Will alcohol and drug use spike this winter?

Vice reports on the temptation to abuse alcohol and drugs during the winter, a situation worsened by the pandemic. The story quotes Kenneth Leonard, director of the Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions. “We know that stress and negative feelings can be influenced by our overall physical state,” he said. “Maintaining regularity is an important element in all of this.” Now could be a time to start brainstorming constructive ways to spend all of this free time, especially ones that tie into your pre-pandemic interests, he said. “Look at whether there are any hobbies you’ve neglected,” Leonard said. “They don't need to be big goals. They can be small goals that you can make progress on, on sort of a week-to-week basis.”