The pandemic brought along a rise in alcohol and substance use and while that may not come as a surprise, what may be is that trend has continued.
University of Toronto’s Dr. Lisa Lefebvre says COVID-19 sped up the already growing concern surround substance abuse, but it’s the pressures people are seeing now post-pandemic that is keeping usage high.
Lefebvre says there’s a plethora of contributing factors which leads one to find an outlet be it isolation, depression, or stress.
What doesn’t help she notes, is that often times the only place available to assist someone during a mental health crisis is in overcrowded ERs.
(Written by: Grant Deme)