'Difficult for people with alcohol disorder to cope with lockdown situation'

People, who have alcohol disorder or dependency and don't know how to regulate their emotions well, will find it very difficult to cope with the lockdown situation, says psychologist Amanpreet Kaur.

"The whole of the country is in a crucial situation. People who are suffering from substance use disorders, those who are dependent on alcohol are going through a lot of problems," adds Kaur, who is a research fellow at George Institute for Global Health in India, while talking to ANI.

She said that there are a lot of people who might be consuming all these things the same time; who might be on medication or psychotherapy but unfortunately they can't even go to their doctors.

"I am sure they are facing a lot of issues of withdrawal symptoms. People who were taking medicines and who do not have access to medicines any more, it is a very critical situation for all of them," says Kaur.

She feels that as and when the lockdown ends, the situation will become worse for them.

"As part of human tendency, when humans don't get such things for a larger duration and when they get it, they consume it badly or in a very large quantity, which will thus result in various loss of lives," she says.

"There is a dire need to hold themselves by using social support and engaging them in constructive activities or exercise, etc. Only then, they can stay away from these substances," adds Kaur.

According to the National Household Survey on Drug Use in India, approximately 17 per cent to 26 per cent of Indians are alcohol dependent, informs Kaur.