A counsellor’s view on coping without your daily fix

POLOKWANE – Police Minister Bheki Cele recently made his views clear on the sale of alcohol and cigarettes, even after lockdown, when he said he felt the sale of liquor should be suspended amid the nationwide lockdown.

This has in recent weeks angered citizens who felt the ban on the sale of liquor and cigarettes is one that infringes on their rights.

Review spoke to Carmen Jooste, a registered counsellor, about the effect of not being able to consume liquor and to smoke as much and when you would prefer to do so.

“In order for one to understand the impact on an individual due to the sudden halting on the purchases of alcohol and cigarettes, one needs to understand why people smoke or drink. There are people who either smoke or drink, or both due to the euphoric feeling they experience when using substances. Others do it as a means to deal and cope with stressors such as work, finances, and social issues they may be faced with.”

The lockdown, says Jooste, has one of two effects:

The bulk buyer:  This individual has bought a large amount of alcohol or cigarettes due to fear of being unable to get access to these during the lockdown.

The cold turkey: This individual was not able to buy large amounts of substances and therefore has limited access or no access to these substances.

The moment you find yourself in one of these situations you have a problem as you then realise that it is something you can’t cope without. Research has shown that nicotine is highly addictive and can be as addictive as cocaine, heroin and alcohol, Jooste explains.

Withdrawal symptoms often experienced:

Alcohol:

• Tremors
• Convulsions
• Hallucinations

Smoking:

• Irritability
• Sleep disturbance
• Hunger
• Trouble concentrating
• Feeling down

“These symptoms can cause various reactions in various individuals.  Some might be more irritable and can even bring feelings of anger which can be displaced on individuals in their lives, such as child abuse and gender-based violence.”

Jooste further explains if find yourself in the cold turkey position, you are going to experience cravings and could feel lousy for a few days, and that this is normal.

“There are ways to ease the phase such as working out, eating healthy, reading or binge-watching series, replacing your habit with another one. If you find yourself in the position of having bought a large amount of substances, you will not feel the impact of having any access to buying these substances. However, as soon as you find yourself in the position of running out of the substances, you might start using a smaller amount of the substance in order to preserve it. Therefore, when it runs out, the cold turkey process could be much easier.”

People mentally have not decided that they want to quit smoking or drinking and therefore the lockdown will not change that. In order for one to change a habit, you need to be invested in changing it.

It is hard to detect if an individual is a weekend alcoholic, Jooste said.

“This is typically an individual who drinks excessively over the weekend and can explain it to be well deserved due to their hard week and therefore rewarding themselves. One can become addicted or even dependent, this person is less likely to seek help as they do not view their drinking as a problem.”

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