By far, this year has been one of the most traumatic in modern history, and this includes the social as well as the personal realities everybody is going through.

The pandemic created the perfect storm among the three factors that are typically connected to alcohol use in women. They are depression, anxiety, and stress.

– Depression has increased because, as humans, we need connection. This pandemic can put us in a situation of absolute isolation. Other factors we can link to depression to loss of a loved one, loss of a job, or an opportunity for a job or promotion, loss of a business; impossibility of seen friends or relatives; alteration of established routines

– Anxiety has increased due to so much uncertainty. We are losing a job, taking care of kids, and relationship stress due to everyone being home all the time.

– Stress – over finances, the space, fear of the unknown, what will happen in the future, differences with family and friends around following or not the CDC rules.

Finally, there is a situational factor: now women can drink at any time because they don’t have to go anywhere: they don’t have to drive to the office, or pick the kids up or take them to their usually activities after school. It is so easy now to drink during the day if we want to…Are you drinking more now?