How to get through the pandemic? There might be some good ways to preserve your sanity.
And there might be terribly unproductive ways.
The ongoing and worsening pandemic in the US has its economic side, which has been largely negative so far, and its political side, which has likewise been making a lot of us sick to our stomachs. It also has its scientific side, which in some ways has been the trigger for the economic and political distress.
For today, a quick look into the wine glass.
From a news article by reporter Sarah Hosseini in the Washington Post, November 9, 2020.
In a May survey conducted by the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International, researchers polled 993 people from across the United States about their drinking habits before the pandemic hit and after. It found an average person’s drinks per day increased 27 percent; the frequency of a person’s drinking that “exceeds drinking guidelines” increased 21 percent; and binge drinking increased 26 percent. Researchers also found that being female or Black was associated with significant increases in at least one measure, and respondents with children in the household had greater-than-average increases in all three.
Ms. Hosseini’s article is entitled, “The pandemic is taking a toll on parents, and it’s showing in alcohol consumption rates”. The article’s central hypothesis is that the COVID crisis has been especially hard on women, and many are seeking opportunities to self-medicate.
From Ms. Hosseini’s article:
Taking out the recycling, I could hear my bin clanking all the way to the curb. “That sounded like a lot more bottles of wine than usual — you okay?” my husband asked me with one eyebrow up.
I’m a mom of two young kids, navigating a pandemic, distance learning, working, and finishing my master’s degree. What even is ‘okay’ right now? From the texts and Zooms I’ve been having with other moms, I know I’m hardly alone in the struggle. Or the imbibing.
Reportedly, American adults have sharply increased their consumption of alcohol during the shutdown triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, with women increasing their heavy drinking episodes (four or more drinks within a couple of hours) by 41%, according to a new RAND Corporation study. You can read the report on the JAMA website. The study, supported by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), surveyed 1,540 adults across a “nationally representative panel”.
Participants were asked about their shift in alcohol consumption between spring 2019 and spring 2020, during the virus’ first peak. The survey found that the overall frequency of alcohol consumption increased among adults over age 30, compared to the same time last year. The alcohol spike — seen especially among women and younger adults — suggests the need for primary care providers, behavioral health providers, and family members to be aware of the risks of increased alcohol use, says the report.
“We’ve had anecdotal information about people buying and consuming more alcohol, but this is some of the first survey-based information that shows how much alcohol consumption has increased during the pandemic,” said Michael Pollard, lead author of the study and a sociologist at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. “Alcohol consumption can have significant negative health consequences, so this information suggests another way that the pandemic may be affecting the physical and mental health of Americans…”
From Ms. Hosseini’s article:
Thema Bryant, a licensed psychologist and professor at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., says the challenges of trying to work from home, tending to your kids’ education, and having limited outlets for relief are all stressful for parents, but especially for women, who tend to shoulder more household and caregiving responsibilities than men. Beyond the physical strains of multitasking, parents are dealing with a lot emotionally. They’re concerned about the health of themselves, their children, and their elderly parents. They’re worried about losing their jobs. They’re uneasy about their child’s social development.
“If you had a child who was already isolated or already dealing with social skill challenges, then it can be even more difficult to navigate distance learning and cultivate relationships for them,” Bryant says.
Nicky C. is a mother of three in Santa Clarita, Calif., who describes her kids’ virtual learning as pure chaos. Her children are 8, 5, and 1½ years old. “We’re very behind,” she tells me over the phone, laughing off the worry. Her middle child in kindergarten has attention-deficit disorder. She says it’s really hard for him to focus and he can only handle about 30 minutes of Zooms. “It’s a struggle to get him to learn anything, and I try to make it fun, we write letters in Play-Doh and the whiteboard, but it’s just a constant struggle. I have a strong feeling he’s going to have to repeat kindergarten.”
…“It feels very alone. Is it this hard for everybody? I feel like I’m not a good mom because I can’t juggle all of it well.”
Time for the ‘Sober Mom Squad’? For just $12 a month, you can join an organization whose aim is to help keep you from becoming an alcoholic mom.
From the Sober Mom Squad website:
We started hosting a weekly free virtual meeting over zoom, discussing all things motherhood, the trials of suddenly homeschooling, the new dynamics of home life, and doing it all without “mommy juice.”
As mothers, we need to connect, share experiences, share expertise, hear stories, and tell our own. We need to know that we are not alone, and we need to feel that we are in a safe environment away from judgement and stigma.
We found that this community filled a need that had never been filled before, so we expanded it to help even more women. Women, just like you, who are inundated with wine memes and spiked seltzer ads, yet demand MORE for yourself and your families. Women like you, who don’t want their kids to grow up with a mom who needs wine to survive them.