Alcohol and COVID-19: How Addiction and Your Physical Health May Be Affected

COVID-19 is rapidly spreading around the world and shows no signs of slowing down. While medical researchers will eventually find a way to manage this disease, many people will suffer until they do. For example, those who abuse alcohol may find that their immune system is compromised, putting them at risk for this danger. As a result, addiction and your physical health need to be appropriately assessed and managed to stay healthy.

How Alcohol Impacts Your Immune System

Alcohol is one of the most dangerously addictive drugs for a handful of reasons. First of all, alcohol is legal and easy to buy. As a result, those with an addiction shouldn’t struggle to find some. Secondly, society accepts alcohol. Unfortunately, this means that it may be abused in large amounts by many people in a broad variety of situations. Lastly, it produces hazardous health effects in many people.

For example, alcohol has been shown to increase a person’s risk for various diseases by decreasing the operation of their immune system. And in the case of COVID-19, it is particularly dangerous because alcohol is known to enhance a person’s chances for diseases like pneumonia and various types of acute respiratory diseases (ARDS) and other types of health problems are all commonly associated with severe cases of COVID-19.

Why Alcohol is Common With Other Types of Substance Abuse

In studies related to HIV and other immune-related diseases, researchers found alcohol and drug abuse to be a significant problem. And since alcohol is often a gateway drug for different types of substances, this risk increases even further. Just a few ways that alcohol can open you up to COVID-19 and various kinds of substance abuse include how:

• Alcohol damages the liver and immune system, opening up your risk of further infection
• Drinking lowers your inhibition, which may increase your chances of abusing other drugs
• Substances like cocaine and methamphetamine can worsen your immune system even further
• Sharing drinks or drug paraphernalia with others may spread COVID-19 even further
• Poor decision making could cause excessive sexual contact, which could spread COVID-19 due to personal proximity

All of these dangers make alcohol addiction one of the most dangerous problems for those trying to fight COVID-19. The potent combination of substances and various types of health dangers makes it critical for you to take preventative steps to combat this risk.

Ways to Quit Alcohol

Many people try to quit alcohol on their own, only to find that they cannot handle this health problem. Don’t feel defeated if this happens to you – treating alcohol abuse disorders without medical help is a lot like trying to treat cancer without proper treatments. That’s because rehab professionals will:

• Help with your withdrawal symptoms
• Assess and address your nutritional deficiencies
• Boost your immune system with various exercises
• Manage other addictions
• Treat other diseases that you may be experiencing

All of these benefits help to make high-quality drug rehab an excellent choice for those with alcohol substance abuse disorders. Just as importantly, this care method can also help to manage addiction and your physical health in a myriad of unique ways. So don’t hesitate to reach out to these centers if you want the best chance of beating alcohol and avoiding COVID-19.

Get the Help You Need at Beaches Recovery

As you can see, addiction and your physical health must be taken very seriously during the COVID-19 crisis. By managing this danger properly, you can avoid serious health dangers and potentially walk away from this pandemic safe and healthy. Just as importantly, you can quit dangerous drinking behaviors. Also, you can confront your drug abuse by finding treatment both during and once the crisis is over. So contact Beaches Recovery today at 866.605.0532.