You’ve seen them in your social media feed – an endless supply of posts about day drinking and using wine as the cure for all that ails us during stay safe, stay home orders and recommendations. Pretty funny, huh.
You’ve also surely seen the news reports about the impact of excessive quarantine drinking. Alcohol sales were up 55% right from the start of the lockdown according to Nielsen.
Uncertainty and alcohol abuse combine to result in a dangerous cocktail of mental health crisis across our country. Kaiser Family Foundation published a study recently that reports 45% of adults report a deterioration in their mental health condition as a result of COVID-19.
The pandemic makes people drink more, and that’s funny. But excessive drinking is causing spikes in depression, anxiety, domestic abuse and addiction. And there is nothing funny about that.
What role does the stigma play in all of it? The stigma is what keeps most Americans from connecting the dots. The stigma makes my excessive drinking funny, while it makes their excessive drinking tragic. It’s a classic us versus them scenario. The stigma keeps me from identifying with them, so, therefore, it is their problem, and not mine.
Your support of our efforts to crush the stigma are more important now than ever. Do you want to help ease the pain of the pandemic, but you feel helpless and hopeless sitting at home removed from the front lines? Helping people in mental health crisis and struggling with addiction is what we do. Your support in one of these three ways will go directly to the front lines. Don’t just yell at the TV screen. Get involved and be a big part of the solution.
3 Ways to Fight the Stigma from Home
Learn and Join the Conversation
Once every week, we publish articles about the stigma associated with alcoholism. This is a disease that touches every single one of us, often through the struggles of family or friends. Because alcoholism is a disease of hushed whispers and silence, the vast majority of people know little about it. Many think addiction is about lack of will power and moral deficiency. Nothing could be further from the truth.
You can help fight the stigma by signing-up to receive our weekly articles in your inbox. Not only might you pick up some insight that could help you deal with your alcoholic loved ones, but you are welcome to comment and join the conversation. Your participation, by reading and commenting, helps this movement keep up our momentum. Please click the link to join the Sober and Unashamed email list.
Listen to Our Relationship in Recovery
Our Untoxicated Podcast is really taking off now that we have focused our attention on the recovery of our marriage post alcoholism. Our download rate is way up, and we need your help to keep the numbers climbing. Subscribe to listen to our weekly releases of new podcast episodes. Nothing about alcoholism is more complex than the recovery of a marriage. Getting familiar with this subject will prepare you to be an expert stigma fighter.
Donate to Crush the Stigma
Your financial support is what makes the success of this mission possible. We sincerely appreciate your ongoing support. Your financial contribution is fully tax deductible as we are a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Do you want to contribute money, but you’re not sure where to give to have a direct impact to help during the pandemic? We receive new enrollments in our SHOUT Sobriety program and Echoes of Recovery program every week from people who need help surviving this disease. Now more than ever, with addiction, abuse, and suicide spiking, your money will go directly to great use.
We hope you’ll help. Increase your knowledge about this stigma associated with alcoholism, learn about recovering a relationship, or make a monetary donation. These are three great ways to help us keep moving forward as the fight gets both harder and more critical at the same time. Thanks for being part of the Stigma community. Please remember, we are all in this together!
Matt and Sheri Salis