We’re drinking a lot during coronavirus, but our immune systems are paying the price

We totally get it. Times are bleak. Life is grim. Weeks into the statewide stay-at-home order and we’re are already feeling like Nicolas Cage in “Leaving Las Vegas” or, like, Nicolas Cage in real life singing post-divorce Prince karaoke — and they’re drinking like him, too.

With liquor stores deemed essential businesses (hell yeah!) and the entire state homebound, it’s no wonder that alcohol sales are on the rise, not just here, but nationwide. According to market research firm Nielsen, alcoholic beverage sales are up 55% as of the week of March 15-22 across the country. Spirit sales are up, too, and have soared to 75%, while beer has seen a 66% jump and wine has spiked to 42% when compared to this time last year—you know, when we weren’t living in a medical nightmare.

This news might make you want to celebrate the resilience of our livers by doing a shot or pouring a glass of breakfast wine (it’s a thing now), but the officials are urging drinkers to moderate their intake because of the havoc it can wreak on our immune systems, which are really important because of coronavirus. Maybe you’ve heard of it?

Immune systems are helpful when fighting off disease.

Anyway, the experts urge folks to set limits when drinking and to not allow the collective trauma and grieving we’re experiencing to increase our usual non-dystopian drinking limits. They also advise limiting high-sugar alcoholic beverages, which can also impact those with underlying health conditions.

They also remind us that some alcohol is stronger than others, including tequila and gin, and that a “standard drink” is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces for wine, or 1.5 ounces for spirits or liquor with a 40% alcohol content.

Depressed yet? Hold my beer. And pass the bottle … of water.

This story originally appeared in one of our sister papers, the Detroit Metro Times.
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This article appears in Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.