WEBVTT

00:09.060 --> 00:10.320
- Hi I'm Bambi Depew,

00:10.320 --> 00:11.290
I'm a social worker in

00:11.290 --> 00:13.830
the Addiction Medicine
Intensive Outpatient Clinic

00:13.830 --> 00:17.420
and I wanna talk to you today
about the topic of alcohol.

00:17.420 --> 00:19.350
Zoom happy hours have been all the craze

00:19.350 --> 00:20.810
since COVID started.

00:20.810 --> 00:22.860
We're not connecting with people anymore.

00:22.860 --> 00:24.530
We're not hanging out with our friends.

00:24.530 --> 00:26.520
We're not doing those
out-of-home activities

00:26.520 --> 00:28.550
that we were once doing.

00:28.550 --> 00:30.280
So these happy hours

00:30.280 --> 00:33.030
give us the sense of connection.

00:33.030 --> 00:35.930
Many of us feel well,
there's nothing else to do.

00:35.930 --> 00:37.310
Why not have a drink?

00:37.310 --> 00:38.620
Or five?

00:38.620 --> 00:40.940
It's wine o'clock somewhere, right?

00:40.940 --> 00:43.670
Wrong, I'm here to tell you that drinking

00:43.670 --> 00:46.820
during this time to alleviate stress,

00:46.820 --> 00:50.280
anxiety, depression, boredom,

00:50.280 --> 00:53.780
can actually be much more
harmful than it is helpful.

00:53.780 --> 00:58.780
Statistically, we have seen a
rise in alcohol sales by 44%.

00:58.870 --> 01:00.803
That means we're drinking a lot more.

01:02.100 --> 01:05.600
Surprisingly, DWIs have also gone up.

01:05.600 --> 01:07.460
On this installation alone,

01:07.460 --> 01:11.620
we've already surpassed last
year's DWI numbers by 35.

01:11.620 --> 01:13.223
And we're barely in September.

01:14.410 --> 01:17.160
Who would've thought that we
would have an increase in DWIs

01:17.160 --> 01:19.210
when we're supposed to be staying home.

01:19.210 --> 01:21.350
Many people don't recognize
the negative effects

01:21.350 --> 01:25.290
that alcohol has on the
body and the immune system.

01:25.290 --> 01:27.520
It weakens the immune system.

01:27.520 --> 01:29.360
I've had soldiers ask me,

01:29.360 --> 01:31.510
doesn't alcohol kill the virus?

01:31.510 --> 01:33.460
No, it doesn't.

01:33.460 --> 01:35.300
And it actually increases your risk

01:35.300 --> 01:38.700
of the susceptibility of
contracting the virus.

01:38.700 --> 01:40.630
Or if you contract the virus,

01:40.630 --> 01:42.330
it can worsen your symptoms

01:42.330 --> 01:44.440
because of the weakened immune system.

01:44.440 --> 01:46.490
Now if you plan on drinking,

01:46.490 --> 01:49.090
or engaging in a zoom happy hours,

01:49.090 --> 01:51.800
let me review with you the
lowest risk drinking guidelines

01:51.800 --> 01:54.210
as outlined by the World
Health Organization.

01:54.210 --> 01:57.633
You can have one drink per hour.

01:58.630 --> 01:59.463
If you drink every day,

01:59.463 --> 02:01.370
you can have two drinks a day.

02:01.370 --> 02:02.270
If you don't drink every day,

02:02.270 --> 02:04.523
you can have up to three
drinks per sitting.

02:05.700 --> 02:08.070
Now, that means if you drink every day,

02:08.070 --> 02:11.750
you can have up to
fourteen drinks in a week.

02:11.750 --> 02:12.860
And don't be cheating here

02:12.860 --> 02:14.540
and trying to save all
those fourteen drinks

02:14.540 --> 02:17.240
for Saturday football or Sunday football.

02:17.240 --> 02:19.710
We know that football is
a hot thing right now.

02:19.710 --> 02:23.550
You can have up to three drinks in one day

02:23.550 --> 02:25.130
if you're not drinking every day

02:25.130 --> 02:28.143
during the whole day of Sunday
or whole day of Saturday.

02:29.000 --> 02:30.870
Now what do I mean by a drink?

02:30.870 --> 02:34.520
A standard drink is a 12-ounce light beer,

02:34.520 --> 02:36.510
a five-ounce glass of wine,

02:36.510 --> 02:38.610
or an ounce and a half of 80-proof liquor.

02:39.890 --> 02:41.890
If you're drinking excessively,

02:41.890 --> 02:44.560
if your friends, co-workers,

02:44.560 --> 02:46.180
spouses, children, loved ones

02:46.180 --> 02:49.030
have said you're drinking too much.

02:49.030 --> 02:50.480
Ask yourself these questions.

02:51.810 --> 02:55.090
Have you ever felt the need
to cut back on your drinking?

02:55.090 --> 02:57.833
Have people annoyed you by
criticizing your drinking?

02:58.870 --> 03:00.913
Do you feel guilty about your drinking?

03:02.130 --> 03:04.740
Or have you ever had a drink
first thing in the morning

03:04.740 --> 03:05.880
to kind of calm your nerves

03:05.880 --> 03:06.963
or get the day going?

03:08.070 --> 03:10.100
If you answered yes to
any of these questions,

03:10.100 --> 03:12.710
you may want to seek help and assistance.

03:12.710 --> 03:14.290
You can go to the FCC clinics

03:14.290 --> 03:17.140
which are embedded in all the
behavioral health clinics.

03:17.140 --> 03:19.000
The ASAP program is also available

03:19.000 --> 03:21.930
and they provide educational
classes to all soldiers,

03:21.930 --> 03:24.530
family members and civilians.

03:24.530 --> 03:28.113
I want you to remember seeking
help is truly a strength.

03:28.951 --> 03:31.534
(upbeat music)