May 20, 2024
Today I have received two e-mails and an SMS offering me cheap booze to cope with the Coronavirus pandemic!
If this had happened back when I was drinking I certainly would have taken them up on it and would have spent the next few months “self-isolating” with bottles of wine. Even if I was fortunate enough to avoid catching the virus I probably would have emerged from the crisis with an even more serious drinking problem.
Ramping up our wine habit is the last thing we should be doing at a time when we need to give ourselves the best possible chance to stay healthy.
It’s now more important than ever to look after our health. Of course we must wash our hands and self isolate but we must also build up our immune system.
One thing we know for sure is that alcohol weakens the immune system. Drinking alcohol makes us more susceptible to the kind of “underlying health conditions” which then puts us at risk of contracting a virus.
Another problem with drinking is that your body treats alcohol as it would treat a disease. Your immune system gets fired up in order to fight the “infection” which is alcohol. It then becomes less efficient at protecting you against viruses.
In the current situation you need to give your immune system the best possible chance to do its job – protecting you from external threats rather than dealing with a toxin you are deliberately pouring into your body!
Ditching the drink during this crisis will not only make your body stronger, healthier and ready to fight off illness but it will also help your mental health.
We’re all anxious with an uneasy feeling that the global pandemic may get worse before it gets better. Those of us in South Africa are well aware that this is only the beginning and news reports from Europe are deeply unsettling.
It is tempting to numb these feelings by drinking but in fact it’s the very worst thing we could do because…
Our usual routines have been disrupted so in fact it’s an ideal time to reconfigure our lives. Probably the worst thing to do is to plug into the news cycle which is pumping out bad news 24/7.
Create a brand new routine which involves daily exercise, eating well and drinking plenty of water. Step up your self-care routine and look around you to see if you can help anyone who may be suffering during this crisis. Staying active and helping other people will keep your dopamine levels up and you will be less likely to seek a chemical high from alcohol.
Use this period to do all those things you’ve been meaning to do for ages but never had the time. If one of those things has been to change your relationship with alcohol then there has never been a better time to do this. You could just emerge from this crisis as a happier and healthier person!
If you need a bit of support to cut down or quit drinking then please check out our membership program. Once you’ve signed up you will immediately be connected to other people on the same path and provided with online and community support through a 30 day alcohol free challenge.
That’s just the beginning of an 8 step journey which you can read more about HERE
Stay well
Janet x
