[imagesource: Motswari Mofokeng/African News Agency]
The South African national lockdown brought with it new laws and regulations that limit movement and the sale of “non-essential” items.
Two of those items are cigarettes and alcohol, causing a number of South Africans to stockpile these in the two days after the lockdown was announced.
The ban has been a source of controversy over the past week. The government can’t seem to make up its mind when it comes to lifting the tobacco ban.
It’s even reached a point where British American Tobacco is getting involved. They said the following in a statement, published by Moneyweb:
[The tobacco ban] will unintentionally force 11 million smokers to go outside of their neighbourhood in search of outlets willing to defy the ban, as we’ve seen in some media reports,” it said in a statement.
The ban on alcohol is proving a little trickier to navigate.
Police Minister Bheki Cele has said that he wishes the ban could extend past lockdown, but lobby group the SA Drug Policy Initiative disagrees. They want the ban on alcohol lifted as soon as possible. City Press with more:
The organisation said the lockdown plan was discriminating against the poor, was putting the health of the mentally ill and the marginalised at risk, and was gifting crime syndicates and gangs with another source of income.
Or, as they told eNCA:
If you stop drinking alcohol rapidly you develop withdrawal symptoms and something called delirium tremens, which is a form of delirium where you lose touch with the world and it can be life threatening. About 4% of people who develop DT can actually die.
Conversely, for some who stockpiled liquor, the stress of the lockdown has caused them to drink in excess, resulting in a rise in domestic abuse cases.
For many recovering alcoholics, the lockdown has proven difficult for different reasons. The Huffington Post ran a story authored by Brandon A. Dorfman, who has been sober for three years, but who has considered drinking again, due to the stress that comes with isolation.
My routine was built on conversation, social contact, and even a few handshakes and high-fives. I hadn’t beaten my demons, but they weren’t keeping me awake all night, either.
But in the six feet we’ve kept from others since the start of this crisis, those demons have found room to breathe. The coronavirus, and the social distancing measures necessary to keep it at bay, have threatened my sobriety, along with many others like me. Separated from my traditional social support structures, I feel alone, isolated, and anxious.
While the above story is from someone who lives in America, it speaks to the mental health struggles that many South Africans are facing at the moment.
If you or someone you know is struggling, here’s a list of resources available to you:
The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) offers a daily Facebook Q&A with experts talking about the pandemic.
You can also visit their website for support.
[sources:moneyweb&citypress&huffingtonpost&enca]
