Covid lockdowns normalised harmful drinking, medic says

Harmful levels of drinking were normalised through the Covid pandemic, charities and medical staff have said.

Substance misuse charity Barod said referrals for alcohol addiction increased by 41% compared with before the pandemic.

Last year, Wales recorded its highest number of alcohol deaths for 20 years, and it is feared that this year, deaths will be even higher.

The Welsh government said it had a substance misuse plan in place.

Rick Stephens, from Cardiff, had struggled with periods of alcohol dependency for 36 years, but the problem escalated in lockdown.

Mr Stephens, 60, said: "I couldn't work anymore, so I didn't have to make that effort, whereas I would cut down because I was working, I didn't have to do that anymore."

• 'I became alcoholic during lockdown'

• Easy access fed mum's addiction to benzos

Without worrying about colleagues noticing his drinking, Mr Stephens found himself drinking more and more.

In February 2021, his mum died, and he said "just when I thought I couldn't increase my drinking anymore, I did".

On 8 March 2021, a friend visited and insisted he go to hospital.

Mr Stephens said his alcohol consumption increased during lockdown and got worse when he lost his mother

Mr Stephens had acute liver failure and hepatic encephalopathy, a neurological disorder caused by a build-up of toxins in the bloodstream, because of a badly damaged liver.

These toxins entered his brain and gave him hallucinations and severe memory loss.

He said that although he was hallucinating and having dreams, his brain was "rewired" and logged the hallucinations in what he described as "the wrong filing cabinet".

It has taken Mr Stephens months to sort through his memories and separate reality from dreams.

Hannah began looking up her dad's workplaces on TripAdvisor and saw reviews describing him as a "smelly man behind the bar" or "always drunk"

Mr Stephen's daughter Hannah, was one of the first people to notice his drinking.

As a child, she said: "All my other friends had nice family days out, and I would just be at the pub, I grew up in pubs."

At the time, Mr Stephens thought he was managing to hide his addiction from his family, "convincing" himself that "nobody knew".

Now in recovery, he has not drunk alcohol since his time in hospital and said Hannah was "the main reason behind it" as he wanted to be a "better father".

Hannah is now training to be a mental health nurse, while Mr Stephens volunteers for a charity and is studying substance abuse at college in order to help others.

Rick in active addiction

The charity Barod said referrals for alcohol addiction rose from 2,264 in 2018/19 to 3,204 in 2020/21 - a rise of 41%

Rob Barker-Williams, Barod's campaigns and communications lead, said many who sought support said they had used alcohol to cope with lockdowns after their mental health was significantly compromised.

Rhian Jones, an alcohol liaison nurse at Bronglais hospital in Aberystwyth, said the pandemic changed people's lifestyles and day-to-day routines.

"Many people no longer needed to drive to work, they finished earlier and started later - giving them longer to drink.

• The 'village' that got me off drink and drugs

• Waterloo Road star reveals heroin addiction battle

Alongside the emotional impact of lockdowns, Ms Jones said it had allowed people who would usually have one or two drinks in the evening the opportunity to drink three or four.

As a result, Ms Jones said she feared dangerous levels of drinking had become "normalised".

She said a quarter of the patients at Bronglais did not realise their drinking was an issue.

"They're admitted for cardiac, respiratory or liver conditions, but don't realise they are drinking harmful amounts.

"Lots of patients who depends on alcohol don't realise they're dependent on alcohol, until it's taken away from them due to admission.

"Now that lockdowns are over, the return to normal routines has helped many to control their drinking."

Many people used alcohol as a way of coping during the unusual circumstances of the pandemic

But Ms Jones said for others, their bodies are now dependent on alcohol, making it difficult to quit.

She said she was also worried services were "missing the boat" of improving people's health by simply helping them to reduce drinking, because many people did not access their GP during the pandemic, and now their health issues are too advanced.

In 2020, alcohol-related deaths in Wales rose by 19% to a 20-year high, and Ms Jones said she feared this trend would continue.

• 'I beat my addiction, but alcoholism killed my son'

• Call to end rugby's 'cosy relationship' with beer

She said most people do not understand how common alcohol addiction is.

"People who look like they're functioning on the outside could be struggling when they go home, and close the front door," she added.

The Welsh government said it spent £64m a year on its substance misuse delivery plan, to raise awareness on the impact of drinking too much and ensuring access to assessment, treatment and rehabilitation services.

It added it was also tackling alcohol-related harm through the minimum unit pricing for alcohol, which is at least 50p per unit.

For help with any of the issues raised in this article, BBC Action Line has information about support.

• TANNI'S LIFETIME ROAD TO RECOVERY: Tanni Grey-Thompson reflects on key moments in her life

• RESCUING DAD: Dai Chant returns to the sea after 30 years