Escapism and Addiction: Trending During COVID-19
I’ll cut straight to the chase: we have a serious problem with self-medication and numbing going on right now in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Between marijuana sales booming, opioid overdoses sharply spiking, alcohol sales up nationally, porn traffic showing very significant increases, and even online gambling showing a huge increase (including a staggering 90% in Nevada), self-medication through addictive behaviors are at an all-time high right now.
Some of our most clear and urgent data comes from opioids, are what we’re seeing right now is incredibly serious and shocking. The Washington Post detailed how overdoses aren’t just increasing, the increase is multiplying as COVID-19 has gone on – 18% increase in March, 29% in April, and 42% in May. In Chicago, we’ve seen a 50% increase in overdose deaths from this time last year. Potentially driving this, a revealing data analysis by Millennium Health found that urine drug analyses conducted by their lab were positive for fentanyl 32% more after COVID-19 emerged in mid-March, compared to the beginning portion of 2020.
Alcohol use increase are equally as alarming, with sales rates commonly approaching or eclipsing a 67% threshold. What makes matters even worse, however, is that data shows it’s just not just more people buying alcohol, it’s people individually buying in much greater sizes and quantities. Data shows that sales of 1.75L hard liquor (half-gallon jugs) are up 23x (not a typo), boxed wine up 10x, and 30-packs of beer up 21%. This leads to more binges, and has an easier pathway to faster development of a physiological dependency, or addiction.
Knowing trends is important. However, what’s really important is knowing what you can do about it - this is a grassroots problem with grassroots solutions:
Be honest with yourself (and others).
It’s easy to rationalize using substances to cope at a time like this: “it’s just a rough stretch right now,” “everybody’s doing it,” “I just need to relax for a little while.” Be very wary if this becomes the new normal, however, or if you’ve recently restarted use after a period of sobriety. If you’re starting to become concerned about your use, reach out for help (more on that below). And if you’re concerned about someone else, make sure to tell them.
Promote healthy coping choices for yourself and others in your life.
Meditation, exercise, video chatting with friends – whatever works for you, make sure to do it. And by that I mean actually do it, don’t just think about that you probably should do it, but then eat chocolate chips late at night instead (not that I have any experience with this).
Know where to go for help.
Working with a therapist puts someone in your corner who will use evidence-based treatments to help get you on track, and will advocate for you and help guide you to other resources if a higher level of care is needed. Right now just about every therapist has telemedicine options, so it’s easier than ever to fit a session into a busy schedule.
When looking for a therapist, I recommend first looking to see if there is a board-certified psychologist (ABPP) in your area. Even if they’re not open for new clients, I’d value their recommendation for other referrals. If not, therapyden.com and psychologytoday.com are great therapist listing sites. And, of course, you’re welcome to reach out to me if you live in Illinois and need a recommendation.
It’s much, much easier to catch a problem early, rather than try to fix an issue that’s grown into full-blown addiction. Keep your eyes open, both inwardly and outwardly, and let’s make sure to keep everyone as healthy as we can.
If you need individual help, more information is available on my website related to working with me for online addiction counseling – in addition to my concierge therapy practice, I also have a small in-network practice with Equipoise Teletherapy in Chicago. I also provide non-clinical parent coaching services upon request. For any other questions, please feel free to reach out to me directly!