Emmy and Grammy Awards-winner Ken Burns said it best in his documentary, “Prohibition,” calling the United States a “nation of drunkards” in the first episode.
America has a recurrent drinking problem, especially the consumption of distilled spirits, made only worse by COVID-19. Drinking is an overlooked and deadly epidemic that threatens our national mental and physical health. In fact, 14.5 million Americans were diagnosed with some type of Alcohol Use Disorder in 2019, before the pandemic.
Alcohol consumption has spiked during the pandemic, and the consequences have been predicted to outlast the virus. The American Psychological Association asked how many adults were using alcohol to manage their stress; 25% of respondents said they were doing so.
The country is trying to emerge out from under COVID-19 and many people are struggling to adjust.
Americans drink copious amounts of alcohol in general, and it’s even higher now because of the pandemic. Many Americans are now drinking every day, drinking more and drinking alone.
People aren’t drinking to make life better; they’re drinking to deal with their anxiety, depression and social isolation. They are deeply affected by the pandemic taking more than 630,000 lives.
One report during the pandemic said that heavy drinking by U.S. women rose 41% from 2019. The most notable increases were those with children between ages 5 and 7. Today, U.S. women are drinking nearly as much as men.
The problem starts with the high availability of alcohol-related products. Some grocery stores now offer wine and beer on tap. It’s also sold at movie theaters, Starbucks, sports events, Chuck E Cheese, even zoos and Disneyland — and the list goes on. Do we really need a drink to look at animals in a cage or shopping in the produce section?
And now, Colorado’s booze-to-go law has been extended another four years, enabling restaurants and bars to deliver drinks between 7 a.m. (really?) and midnight, thanks to House Bill 21-1027.
According to a Nielsen polling analysis, beer sales increased 45.6% during mid-2020, wine rose by 44.3% and distilled spirits by 19.4%.
A major local liquor store reports that its sales have risen more than 20 % in the past year.
There are more than 95,000 alcohol-related deaths in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s 261 deaths per day.
Drinking behaviors vary by age. Adults under 40 were the most likely, at 40%, to report increased alcohol use during the pandemic. That compares to 30% for 40- to 59-year-olds and 20 % for those over 60. That’s according to Yesim Tozan, professor of global health at the New York School of Global Public Health.
There are ways to mitigate these problems, besides complete abstinence.
The first step is to curtail the availability of booze. I’m not advocating for another Prohibition, just moderation, common sense and not drinking alone.
Here’s guidance from professionals for those who want to control their drinking:
Quit denying if you sense you drink too much.
Learn safer, alternative ways to deal with stress, anxiety management and social isolation.
Understand that Alcohol Use Disorder may be in your family’s genetics, with a propensity to drink to excess.
Don’t drink alone. That’s a major warning sign. One company is selling Busch Dog Brew, a broth drink for dogs, apparently for solo drinkers with dogs to pretend they’re not drinking alone.
Support teaching students at an early age about the deleterious effects of drinking too much. Colleges must do more to monitor and deter binge drinking.
Choose your drinks carefully: A 1.5-ounce shot of distilled spirits has about 40 percent alcohol, which is significantly greater than beer or wine.
Teach people the effects that heavy drinking can have on their bodies, leading to more cancer, liver disease, higher blood pressure and premature aging.
For those who want to reduce drinking alcohol, there are useful online tools:
- Rethinkdrinking.com is an at-home program with online coaching to help people reduce drinking.
- Cutbackcoach.com is a popular app that helps people track their alcohol intake, and sets goals and reminders to develop healthier drinking habits.
- Moderation Management is an online forum for people that want to reduce their drinking but not abstain from it.
- Ria Health helps people with personal online counseling.
David Jernigan, professor of Health Law, Policy and Management at the Boston University School of Public Health, has said: “Alcohol is our favorite drug. It’s also the drug of choice for people who write the law. Alcohol is like wallpaper in our society; it’s so prevalent, people stop noticing it’s there.”
We have a national drinking problem and its use as a coping mechanism is distinctly American.
Jim Martin can be reached at jimmartinesq@gmail.com
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August 08, 2021 at 04:15AM
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Opinion: Jim Martin: Our ‘nation of drunkards’ has only gotten worse from COVID - Boulder Daily Camera
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