So it’s been a while since I have been posting, the reason being is that I have been trying to keep myself busy and distracted in sobriety. However it is time to re-emerge back into the wonderful world of the internet and update you on some of my fears and anxieties at the moment, particularly in this scary time where the world is experiencing a pandemic of Covid-19 (Novel Coronavirus).

I live in Australia and like the rest of the world we have started to see a very upwards spike in Coronavirus cases (we are currently sitting at nearly 1,900). Like many other countries our Governments are starting to introduce some extreme measures to keep us all safe, at the moment we are being told to socially distance ourselves.

This pandemic is terrifying me, it is leaving me feeling extremely vulnerable, I am starting to see memes and messages floating around the internet encouraging us to panic buy our alcohol because what else are we going to do if we are stuck at home? Most people seem to feel that drinking is going to be our solution.

As an alcoholic, albeit a recovering one, this is one of those times that I would normally turn to the bottle and hard and the reason is because I am suffering from extreme anxiety and in the past, I have used alcohol to numb my anxieties, but it has never solved it. It has simply exacerbated them.

This is an incredibly challenging time for all of us, and whilst I am lucky I have a supportive husband and young children to keep me company at home whilst I am socially distancing myself, I know that there are alot of alcoholics out there who do not have those same support systems in place.

Now I’m not going to declare myself as an expert in managing pandemic anxiety, but so far some of the strategies I have been adopting to keep me sane and sober during this pandemic include:

• Writing – I have been doing alot of journalling at the moment just to simply get my feelings out of my head.
• Reading – I have been spending far too much time on social media of late and this is simply making me struggle even more because I am constantly reading about doom and gloom. So when I can, I turn off my phone, I shut down my computer and I try and read a book.
• Getting fresh air – I know this one may not be possible for much longer, but simply going into our backyard and getting some fresh air is making a difference.
• Phoning a friend – when I am feeling lonely and isolated, I am picking up the phone and calling a friend.

Please, if you can help it, don’t use your anxiety of this pandemic to encourage you to drink. If you are unlucky enough to get Coronavirus then you may well be putting yourself at more risk.