CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) – Some are giving up booze this month as part of an annual tradition, and a local expert said that could be lifesaving in certain cases.
It's called "Dry January," meaning no alcohol for the first month of the new year.
And it could come at a good time, said Karen Wolownik Albert, CEO of Recovery Centers of America, a group that offers inpatient treatment in St. Charles and outpatient care in South Elgin.
"It's just like a lot of places have you know delivered our groceries and our supplies now we have people that deliver alcohol to your home if you're unable or, or maybe unwilling to go out in the world. And the COVID pandemic has really forced a lot of people into isolation and loneliness. And addiction and substance use really thrives in isolation and loneliness," Wolownik Albert told WBBM Newsradio.
The numbers back that up. Studies have shown stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic is led to an increased consumption of alcohol nationwide. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said alcohol-related death is also on the rise.
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