Cheers! I'm going through Corona to be an alcoholic?

This article first appeared on brigitte.de.

I’m sitting with a friend in the Park, between us 1,5 meters distance and two Beers. I meet my parents in the garden again, there are sparkling in the sun. My colleague in the video call told by the home office with twins, it indicates telling on your wine glass. “Yes, an exceptional situation”, “Feels like vacation”, “I’ve earned it after the effort”, are the phrases that I hear to these situations, and many other constantly – and even say. The Coronavirus has not imposed a veil of downtime, but also a slight chill of the alcohol on us poured.

Tired and slightly to the side of the track we are anyway, with all the sensations and messages that we work with have to. There’s a little Rammdösigkeit by a glass or two of wine makes no difference, except that we fall asleep is supposedly better.

Photographer Lois Hechenblaikner

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The Corona-Schwipps

The corona-crisis changes people. Studies to find out what we already know: That some people use alcohol as a means of stress reduction. And the Gfk Consumer research confirms that sales of alcohol has increased in the last few months. This information is hardly surprising, is it?

Now we have but beginning to be a Problem. Because, while we joked a few weeks ago is still grim, to be alcoholics, developed the corona of the crisis of the exception – for the duration of the condition. And so our self-imposed vacation lasted in the home office, suddenly, weeks instead of days, soon to be months rather than weeks – and probably even a whole year. Meanwhile, the habituation effect has crept not only in terms of living with the pandemic, but also with the glass of alcohol. Not true? Well, think about it, on how many days you the last two weeks have been drinking. Caught in the act.

“This is what I call super, if noticed at all,” says Dr. Peter Strate to calm down. He is the head doctor at the Asklepios clinic for dependence diseases in Hamburg-Ochsenzoll and know why people, including him and me – like to drink alcohol:

If you have Stress at work or with the kids, then alcohol is great for a subjective feeling of relaxation. You no longer to brood on it, to worry.

Also as said sleep medication the glass would help wonderfully – de facto, the night will quality of sleep but disturbed. And we Wake up whacked. Here Dr. Strate know a better Trick that could be a simple little distraction.

Distraction instead of alcohol

“When the usual compensatory mechanisms, such as Sport, come too short, the consumption of alcohol. If I have but enough of a distraction, then I can sleep well at night,” advises the doctor. So instead of the beer after a run around the Block. Noted.

In the morning at 7

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But what if you give in to the alcohol? How can I protect in Corona times in front of a dependency?, I want to know from Dr. Strate. He told me his personal strategy: “I’ve learned from my work is that I have no Routine in the consumption of alcohol. The art is not to reward yourself with alcohol”. The food tasting him, even without the obligatory wine, beer is for relaxing anyway counterproductive – he would rather treat themselves to a Gin and Tonic. And then, also like to two.

How often is too often?

The crowd was by the way a second factor to the topic of addiction risk, as I have from Dr. Strate learn. Although the RKI should comply with the limit of daily maximum of 10-12 grams of alcohol per woman hardly, if more than a glass of drinking would. The crux of the targeted Intoxicate: “the Binge, however, is-Drinking should not take place more often than once a month”.

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How does it look with the drink without the noise? I’m asking Dr. Strate to the 5-2 scheme that I’ve heard: five days a week to stay sober, the two of you could drink alcohol. He laughs. Actually, the recommendation around was even different: a Minimum of two days a week, you should drink anything. One way or the other: Also this should prevent above all routines. Instead, Dr. Strate gives me a different mnemonic in the Hand. A warning to Corona times and in everyday life – was, “if you think first thing in the morning to the glass of beer or wine in the evening”. Phew, that was lucky. I only have to think of coffee another site, but at least taken care of.

Regularity, and amount of the two risk factors that remain to me in the head. Still, I’m relaxed from the phone call. “We can’t always practice, only resignation,” says Dr. Strate, in our conversation, mild. After all, life is to Enjoy there. Even at grandma’s 90. to drink times one over the thirst is normal – but would not be celebrated daily.