Drinking in Lockdown and Beyond
Alcohol has a long known history of serving the way we celebrate, cope, and socialize across many societies. Some individuals have a rather healthy relationship with it, some are struggling to keep the balance, and some are neutral. Alcohol consumption lowers one’s mood and inhibitions, and has three major impacts on one’s personal life; these impacts being physiological, relational, and social. Given the current pandemic, many people turn to alcohol for different reasons which we will discuss in this dialogue. People in recovery are struggling, and partners and parents are concerned. They want to know if their loved ones are developing a dependency on alcohol, or if their consumption is just a temporary escape which will pass as the stress of the pandemic lifts. In this dialogue, Paul and I speak about what constitutes an alcoholic drink, and what the appropriate amount of consumption is in relation to our current context. Paul brings his holistic lens as a professor, researcher, practitioner, and a visionary, to debunk the myths that surround alcohol in a compassionate and non-judgmental tone.
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About Dr. Paul Wallace
Professor Paul Wallace FRCGP FFPHM is Clinical Director for Digital at the South London Academic Health Science Network and Professor Emeritus of Primary Care at UCL. His clinical academic career spans more than 30 years. During this time, his research has focussed on the promotion of health by primary care physicians and the use of digital technologies to optimise such activities. He was formerly Director of the NIHR Primary Care Research Network and led an international programme of research into the effectiveness of digitally mediated screening and brief interventions for alcohol in primary care settings. He has authored more than 120 papers and book chapters, and has been involved in the development, evaluation and dissemination of digital applications for alcohol reduction in a number of countries. Paul is past President of the Telemedicine section of the Royal Society of Medicine, past President of the European General Practice Research Network and a founding member of the European Society of General Practice/Family Medicine. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Faculty of Public Health Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians. In 2012 he co-founded the Foundation for Family Medicine in Palestine of which he is the Chief Executive Officer. In 2013 he was awarded the RCGP President’s Medal.
Tools and Resources
- Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
- AL-ANAN
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): +1 (800) 662- 4357
- Drinkaware
- Drink less
- World Health Organization (WHO): What you need to know about alcohol and Covid.
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)