked during the pandemic, a study shows

#175

Post by duped »

elliekelly wrote: post #137
dotancohen wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That service exists, though. The hospital specifically referred them to AA.

AA is a religious organization. Not everyone wants to be “saved”. Nor should they have to be in order to get treatment for alcoholism.

Not only is it religious, its not founded in any empiricism or medical study. Here's a decent article laying out the critiques, the opening paragraph is what everyone should keep in mind: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/03/the-surpr...

> Say you’ve been diagnosed with a serious, life-altering illness or psychological condition. In lieu of medication, psychotherapy, or a combination thereof, your doctor prescribes nightly meetings with a group of similarly afflicted individuals, and a set of 12 non-medical guidelines for recovery, half of which require direct appeals to God. What would you do?

Re: Alcohol-related deaths spiked during the pandemic, a study shows

#176

Post by vxNsr »

lampshades wrote: post #164
stef25 wrote: post #26

Right before the first lockdown I started a new high stress job and for several months our two toddlers weren't allowed to attend school. During the first few weeks we tried to make it "fun", I'd start working around 4-5AM , alternating morning and evening shifts of work / toddlers with my partner. Then colleagues started complaining "wtf this guy's playing with his kids in the park at 2PM" and I got really bad feedb…

You sound like a variation of me. Right after lockdown I started a new job (that I really wanted) and had a toddler and a pregnant wife. I've always been a drinker, but my drinking started getting earlier and earlier in the day and I would go until bed. I'm also a marijuana smoker and I reverted back to my previous self of smoking from sun up to sun down. On top of my substance abuse issues, my wife had a rough pregn…

Sounds like you should seek couples counseling. If you’re unable to find a way to explain to your wife how WFH should work, and your wife doesn’t or won’t understand it on her own, there are likely larger issues at play and a few sessions with someone who can mediate might help you guys.

Re: Alcohol-related deaths spiked during the pandemic, a study shows

#177

Post by vorpalhex »

emerged wrote: post #143
psychlops wrote: post #130

I notice that "the pandemic" is quickly found as the root cause and no analysis at all is done to identify if the response to the pandemic is to be implicated as well. I'd wager that waking up one day and discovering that one's job is not essential might be stressful. Being forbidden from going to the beaches and parks might have contributed. The stress of learned helplessness from countless bureaucratic decisions la…

Well you clearly didn’t read the article because the entire thing is talking about all of the sorts of causes you listed.

Please avoid shallow dismissals of other commentors. Everyone here is a real person who has feelings.

Re: Alcohol-related deaths spiked during the pandemic, a study shows

#178

Post by spicyusername »

after_care wrote: post #157
hackeraccount wrote: post #104

I am so glad I got married and had a kid. My wife doesn't drink - and honestly it's way less fun to drink - even have a glass of wine with a meal - when someone else isn't. Plus with my daughter I don't drink when my wife isn't around because I'm always worried something is going to come up and I'll have to drive her some place on short notice. I think if it were just me on my own I might drink more ... and I always…

Always having meals with the same people, being consistently worried you’ll be responsible to drop what you’re doing on short notice to drive someone. I’m glad I did not marry or have kids.

Having a spouse and a family is super sweet. Constant emotional support and social fulfillment. An endless stream of small sweet positive moments. The ever-growing feeling of satisfaction that comes with watching your children grow, mature, and succeed. The pride that comes with improving and being a good parent or a good spouse. Having someone who is there for you and has your back 100%.

I'm not saying being single, childless, nomadic, or any other kind of lifestyle isn't also sweet too, or that marriage and parenthood is for everyone, but don't let a few negative comments from one person's anecdote be your definition of parenthood or marriage. When done well, they are two of the most fulfilling and rewarding endeavors you can embark on.

You also can definitely have meals with other people as you like lol.

Re: Alcohol-related deaths spiked during the pandemic, a study shows

#179

Post by antisinguIarity »

stef25 wrote: post #26

Right before the first lockdown I started a new high stress job and for several months our two toddlers weren't allowed to attend school. During the first few weeks we tried to make it "fun", I'd start working around 4-5AM , alternating morning and evening shifts of work / toddlers with my partner. Then colleagues started complaining "wtf this guy's playing with his kids in the park at 2PM" and I got really bad feedb…

I'm so glad to hear these stories finally surfacing. I had a one-year-old and a pregnant wife when lockdowns started. It was absolutely brutal, as we both had full-time jobs, and obviously there was absolutely nowhere to go or no-one to turn to for help. It has most definitely coloured my opinions of the usefulness of lockdowns. One of the most dismaying long-term effects of what parents have been made to go through is what I consider the abrupt decline in acceptable parenting techniques - how many young kids have now been deliberately stuffed in front of a TV or given a tablet to keep them quiet, while parents try to hold down jobs? Part of what made our lives so hard was my refusal to do such things.

Re: Alcohol-related deaths spiked during the pandemic, a study shows

#180

Post by clsec »

franknstein wrote: post #170
clsec wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IMO it's a cult. I spent a lot of my childhood at AA meetings with my alcoholic mother. I am also an alcoholic and struggled for years because the only answer I was ever offered was AA/NA. I tried it for myself a few times (usually to please others) but was always instantly turned off by it's cult like attributes. I eventually found help through a few different paths. disclaimer: my half-sister's mother was in a cult…

This might sound rough, but don't you think some brainwashing could help your situation?

Well, there was this in my post > "I eventually found help through a few different paths."

So thanks anyway but I don't need any help, especially brainwashing. My mind is too analytical to respond to it anyway ;)

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