Shaken Not Stirred Crazy?

The UK Royal College of Psychiatry has highlighted that the number of problem drinkers (men and women who consume more than the 14 weekly units of alcohol per week) in England has almost doubled from 4.8 m to 8.4m in the last four months (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/sep/15/english-addiction-services-on-brink-as-number-of-higher-risk-drinkers-doubles). Fourteen units a week is nothing for many enthusiasts. This is at a time, when there have been big cuts to addiction services. This is in spite of drug deaths (from opiates as well as alcohol) and alcohol-related admissions to hospital being at record highs even before the Covid-19 lockdown. It seems very likely that this change in drinking habits (a measure that was always difficult to gauge accurately, as people have a strong tendency to under report their alcohol consumption) is intimately linked to lockdown. There is simply less for many people to do and, as most people are somewhat segregated, there are fewer people to notice (and perhaps comment on) their unhealthy pattern of drinking. There also appears to be no problem in having substantial supplies of beers, wines and spirits to be delivered to households, even at the present time. Alcohol-related damage costs the National Health Service considerable amounts of money. The Royal College suggests that many lives will be lost, if we can't get addiction services out to people who need them. Habits developed in lockdown may be hard to break.