Isolation: At What Cost?

At the time of this publication, most of us are three to four weeks into our quarantine due to COVID-19.  If you are like me, the first week of working from home was a combination of excitement, dread, and transition.  Anyone working from home immediately became their own boss to some degree. Want to wear your PJ’s all day?  Go for it.  Don’t want to shower or shave?  Be my guest.  The first week seemed to be almost like a “staycation” as most everyone had another paycheck coming and our worries seemed to be out in the future.

The second week rolls around and the feeling of being isolated from the real-world sets in.  Suddenly, the previous burden of having to get up and go to work is now something that is starting to sound good.  Even though you treasure your loved ones, spending literally 24 hours a day with them is wearing thin; we are simply not used to doing that.  Binge watching of documentaries and Netflix shit shows is in full affect but is starting to get old.  How many pounds did you gain by the end of week two?

The third week hits and we are in full blown fuck it mode.  For those who either (a) have very few hours of the day that they are required to be functional as part of “working from home”, or (b) who are totally off work; we begin heavy drinking.  The weather is breaking so if you are going to work in the yard, mow grass, grill, sit outside and read; might as well drink, right?  If you have literally no responsibilities, then why not go for it.  By the end of the third week, this whole thing starts to feel like one stay at home vacation with no end in sight. 

All of the above sounds great and mostly harmless right?  What about the people who struggle daily with responsible eating or drinking, whose lives are now turned upside down because their compass has been taken away from them?  How are highly addictive people functioning during this time of no responsibility and no accountability?  I can tell you from personal experience that this isolation is tearing down the walls that were in place to keep people functioning, who otherwise cannot control how much they consume.   Work, routines, and responsibility are often the key tools used for people who have addictive personalities to normalize their world.  They work during the week, stick to their structure and routine, and use the short weekends to enjoy their drink of choice.  Now that these things have been ripped from their lives, there is nothing holding them back. 

As we work to find ways to cope and deal with this isolation (quarantine), we need to be careful in how we deal with people in our lives that have trouble controlling these impulses.  We need to help them find other ways to remain responsible and important.  Let’s help them figure out a new routine that does not involve daily binge drinking, which can lead to much worse.  Personally, I am lucky enough to be able to drink as much, little, or often as I want, and I have never had the urge to risk everything in my life for the next drink or buzz.  I hope there are many others like me out there.  I know for a fact there are many who do not possess that self-control and this quarantine is having a very negative affect on their health and well-being.

Stay safe out there and help people you know who are at risk.

Cheers!