The coronavirus pandemic has changed things more than we could ever have imagined. While coping with our 'new normal', many of us are finding ourselves more lonely and isolated than ever before. Here Mark explores the complicated relationship between loneliness and alcohol.
Addiction, after all, has been described as the loneliest disease, where the drinker typically becomes withdrawn, remote and emotionally and/or physically distant… Yet, drinking is often seen as part of avoiding being lonely in the first place.
This is one of the reasons that pubs’ increasing investment in alcohol-free options is so positive; we need social spaces where alcohol is not a central player so that drinking is treated as a choice, rather than a necessary part of a sociable life.
If you are worried about your own or someone else's drinking, there’s support available.
