The alcohol business is booming amid COVID-19

By Marcel Gemme
Across the United States, business is booming for alcohol manufacturers and retail stores. As Americans continue to hunker down, and some states extend the lockdown orders—many Americans are drinking when they want and not feeling guilty about it and even drinking more than usual. Unfortunately, this is where the problem begins as 70 percent of Americans already drink alcohol, per the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Many state and local health officials have seen these numbers increase over the past months due to more Americans staying home.
Alcohol is used to cope with negative feelings, stress, and the dark side of alcohol consumption could rise among the already 14.4 million Americans who already have an alcohol use disorder. As the alcohol business may be booming, so is the potential for more Americans struggling with alcohol addiction, heavy alcohol use, or even binge drinking. In 2018, 5.8 percent of adults aged 18 and older had an alcohol use disorder, which was 7.6 percent men and 4.1 percent women. During that same time, only about 7.9 percent of the 14.4 million adults with an alcohol use disorder received treatment. How many Americans are going to need treatment, counseling, or medical help due to increased alcohol consumption because of the pandemic?   
Many parts of the American economy are gradually beginning to re-open. The concern is as the pandemic subsides, it will be hard for some people to stop their patterns of problematic drinking. In most states, liquor stores generate substantial tax revenues and are a considerable portion of the government budget. Many states needed the financial resources from beverage retailers. Other states warned against the potential surge of people suffering from alcohol-related withdrawal symptoms if liquor stores closed. On social media, you would see happy hour parties and virtual drinking games. Health officials have warned Americans about the risks of normalizing excessive drinking.
Alcohol suppresses the immune system, and abusing alcohol makes someone more vulnerable to the coronavirus. An estimated 88,000 people die annually from alcohol-related causes. Alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States, per the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. It is hard to predict how many more people will struggle with an alcohol use disorder as things gradually return to normal. Yet, treatment centers and counseling services should be prepared to help more people who are struggling with problematic drinking when this is all over.    
Marcel Gemme has been helping people struggling with substance abuse for over 20 years. He first started as an intake counselor for a drug rehabilitation center in 2000. With drug and alcohol problems constantly on the rise he utilized his website, Addicted.org, and community outreach as a way to spread awareness. His main focus is threefold: education, prevention and rehabilitation.

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204 N. Mill Street
Lake Mills, IA 50450

Office Number: (641) 592-4222
Fax Number: (641) 592-6397

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